The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq

For the most part, I found this book to be a good look at inner workings of the war in Iraq that have escaped the attention of the media. My greatest concern is that Mr. West's accounts of the various units that he visited often display a lack of consistency. In particular he refers to units by incomplete names that may cause the casual reader to gain an inaccurate understanding of the size and amount of troops involved with a particular tactic or operation. I feel that Mr. West's comments on counterinsurgency strategy are dead on, it's just that for me, as someone who served in Al Anbar, more clarity and accuracy would help flesh out his analysis.

A marvelous book with facts the Main Street Media ignores. A must read for anyone interested in how the Iraq war was conducted and how the Surge Worked.

...of the Iraq War and how things turned around for the better.

Mr. West and Max Boot visited our AO last winter, so I know that a lot of what he is written is not bravado, but his honest assessments and conclusions based on what he saw and heard, taking into account those who briefed him or took him out on patrol to get a real feel for the situation on the ground.

Having served under Lt. Col. Ken Adgie, I must say that West absolutely gets it right in terms of being an accurate judge of character of one of the finest officers I have had the privelige of serving under. To me, that tells me that West's judgment and insights are likely on the mark, and having lived the Iraq War experience with multiple combat tours myself, I don't disagree with a lot of his conclusions.

If you want an accurate and revealing accounting of the war and the mistakes we made, then how we went about correcting them at the strategic, operational and tactical levels, then you must read this book! Bing West has something for everyone in here: whether your interests run more to the big picture strategic and operational focus of our military waging the war or those on the "pointy end of the spear" kicking in doors, whether you want to know more about the politics in the Oval Office and Pentagon behind the decisions in Iraq, or the reconciliation meetings happening in the dusty neighborhoods of Anbar Province. You won't be disappointed.

Should be required reading for all Americans.

This is an excellent account of the best and worst of the folks involved with the Iraq war. I highly recommend this as it is both educational and entertaining.

Bing West has been there and done that. If the whole Iraq war seems a fog of IEDs,with names like Fallujah and Anbar floating in and out, and you don't know where we've been and how we got there, this is the book for you. If you want to understand why our military is superior to all others, you'll know after reading this book. Here you'll see the mistakes being made, the efforts to learn from them and finally find a strategy that works. From being embedded with the troops on the ground to meetings with generals, sheiks, Iraqis and even American politicians (twisting the war news to fit their own needs) Mr West has written a fast paced and readable book. All of those vague names and engagements come to life here and are put in perspective. His reporting is complete and his analysis is spot on.