High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq - The Unraveling

This book is an amazing read. No matter your opinion, political leaning, or attitude toward the Iraq war, this book gives a great perspective, asking the difficult questions, and talking about the difficult realities. Really great to hear from a woman - removed from American military and politics - on the ground in Iraq. I would recommend this book to anyone.

So many names made it a little difficult to read. The book gave me the personal experiences of Emma but for me a broader view would have been more what I was after than her relatioship with General O and the army

Excellent
Well written
Very informative
Eye opener for those who just follow the news on tv.
Well done Emma
You have opened up a country as a real country of real people, and in reality as normal as you and I.
Send copies to all of the euro and American foreign depths
They need it

I just started reading this engaging book, reminding me of my own brief service in the Green Zone. A moment ago I found this comment posted by Cat Mandu. I hope Emma Sky will respond. The charges are quite serious and deserve to be rebutted in some fashion.

"But were you in Iraq with her? Most of us who have, sadly, know this book is a pack of lies. She was instrumental putting Iraq exactly where it is today. She was the Shia militias' best friend and ally! She is almost solely responsible for undoing all that Gen Petraeus had done, making all the bloody sacrifices go to waste. The Shia militias that fled to Iran in 2007 flooded back into the country in Nov of 2008, meeting with Sky & O'Sullivan daily. The MOU's demanding our troops to not touch the Shia death squads, that were in place during Casey's time, were re-established. Returning the conditions for massive bloodshed to the streets of Iraq.
Even before that, she was part of the CPA, part of the original problem, working for 'other' than western governments, to settle old historical scores.
Emma Sky is responsible for the killing of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of US troops.
Someone is going to pull the rug out on this self promoting idiot eventually, with what really happened, and what she was really like. She was/is one of most arrogant and hated people involved in this mess. For now, she can profit from all the blood she is responsible for spilling.
Last, her Arabic is horrible."

Well-written and filled with interesting insights from someone who had a front row seat and no obvious agenda (i.e., a policy position or record to defend/justify). The last couple of chapters are damning. The O Admin can blame Bush all they want, but they inherited a strong hand. All they had to do was listen to the folks who had experience on the ground and play the cards in hand. Instead they basically forfeited to Iran's interests and fertilized the seeds that would become ISIS. No doubt the Iranians carried what they learned in Iraq - that they were dealing with amateurs - into the nuclear talks and again got virtually everything they wanted at practically no cost.

Well-written and filled with interesting insights from someone who had a front row seat and no obvious agenda (i.e., a policy position or record to defend/justify). The last couple of chapters are damning. The O Admin can blame Bush all they want, but they inherited a strong hand. All they had to do was listen to the folks who had experience on the ground and play the cards in hand. Instead they basically forfeited to Iran's interests and fertilized the seeds that would become ISIS. No doubt the Iranians carried what they learned in Iraq - that they were dealing with amateurs - into the nuclear talks and again got virtually everything they wanted at practically no cost.

I was really disappointed by this book. Sky writes well but, if you had only been intermittently paying attention to Iraq in the news, you would still find 3/4 of the book uninformative. Sky spends too much time puffing herself up as the indispensable female analyst and not enough time analyzing the many events that she should have witnessed given her perch and close proximity to policymakers. Instead, we are treated to endless accolades by those Americans, Brits, and Iraqis who, in their own unique way, contribute to the disaster called Operation Iraqi Freedom (and its aftermath). She is also less than candid about many of the personalities she dealt with, almost as if she was afraid of burning bridges with those who may be helpful in the future. For these reasons and more, I found the book awfully tedious. How anyone can bestow prizes on this book is beyond my comprehension.

All is not lost, though. The place where the book does shine is when she does actually talk about "the Unraveling" of Iraq, the period that coincides with the inauguration of the Obama administration.Sky does a very good job of describing the quick, downward spiral as Iraq became the failed state it is today. A book that documented how things fell apart would have been a very valuable addition to the literature on Iraq. However, that might have cost Ms. Sky some kudos and dinner invitations from the high and mighty that created this mess in the first place. Like I said: disappointing.

A pretty self-centered account of Emma Sky's tours of duty or service in Iraq. She makes sure reader sees how many American generals she knew and was indispensable to, how they depended on her insights and wisdom, etc. Mainly I was expecting a different kind of book, which, of course, is no fault of the author's but of mine. I didn't realize it was written by a Brit, who found the American military world a mystery; she adapts, but it does color her view of the situation in Iraq. I was hoping for an explanation of the complete foolishness of the war and its gross mishandling. My mistake.

