Fixing what wasn't broke, and not keeping in mind the long-term implications of any decision. That's how Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Imperial Life in the Emerald City - Inside Iraq's Green Zone may be summed up. It's an indictment of America's bungling in Iraq and details the events in Baghdad between the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and the handing over of power by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to the Iraqi interim government in 2004. To be specific, it's the story of what went on in the Green Zone, a sealed area bang in the middle of Baghdad around what used to be Saddam's seat of power, the Republican Palace.
The surge is currently on in Iraq, and while there are mixed opinions as to how it will all turn out, it sure looks like the country will see a redrawing of boundaries or 'partition' sometime in the future. In an excellent piece in theatlantic.com, Jeffrey Goldberg explores that and other possible futures of the middle-east. I'm personally not so sure if partitioning Iraq is a good idea. Haven't we all lived through the horrors of the consequences of partition, most of us vicariously? You may want to check out Christopher Hitchens' 2003 piece on the legacy of the British policy of partition and their intended and unintended consequences in Europe and Asia as well.
Here's a review that will tell you why Imperial Life... is such a cracking read. Still not convinced? Listen to the Guardian Unlimited podcast which had Chandrasekaran talking on, among other things, why he chose the title he chose.
