Hashim attempts to explain the complicated insurgency in Iraq against the United States and other Coalition partners in the Iraq War. Rather than a single group with a common leader and ideology, as many people believe, Hashim explains that the Iraqi insurgents are a disparate group--former regime loyalists, Iraqis who resent foreign occupation, Islamic extremists, and criminal organizations--who loosely cooperate and coordinate attacks because they share a common enemy. However, this alliance has fractured considerably throughout the war, particularly as more "mainstream" insurgents trade their cooperation for political guarantees in the new Iraq. Hashim provides historical context for his explanations, but also provides sufficient religious and political analysis to portray each of the insurgent groups, their origins, goals, methods, successes, and failures. He looks into the future, hypothesizing about political and sectarian groups that may shift from being allies to being antagonists as each claims something for themself in the new Iraq. This book helps to explain the complications in Iraq today and suggests that these will not all be settled by a removal of coalition troops.This book can be found in HECSA Library:
Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq
Ahmed S. Hashim
DS 79.76 .H3758 2006