The author dropped into the war without preparation, just like the U.S. She describes well the mistakes that were made, but so much of the story is how wonderful she was and how much better everything would have been if only people had listened to her.

The title of this book is extremely deceptive as the "unravelling" is only addressed in the last 5% of the book. The first 95% is devoted to informing the reader of the degree to which high ranking Coalition force leaders admired Ms. Sky and relied on her. She also regularly refers to her own legendary wit, although none of it is apparent in the book, and repeatedly refers to the fact that she attended Oxford although the relevance of this fact is not clear. What she does not provide is any analysis of the major political or military decisions affecting the course of the occupation. Unlike other books on the subject, she does not analyze Bremer's de-baathification decision, the decision to disband the Iraqi army, or Coalition force early reliance on Ahmed Chalabi. She apparently has no views on these issues. Instead, Ms. Sky relates that the Coalition forces and political leaders were doing a fabulous job until 2010, when the political leadership of the Coalition chose to support Maliki rather than Allawi for the position of Prime Minister despite the election results. She might be right that that was a bad decision, but it was certainly not the first very big error made by the Coalition leadership and not the only factor resulting in increased sectarianism and the unravelling of the Iraqi state. In any event, I was so disenchanted by the lack of analysis in the first 95% of the book, that I simply assume that the decisions surrounding the 2010 elections were not as straightforward as she makes them out to be. It is also worth noting that in her acknowledgements she thanks General Odierno and the US military for "reviewing her book." In sum, this is a Sky, Mayville, Bremmer, Petraeus, Oderno puff piece.

Bush made mistakes, but learnt from them and rectified. I admire him.
Obama was just too cool for school and left decisions to his court jester with predictable results. Hillary only is mentioned once... What a disgraceful bunch

I've completed this book. I suspect that the number of favorable reviews come from those of love it or leave it kind of patriotic fervor and less of critical analysis. The professional reviewers reflect this fact. Do not buy the book, since it is no more than a drum circle for weak thinking Americans who want a feel good moment about American military in Iraq. If the American generals were so excellent why were the generals' efforts an eighty-five percent failure - like the Vietnam war failure? Find a copy at the library; for me, I wish I had not wasted my money on it. Emma Sky is British colonialist with a strong colonialist mind set. And this attitude comes across on nearly every page. Generally it reads like a daily press meeting controlled by the Pentagon. Very little new information is here. Sky herself is melodramatic often and sentimental way too much. Like soldiers who are administrators, Sky mentions often how close it was that she could have been killed. Sky totally thinks Iraqis loved her and the military while not understanding that she and Americans were occupiers with guns pointed at the Iraqis - what else would Iraqis say other than oh, we love you so much. And when alone blame her and Americans for destroying institutions, destroying the economy, generating millions of refugees, and murdering hundreds of thousands of civilians. Sky and General O claim they produced democracy in Iraq while always having the final decision; in other words, Iraqis decided only if their decision was supported by Sky and American military, which is the same as saying American military dictated what was to be done, a military junta, in other words. Sad that Sky and American military do not see themselves as they are even when looking in the mirror. Sky has written an apology for the American military. Sky supports neo-con policy that states, destroy everything in sight and then re-build imitating neo-con theology. Sky also is what I have read as a British colonialist's occupying mind-set. If one wants a Polly-Annish description of occupiers, then buy this book. For reality, go elsewhere. Her memoir sounds more like a resume for herself toward some other job. Sky is heavily enamored with American military. Sky also was seduced into an occupiers presence by being an a member of the occupiers. Sky fails to understand that the Kurds treated her well because she held the key to resources, status for Kurds, and power and money for Kurds who cooperated with the American military. So far, nothing more than American military propaganda. It has the tone of "look how great I did" while the Americans stood behind her with all the military might aimed at the Kurds. Not a good read at all. I have wasted my money on a hack writing for the American military. Sky does well for a few instances, for instance, "Ahmed Chalabi had completely fallen from grace with the Americans. In May, news broke that Iranian intelligence had been manipulating the US to get rid of Saddam Hussein by providing false information through Chalabi. Chalabi’s Information Collection Program had also kept the Iranians informed of what the US was up to by passing on classified information. The Defense Department halted its monthly payment of $340,000 to Chalabi . . ." Neo-cons conspire to wage aggressive wars in the Middle East and used this opportunist Chalabi in ways to benefit neo-con policy. In previous decades, this kind of behavior was called treason; that is to say, overthrowing a government. Mid-way through the book you will feel as though you should join in singing the song Kum by ya my lord - typical of colonialists and the usual American imperialistic thinking and action. Remember, this general O was the one whose policy ordered night raids on homes of civilians, bursting through doors, terrorizing families, shooting to kill, night after night until we Americans became aware of it and said enough - otherwise general O would still be there bursting through doors each night. He is the one who said keep 50,000 American troops in Iraq. All of this colonialist presence is so white-washed by Sky that it is difficult to complete a reading of the text. As the usual practice, Sky is rewarded with a teaching gig at Yale - funny how these kind of people get plum jobs following their participation in the destruction of a nation. I must add that so many positive reviews of a book of this sort reinforces the view that this book is part of a propaganda program generated by the Pentagon, which is aimed at generating favorable support among those of weak reasoning ability, which includes way too many American readers. Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four has a primary character, Winston Smith, who works in the Ministry of Information where novels are produced. These novels function as propaganda for the government. Sound familiar? Yes. And Sky's book is a novel of this sort. Yes, a work of fiction since most of the pages are productions for distribution to the press.

