Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State, from Barack Obama to Donald Trump
Language: English
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books (was SecondSale)
AbeBooks seller since December 20, 2007
Condition: Used - Good
£ 4.48
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
In 2014, President Obama overcame his long-standing aversion to large-scale military action in the Middle East and took the United States to war against the Islamic State. Assembling a coalition of regional and European allies, the U.S. military began a massive bombing campaign and returned its advisers to Iraq. Three years later, the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate straddling the Syria-Iraq border was apparently on the brink of collapse, as its key strongholds of Mosul and Raqqa fell to U.S.-supported forces. But was the war really over?In Degrade and Destroy, Michael R. Gordon, the bestselling author and former New York Times national security specialist, reveals the debates, diplomacy, and military strategy that have shaped the struggle against the Islamic State. With extraordinary access to the White House, the intelligence community, and top generals, Gordon offers a riveting narrative. We see Hillary Clinton plotting to arm the Syrian rebels over the president's objections; her Pentagon colleagues attempting to plan a war even as Russians, Turks, and Gulf allies complicate or frustrate every move; and Kurdish fighters battling house to house. Gordon also offers the most detailed narrative we have of how President Trump conducts a war-giving his generals greater freedom to make their own decisions while practicing diplomacy in a haphazard and sometimes self-sabotaging manner. With the region in disarray, Gordon's stark account raises a crucial question: The United States and its allies may have won a war, but will they once again lose the peace.…
Seller Inventory # CIN0374279896G
- Title
- Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State, from Barack Obama to Donald Trump
- Author
- Michael R Gordon
- Publisher
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication year
- 2022
- Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Hardback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0374279896
- ISBN 13
- 9780374279899
"This is the ultimate insider''s view of perhaps the darkest chapter of the Forever Wars. Michael Gordon knows everyone, was seemingly everywhere, and brings a lifetime of brilliant reporting to telling this crucial story." ―Retired U.S. Navy admiral James Stavridis, 16th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of To Risk it All: Nine Crises and the Crucible of Decision
An essential account of the struggle against ISIS―and of how Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden have waged war.
In the summer of 2014, President Barack Obama faced an unwelcome surprise: insurgents from the Islamic State had seized the Iraqi city of Mosul and proclaimed a new caliphate, which they were ruling with an iron fist and using to launch terrorist attacks abroad. After considerable deliberation, President Obama sent American troops back to Iraq. The new mission was to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS, primarily by advising Iraqi and Syrian partners who would do the bulk of the fighting and by supporting them with airpower and artillery. More than four years later, the caliphate had been dismantled, the cities of Mosul and Raqqa lay in ruins, and several thousand U.S. troops remained to prevent ISIS from making a comeback. The “by, with, and through” strategy was hailed as a template for future campaigns. But how was the war actually fought? What were the key decisions, successes, and failures? And what was learned?
In Degrade and Destroy, the bestselling author and Wall Street Journal national security correspondent Michael R. Gordon reveals the strategy debates, diplomatic gambits, and military operations that shaped the struggle against the Islamic State. With extraordinary access to top U.S. officials and military commanders and to the forces on the battlefield, Gordon offers a riveting narrative that ferrets out some of the war’s most guarded secrets.
Degrade and Destroy takes us inside National Security Council meetings at which Obama and his top aides grapple with early setbacks and discuss whether the war can be won. It also offers the most detailed account to date of how President Donald Trump waged war―delegating greater authority to the Pentagon but jeopardizing the outcome with a rush for the exit. Drawing on his reporting in Iraq and Syria, Gordon documents the closed-door deliberations of U.S. generals with their Iraqi and Syrian counterparts and describes some of the toughest urban battles since World War II. As Americans debate the future of using force abroad, Gordon’s book offers vital insights into how our wars today are fought against militant foes, and the enduring lessons we can draw from them.
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World of Books (was SecondSale)
Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since December 20, 2007
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Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission …
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