"One should never confuse situational awareness with knowing what is actually going on" British Officer in Iraq

 It is sheer folly to go into war, ill equipped and under strength. Sadly, our valiant troops, in Iraq, were both ill equipped and under strength until the inevitable happened. They were defeated and had to withdraw in 2008. Richard North's "Ministry of Defeat" reads like a thorough and comprehensive brief for the prosecution of both the Ministry of Defence and some politicians for their role in the unnecessary deaths of many young servicemen and women in Iraq during the period after the invasion. It is a lengthy book, which could take a little editing, but it is well researched, well written and comprehensively cross referenced, ideal for anyone who struggles to understand why Southern Iraq descended into chaos under British control. The non-military reader might want to skim read the first few lengthy chapters as they slowly build up the background to failure in Iraq in a very thorough manner, and move on to the latter chapters where the "prosecution" sets out its case.