Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq

If you consider it important to be informed this book is a MUST. The mainstream media cannot be counted on but we can be grateful that Dahr Jamail had the courage to go and find out what was really happening by going to Iraq unprotected by the US military. This is the real story that the mainstream either neglects or censors. Find out what is being done in the name the US bringing "freedom and democracy" to Iraq. Though sobering, it's fully readable, in fact it is a page turner. If you want to know the facts, and the faces behind them, this book is required reading.

In this beautiful harrowing book, Dahr Jamail tells the story of his time living and reporting on the streets of occupied Iraq. He writes with dedication, passion and accuracy. Finally here is a book about the children, the mothers and grandfathers, the land and the deep culture that are Iraq. It is also an eloquent condemnation of the role of the media in destroying that country as it sells the war for the corporations that benefit from it year and after year. Each chapter Jamail compares what he experienced first hand with what was reported in the in the US. The difference is staggering. Jamail reported on torture months before it became news. His accounts of Falluja have still not been reported. And the stories of countless massacres that have been covered up or changed are shocking. Jamail's courage and critical thinking (which might be the same thing) shine through his narrative. If everyone would really take in the story of this book, the wholesale destruction of Iraq for the profit of a few people which Jamail lays out here would be so outrageous that we could not let it continue.

Last Monday I saw Mr. Jamail speak in Philadelphia. Having returned from Iraq in April I am still hesitant to listen to what other people have to say about Iraq because most people simply do not know what is going on. Mr. Jamail does a great job in this book of looking at things with as an objective eye as he possibly can. He does not tout himself as the hero of the book which is what many journalists / travel writers have done. The book is much like his speaking style, direct, efficient, and clear. All of America, starting with the highest levels of government, should read this book. There are portions of the book I disagree with, but all in all, five stars.

Absolutely fascinating book and 100% accurate. I first heard Dahr Jamail in a documentary called "The Bases Are Loaded" about the American military mega-base/city/colonies in Iraq. Well he is one of the few to speak accurately about this subject. I spent 2.5 years as a civilian truck driver in Iraq and can attest to the HUGE GINORMOUS permanent bases (indoor swimming pools, outdoor pools, multi-story gyms, massage parlor, PX (as large as Walmart), 24hr AC barracks, big screen tvs, boxing rings, etc). We have set the stage to run Iraq and control our little puppets for centuries (not decades) to come. It is truly shameful and embarrassing. Thankfully there are still some credible journalists left willing to expose the truth.

Dahr Jamail is one of the only unembedded journalists covering the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and this is his published report. 'Beyond the Green Zone' is a harrowing account of a brutal occupation which refuses to be covered and discussed honestly in the corporate media. Jamail has uncovered a record of war crimes and crimes against humanity that is difficult to stomach; he has finally brought us the much needed perspective of the Iraqis themselves as they struggle to live in a torn country under military occupation. This book is a compelling documentation of war. Jamail has uncovered horrendous atrocities in Fallujah and elsewhere, and he has debunked the view that the military objectives include the submission of the warring factions and the implementation of a democratic government. On the contrary, Jamail has revealed that the U.S. has often delayed elections and decision-making processes in an attempt to escalate the sectarianism and increase their military presence in the region. He has exposed the intentions of the U.S. as well as its puppet government in Iraq with regard to its attempt to control the oil resources of the region. Jamail writes: "On February 26, 2007, Iraq's cabinet approved a draft of an oil law that would set guidelines for nationwide distribution of oil revenues and foreign investment in Iraq's giant oil industry. The law would grant regional oil companies the power to sign contracts with foreign companies for exploration and development of oil fields, and open the door for investment by foreign oil companies" (287). Jamail has unearthed the practices of an imperial project in a compelling and first-hand account. Beyond the Green Zone is indispensable literature for anyone who wants to understand what is actually happening on the ground in Iraq.