POLITICAL SCIENCE

Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State, from Barack Obama to Donald Trump

by Michael R. Gordon
Farrar. Jun. 2022. 496p. ISBN 9780374279899. $30. MILITARY STUDIES
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Gordon (Iraq: The Endgame) spent much of the Iraq War and the campaign against ISIS embedded with the land war commanders. This book is an intricate and very dense narrative of policy wars in Washington and Iraq, during the ups and downs of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. American, Kurdish, Iraqi, tribal, and other groups eventually combined to dismantle ISIS. This densely packed narrative contains a lot of detailed material and research that will prove invaluable for future historians. Events in the ground war are discussed, but the primary focus of this book is policy, from Washington down to local commanders, dealing with a myriad of interest groups. There are also maps and 50 pages of detailed endnotes. Recommended for libraries that serve clients deeply interested in Mideast affairs.
VERDICT More useful for specialists and historians than the general public but a valuable source for policy development during a confusing period.
Reviewed by Edwin Burgess , Apr 23, 2022
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