A review by richardwells
The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 by Thomas E. Ricks

4.0

Fiasco is the story of the mess we made following invasion and Pres. Busch's historic "mission accomplished" gaffe. The Gamble is the follow up, and the story of General Petraeus's groundbreaking work on the US's counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq, and the surge that was its implementation. Gen. Petraeus was given the job of cleaning up the Augean Stables, and though it seems his leadership and troops have done as much as possible Iraq is and will remain a mess for years to come, and if we're not in it for the "Long War," then it will unravel much more quickly than anyone can imagine. In essence, we may never be able to leave.

Beyond the war story, this is a great look at the functioning, thinking, and intellectual makeup of the US military. It's a primer on strategy v. tactics, how to get a huge organization to change course, how politics play out in the conduct of war, and how the new guard of military leaders has replaced the old.

If I have one reservation, it's that Thomas Ricks has cast the General in a hero's mold, and may be a bit uncritical.