Emma Sky's memoir offers an immersive and insightful account of her front-row seat of the Iraq war. Having covered many of the events she chronicled in the book as a Baghdad-based reporter for the Washington Post, I found her analysis of the blind spots and missed opportunities that stymied American policymakers clear-eyed and powerfully argued.

The book adds value to the narrative of a conflict that has been covered extensively by taking readers behind the scenes on the deliberations and dilemmas senior American commanders faced. One particularly interesting anecdote recounts a debate over whether releasing footage of an American air strike to the media was a good idea, or whether it would amount to copying the tactics of jihadists. Ms. Sky also presents nuanced portraits of Iraqis who served in vital roles and were at the time misunderstood or dismissed by American officials.

The book's release is tragically well-timed, as the United States escalates its military involvement in Iraq's conflict. It contains important lessons that remain all too relevant.

When Emma Sky arrived in Iraq in 2003, determined to do her part to help rebuild a traumatized country, there was no briefing outlining what her job would be, no placard at the airport with her name on it. Thus began Emma Sky’s incredible journey, so vividly captured in this powerful and moving memoir.

‘The Unraveling’ is a unique, behind-the-scenes view of America’s failed attempt to bring democracy and stability to Iraq following the 2003 invasion. The story of Sky, young and plucky English pacifist turned top civilian advisor to American military in Iraq, is breathtaking in its boldness, bravery, selflessness and humanity. Sky’s memoir reveals American military from a point of view unlike that covered in books about Iraq, and raises serious questions about the action of military not only in Iraq but all counter-terrorism policy.

Unlike other war books, Emma Sky shares some deeply personal and moving experiences – for example, we are given insight into the early part of Sky’s life and how it somehow gave her the mental strength and determination to survive war zones - that broaden the reach of the book to all readers drawn to human-interest stories about purposeful, meaningful lives.

If you are expecting a substantive analysis of the US intervention in Iraq, you will be sorely disappointed.
This book is no more than a memoir of Ms Sky's experiences; a damsel having the time of her life among a bunch of hyper-testosterone warriors.

