Thomas E. Rick's news-breaking follow up to the #1 New York TimesFiasco
Now updated to fully document the inside story of the Iraq war since late 2005, The Gamble is the definitive account of the insurgency within the U.S. military that led to a radical shift in America's strategy. Based on unprecedented real-time access to the military's entire chain of command, Ricks examines the events that took place as the military was forced to reckon with itself, the surge was launched, and a very different war began. His stunning conclusion, stated in the last line of the book, is that "the events for which the Iraq war will be remembered probably have not yet happened."
The Gamble
Cast of Characters
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Part One: The Old War Ends
1. Things Fall Apart (Fall 2005)
2. How to Fight This War (Fall 2005-Fall 2006)
3. Keane Takes Command (Fall 2006)
4. A Strategy is Born (Winter 2006-7)
Part Two: A New War Begins
5. If You're so Smart . . . (Spring 2007)
6. Gambling on a "Shitty Hand" (Spring and Summer 2007)
7. Signs of Life in Baghdad (Summer 2007)
8. The Domestic Opposition Collapses (Summer and Fall 2007)
Part Three: War Without End
9. The Twilight Zone (Winter 2007-8)
10. Big Wasta (Spring 2008)
11. After the Surge (Summer 2008)
12. Obama's War (Fall 2008)
Epilogue: The Long War
Appendixes
A. Col. Devlin's Intelligence Assessment
B. The Orders Lt. Gen. Odierno Received in December 2006
C. How Odierno Changed the Mission
D. Gen. Petraeus Summarizes How to Operate in Iraq
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
