Synopses & Reviews
The chief Pentagon correspondent for the
New York Times and a retired three-star Marine Corps general join forces to bring us the definitive history of the Persian Gulf conflict and its aftermath.
Based on years of interviews with senior allied officials in the Persian Gulf, Western Europe, and the United States, this absorbing narrative history takes us behind the scenes in Washington and Riyadh and reveals the debates, the power struggles, and the personalities that shaped the course of the war.
Going beyond other recent accounts, the authors explain the how's and why's of the allied coalition's military strategy, analyze what went right and what went wrong and offer revealing, unvarnished portraits of the generals and admirals in charge. Drawing on previously undisclosed military documents, some specifically declassified by the Pentagon at the authors' request, the book brings to light unreported military operations and provides the first authoritative account of some new tactics and weapons used to defeat the Iraqis.
This fascinating, meticulously researched book will explode many of the myths that have crept into other accounts of the war and reveal some of the conflict's deepest secrets.
Review
"This cogent analysis provides several disturbing answers worthy of our attention. Recommended for informed lay readers and specialists." Library Journal
Synopsis
An account of the war in the Persian Gulf takes readers behind the scenes at the Pentagon and the White House to provide portraits of the top military commanders and to discuss what worked and what did not.
About the Author
A retired three-star Marine Corps general, Bernard E. Trainor served as the military correspondent for the
New York Times from 1986 to 1990. A miliary consultant for ABC News, he currently serves as the Director of National Security Programs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and writes a weekly column on military affairs for the
New York Times news service. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Chief New York Times Pentagon correspondent Michael R. Gordon received the George Polk Award for International Reporting for his 1989 disclosures on Libya's chemical weapons program. He covered the Gulf conflict and the upheaval in Iraq, reporting from various countries and the region. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.