I first encountered Emma Sky when briefing General Odierno in late 2008. She was not introduced and sat unobtrusively beside the Commanding General. An inquisitive elfin-like character, Sky observed and listened to my brief to the General. Unlike Odierno’s many questions, she asked just one; but it was very good one. I had to ask my boss who she was after we left the room – suspecting she was some kind of CIA station chief. But no – Sky was there as a civilian advisor to provide a different perspective on the war and the myriad of challenges facing the Odierno.
The Unravelling is Sky’s memoir of her experiences in Iraq between 2003 and 2010; and reflections between 2012 and mid-2014. Her story is closely intertwined with that of General Raymond Odierno who spent a total of more than five years in Iraq in three different command appointments. It is part of General Odierno’s greatness as a commander that he realized he needed the independent viewpoint that Sky could provide to avoid the ‘groupthink’ that so often characterises military command. He made her his indispensable aide, and she stayed by his side, not only during his tour as the deputy commander in Iraq in 2006-2008, but also when he was the top commander, from 2008 to 2010.
There was no more unlikely duo than the hulking, 6-foot-5 former football player with the shaved head and his petite English adviser. To add to the incongruity, Sky needled Odierno relentlessly in a way that no one else would have dared – and he returned the favour. As a British female civilian, Sky’s account contains a unique analysis of the course of the war and assessment of how and why the Iraq adventure ultimately failed. In the preface she states that the book “describes the challenges of nation building and how the overthrow of an authoritarian regime can lead to state collapse and conflict”.
Sky had come to assist the American war effort in Iraq by chance in 2003 after having spent a decade as a humanitarian worker in the Middle East. Employed by the British Council, a cultural organisation sponsored by the Foreign Office, she received an email asking for volunteers to help the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Single, 30-something, and somewhat of an Arabist, she raised her hand and wound up in Kirkuk, where she eventually became political adviser to Colonel William Mayville, commander of the United States Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Sky had no experience of the military and was “wary” of her new colleagues. Upon first meeting Mayville, she threatened to haul him to The Hague if he did anything that violated the Geneva Convention. “I took my brown Filofax with me everywhere,” she writes, “and began documenting everything Colonel Mayville said and did.” Before long, however, she realized that behind his “bravado was a deep intellect – and a wicked sense of humour”. She developed such admiration and affection for the soldiers of the brigade that when they rotated home in early 2004 she “sobbed inconsolably all afternoon”.
She won the confidence of top United States military officials, among them General Odierno, who became a friend, confidant and mentor. Two years later Sky was back in Britain when she received an email out the blue from Odierno. It was time for the prosecution of ‘the surge’: would she help? Sky became Odierno's key political advisor, and found herself at the very heart of United States operations during the perilous and volatile days of the surge. At the end of 2007 she left once more, but almost immediately was recalled for a final tour, when once again Odierno sought her help. This time she worked alongside him until September 2010, leaving only when United States combat operations ended.
Sky’s original assignment was only supposed to last three months. She went on to serve there longer than any other senior military or diplomatic figure, giving her an unrivalled perspective of the entire conflict. Sky was valued for her knowledge of the region and her outspoken voice. She became a tireless witness to American efforts to transform a country traumatized by decades of war, sanctions, and brutal dictatorship; to insurgencies and civil war; to the planning and implementation of the surge and the subsequent drawdown of United States troops; to the corrupt political elites who used sectarianism to mobilize support.
With sharp detail and tremendous empathy, Sky provides unique perspectives on the United States military as well as the complexities, diversity, and evolution of Iraqi society. In recognition of her service in Iraq, Sky was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2003 and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008.
When Odierno last departed Iraq in September 2010 the United States military presence continued to drawdown for a further 15 months until the end of 2011. Sky left with Odierno in 2010 but later visited Iraq three times between January 2012 and July 2014. This last part of her book covering this period is less informed by first-hand experiences or research of machinations at the higher echelons. It also stops short of the replacement of Nouri al-Maliki by Haider al-Abadi as prime minister and the return of United States and allied forces in August 2014 in the ‘new’ war between the Iraqi government and the forces of the Islamic State.
In her preface Sky states: “If we refuse to honestly examine what took place there, we will miss the opportunity to better understand when and how to respond to instability in the world”; but her memoir offers little strategic analysis or finite suggestions on how that might be achieved. Nonetheless, her account adds to the sources for historians and analysts to perhaps perform this role in future. But I am fairly certain that Sky would be even more flummoxed by developments in Iraq since mid-2014 and of the view that nothing substantiative has been learned.
The Unravelling includes two maps of Iraq and a number of black and white photographs embedded in the text. There is a useful list of abbreviations at the start as well as glossary of political parties and militias at the end. The index is comprehensive.
Sky ended up disenchanted with the United States administration she had once supported: “Biden was a nice man, but he simply had the wrong instincts on Iraq. If only Obama had paid attention to Iraq … but his only interest in Iraq was in ending the war.” By contrast, her respect for the United States military and in particular for Odierno – who warned the administration of al-Maliki’s authoritarian tendencies – was never higher. He told her: “I gave my best military advice”. She laments: “But he had been ignored”. The Unravelling sub-title “High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq” is as fitting an epitaph as any.
In writing The Unravelling Sky has become the unlikely eulogist of the war in Iraq between 2003 and 2010. Her account is insightful, reflective and well considered; it deserves attention.
Marcus Fielding

Another disappointment! I've read a lot of them lately: Duty, by Robert Gates; Armageddon Averted, by Steven Kotkin; and now Ms Sky'[s The Unraveling. What a tiresome Brit she be! I got to the point when, in one of her patented jousts with the American brass whom she both adores and despises, General Ordierno yells to the front seat of the helicopter: "Pilots! Open the doors! Throw her out!" Yes, it would have been a boon if they'd thrown her out. Then I wouldn't have been suckered into this tedious, preening memoir. Like Mr Gates's, I didn't finish reading it. (I'll give that much to Mr Kotkin: I think he was wrongheaded about the averting of Armagaddon, but it was consistently interesting, and I read it to the end and wished there was more.

