Stephen C. Pelletière was the Central Intelligence Agency's senior political analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. He is the author of The Iran-Iraq War: Chaos in a Vacuum (Praeger, 1992), Iraq and the International Oil System (Praeger, 2001), and America's Oil Wars (Praeger, 2004).

"Pelletière is a former CIA policy analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, instructor at the US Army War College, and the author of several previous books, two on the US and oil politics (e.g., America's Oil Wars, CH, Feb'05, 42-3684). He has earned a reputation for assertive, controversial positions, and, as in his earlier books, he argues that US involvement in both Iraqi Wars was driven by a neocon, pro-Zionist, military-industrial cabal with the desire to control oil in the Gulf regions and to assure high corporate war/reconstruction profits. His litany of the colossal errors, misjudgments, and calamities of the Bush administration, especially by Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Bremer, and the neocon coterie, has been well established by others, but Pelletiere adds several new twists. Most importantly, he deems the Iraqi Baathist state totalitarian and cruel but legitimate, because Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds were essentially committed to a unified state for which they have been willing to fight and die. He contends that the insurgency was not external, but homegrown and US-inspired. . . . [T]he book is a compendium of interesting tidbits of information. For those with enough background to separate dross from gold, it is worth reading. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - Choice

Stephen C. Pelletière was the Central Intelligence Agency's senior political analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. He is the author of The Iran-Iraq War: Chaos in a Vacuum (Praeger, 1992), Iraq and the International Oil System (Praeger, 2001), and America's Oil Wars (Praeger, 2004).

"Pelletière is a former CIA policy analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, instructor at the US Army War College, and the author of several previous books, two on the US and oil politics (e.g., America's Oil Wars, CH, Feb'05, 42-3684). He has earned a reputation for assertive, controversial positions, and, as in his earlier books, he argues that US involvement in both Iraqi Wars was driven by a neocon, pro-Zionist, military-industrial cabal with the desire to control oil in the Gulf regions and to assure high corporate war/reconstruction profits. His litany of the colossal errors, misjudgments, and calamities of the Bush administration, especially by Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Bremer, and the neocon coterie, has been well established by others, but Pelletiere adds several new twists. Most importantly, he deems the Iraqi Baathist state totalitarian and cruel but legitimate, because Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds were essentially committed to a unified state for which they have been willing to fight and die. He contends that the insurgency was not external, but homegrown and US-inspired. . . . [T]he book is a compendium of interesting tidbits of information. For those with enough background to separate dross from gold, it is worth reading. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - Choice

Stephen C. Pelletière was the Central Intelligence Agency's senior political analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. He is the author of The Iran-Iraq War: Chaos in a Vacuum (Praeger, 1992), Iraq and the International Oil System (Praeger, 2001), and America's Oil Wars (Praeger, 2004).

"Pelletière is a former CIA policy analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, instructor at the US Army War College, and the author of several previous books, two on the US and oil politics (e.g., America's Oil Wars, CH, Feb'05, 42-3684). He has earned a reputation for assertive, controversial positions, and, as in his earlier books, he argues that US involvement in both Iraqi Wars was driven by a neocon, pro-Zionist, military-industrial cabal with the desire to control oil in the Gulf regions and to assure high corporate war/reconstruction profits. His litany of the colossal errors, misjudgments, and calamities of the Bush administration, especially by Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Bremer, and the neocon coterie, has been well established by others, but Pelletiere adds several new twists. Most importantly, he deems the Iraqi Baathist state totalitarian and cruel but legitimate, because Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds were essentially committed to a unified state for which they have been willing to fight and die. He contends that the insurgency was not external, but homegrown and US-inspired. . . . [T]he book is a compendium of interesting tidbits of information. For those with enough background to separate dross from gold, it is worth reading. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - Choice