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REVIEWS:

How America reached the brink
of defeat in 2006 and then managed in 2007 to stage a stunning turnaround. Notwithstanding numerous mistakes by their leaders, West shows that the sacrifices of our soldiers have made success possible--as long we do not withdraw prematurely.
—Senator John S. McCain

 “Sometimes the best way to support the troops is to criticize the generals. Bing West does
both well in this book, showing a sympathy for our soldiers and marines, but also a great ear for military truth and a determination to render events accurately. This is his third and most important book about the Iraq War. Read it.” —Thomas E. Ricks, author of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq

West's second classic - a moving and detailed account of almost six years of war in Iraq.  You will close this book marveling at the steadfastness of our soldiers—and wondering whether our society deserves their valor.
 —Dr. James R. Schlesinger, Director of Central Intelligence Agency, Nixon administration; Secretary of Defense, Ford administration

 
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_ 5:30 pm Registration | 6:00 pm Program with Wine Reception
Marines' Memorial Association, 609 Sutter Street, San Francisco

This special presentation is part of the Marines' Memorial Association's educational program and is a FREE EVENT.

If you plan to attend, please register in advance by using the sign-up buttons on this page or call (415) 673-6672 ext. 215 or 229.

 

America’s lead role in the Iraq war has ended. This book describes how the war was fought, what we should learn, and where our nation goes from here. Based on six years of battlefield reporting and access to the highest levels, Bing West - the award-winning war correspondent for The Atlantic - draws on a lifetime of skills to explain what happened and why. As a former assistant secretary of defense, he deftly analyzes the strategy of General Petraeus. As a former Marine, he describes combat with a veteran’s practiced eye. As a counter-insurgency expert, he shows how the insurgency was defeated, and why Iraqis call our soldiers “the strongest tribe”.

West casts a critical eye on the administration, the press and our society, explaining why Washington never understood the war; and how future presidents must assess risks. His book, The Village, became the insurgency classic from Vietnam. The Strongest Tribe will rank as the classic account of the insurgency in Iraq. It describes:

WHAT HAPPENED

  • Iraq fell apart because the president and the Pentagon pursued opposing strategies
  • Just when the White House believed the war was lost in 2006, the Sunni tribes in the west allied with the Marines, because the same US units went back year after year, and knew all the local leaders
  • General Petraeus expanded the success with the tribes and saved Baghdad by putting American soldiers into the neighborhoods where they organized the Sunnis into neighborhood watches
  • Iraq, though, wasn’t won by Petraeus or any other general; the insurgency was defeated from the bottom-up by our soldiers
  • al Qaeda came to Iraq to kill Americans; now the Sunnis in Iraq are killing al Qaeda - a stunning reversal that will reverberate through the Middle East

WHAT THE U.S. MILITARY LEARNED

  • An insurgency historically takes twelve years to defeat; the US military changed its doctrine and turned the war around in four years, showing it learned quickly
  • US troops fought a police war without the tools to identify the insurgents, and let most insurgents go free
  • Iraq dragged on because Iraqi leaders were incompetent; in Afghanistan and other failed states, the US must have a role in choosing the leaders of the military and police

WHAT WE AS SOCIETY MUST LEARN

  • A wartime President must: 1) persuade the people to support the war, and 2) intensely study military strategy in order to guide it. President Bush failed at both jobs
  • Our society has abandoned its military values; in WWII, the press focused on valor and downplayed mistakes; in Iraq, the press focused on mistakes and downplayed valor.
  • We have unrealistic expectations about fighting wars with few casualties; we’re in for a shock

END GAME: DON’T QUIT ON THE VERGE OF VICTORY

  • Our military is the strongest tribe in a fight, but our society is divided and self-centered. We’re on the verge of victory in Iraq. If we quit now, when won’t we quit?
  • A measured withdrawal as winners is prudent; an abrupt withdrawal is reckless
  • The divisiveness in our society will undermine us in the next war. No society can sustain its values by claiming to support the soldier while opposing his mission. It is the nation that determines the mission.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Strongest Tribe is Bing West’s third book in his trilogy about the war. Over five years, he has made 14 extended trips across the battlefields.  West was assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs under President Ronald Reagan. He served in the Marine infantry in Vietnam. Later, as an analyst at the RAND Corporation, he wrote the Vietnam classic The Village, that war colleges use as a primer in counterinsurgency. As a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, West has covered the war for five years. His books on Iraq - No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah and The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the United States Marines (co-authored with MajGen Ray Smith)—have won the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s General Wallace M. Greene Jr. Award for nonfiction, the Colby Award for military nonfiction, and the Veteran of Foreign Wars Media Award. West is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; his articles appear in The New York Times, The Wall St. Journal, and other major newspapers. He appears on National Public Radio and The Newshour with Jim Lehrer. Visit his website at www.westwrite.com.