Wonderfully written. This is a brilliant analysis of what went wrong in Iraq, both under Bush and Obama. The author is amazing. I couldn't put this book down. I finished this book with an increased appreciation for General Odierno. What a pity he isn't our President!! He's a true patriot and a dedicated brilliant leader.

Emma Sky, a British professor, writes of her time in Iraq from the invasion to its present state, which besides being confusing may well prove disastrous for both the U.S. & Iraq. Her viewpoint is liberal as she works with Iraq citizens of all political sides. There is no happy ending.

Helped me to understand the complexity of Iraq. Still a puzzel to me but I feel a little more knowledgeable after reading the book. Emma seems to be an incredible person. I am amazed at her ability to work with the male dominant military and Iraqi men.

One of the best “fly-on-the-wall” observations into what went right and wrong in Iraq written to explore what might have been, Emma’s insights, tinged with self-effacing humor, are a bitter-sweet chronicle of the last, lost decade. From the admissions at the Chilcot Inquiry that preparations, strategies, goals and end games had not been considered to the realization in Erbil that the herculean efforts by generals and ambassadors and armies of talented military and civilian personnel were all being lost in the Iraqi sands, Emma portrays the very human faces of the “boots on the ground” that tried to make “it” work.

There have been many first person accounts of the war in Iraq and the misadventures of U.S. and others with the long-suffering Iraqi people - none comes close to the quality, humanity, and clear-eyed account of Ms. Sky. A bonus is that we learn an awful lot about Ms. Sky herself, yet always as useful context for a deeper understanding of how the high hopes and good intentions of so many Iraqis, Americans, Brits and others came undone. Any bookshelf (or eReader) containing works on modern Iraq should have a place of privilege for this formidable work.

Emma gives a great perspective on the struggles of reconstruction and the war in Iraq. Her journey is engaging and provides a look into what it felt to return from Iraq knowing the outcome she had worked for would not happen.

It is unfortunate that the store does not have zero stars as a rating, because that is the rating I would give this book. However, I must give at least 1 star so that is what it gets.
The tone of the book starts off when she quotes John Lennon: "All we are saying is give peace a chance." She starts off with her biography, which appears is simply filling an airline seat throughout the years. She is clearly anti-war, but volunteers to go into a battlefield to "…give peace a chance." She then talks about a British colonel who welcomed her to Iraq; there was nothing to worry about, he said "except for trigger-happy Americans. That was the main threat to Brits." Shortly, when in Kirkuk, she met an American Colonel. Her description of him was that he was so arrogant. So much for cooperation with Americans. She then describes a rocket attack at night on the house in which she was staying while in Kirkuk.
She related the following incident: "…my first priority was to find safe accommodation." … "He (American Colonel) had heard about the RPG incident and told me he was going to hunt down my attackers. "Those who attacked my house did not know me," I told him. "They were attacking the symbols of foreign occupation, and they deserve to be given a trial if arrested." I turned up to see the Colonel the next day with the Fourth Geneva Convention on my laptop. From my years working in the Palestinian territories I regarded the Convention as the legal framework for the conduct of an occupying army. "If I find you in violation of any of the articles," I told him, "I will take you to The Hague." I took my brown Filofax with me everywhere and began documenting everything the Colonel said and did."

Chutzpah is the only description of this arrogant woman. Born of a Jewish father, lived in a Kibbutz, worked for the Palestinians. She never heard of Yassar Arafat; she never heard of Mahmoud Abbas; she never heard of the 10,000 rockets fired from Palestine into Israel…. She is going to The Hague.
This book is garbage. That is where I threw it after reading the above passage, on page 26.

The author, is so full of herself that reading the book was painful. Every character who adored her was portrayed as intelligent, sensitive and blameless. Those who did not approve of her personally come out as those responsible for everything that went wrong. Gee, if the world would only listen to Emma Sky, she would bring peace on earth and a find a cure for all that ails us, or so she would have us believe!