The Wars Against Saddam: Taking the Hard Road to Baghdad – John Simpson

A hardback Christmas treat for myself, but one that I’ve delayed to indulge in due to other reads, and it being hardback and so not easy commuter fayre. However, return flights to Belgrade plus the Belgrade-Novi Sad bus journey provided me with ample opportunity to get another dose of biography, history and politics Simpson-style.

Twenty plus years of reporting on foreign affairs, and Iraq in particular – JS reported on the Iran-Iraq war, on the chemical attack at Halabjah, on the first Gulf / Kuwait War in 1991 as well as the second – synthesized into a comprehensive account and analysis of Saddam, his regieme and his relationship with the West. Interspersed with the biography we get chunks of autobiography from JS, showing the all too human side of the roving reporter.

Fascintating and informative – buy it: Amazon link