The Prince of the Marshes
The Prince of the Marshes tells the story of Rory Stewart’s year working for the Coalition Provisional Authority after the invasion of Iraq. He worked in two provinces in the south of Iraq: Maysan and Dhi Qar. His job was to work with the civilian team to start the development process while the new Iraqi government was being formed. Despite what you might think, this is not an anti-war book. It simply details of the struggles the author had trying to help form a democracy in post invasion Iraq - he doesn’t reflect on whether he thought the invasion was right or wrong. The author must work with all of the different factions and political parties to achieve the objectives. Maintaining security without turning it into a Saddam police state is the most difficult task. Eventually, as time passes, it starts the descent into the chaos we have now. I think the book really gave a good insight into what it is like in post invasion Iraq.
