Introduction

A book on a war still underway must accept a number of limitations. Many of its aspects remain secret or unknowable. More broadly, we lack the perspective necessary to judge which events or issues will retain their importance in the longer term. Yet the value of understanding more about the war in Iraq, underway for more than three years as these words are written, argues for analysis, imperfect though it may be, of what has occurred. The war’s outcome is far from clear at this point, with even its name being uncertain, beyond the term “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Analysis of the war has nevertheless begun both within and outside of the U.S. and allied military forces, and this volume seeks to add to that examination.