Imperial Life in the Emerald City

In this revealing account, former Baghdad bureau chief Rajiv Chandrasekaran provides an insider's look at the Green Zone, the hub for the American presence in Iraq. He highlights the stark contrast between the efforts to reconstruct the war-torn nation and the distractions of a faux American lifestyle, largely orchestrated by Halliburton. As inexperienced young officials, selected for their political loyalty rather than expertise, implement misguided policies, their disconnection from the needs and voices of the Iraqi people exacerbates local tensions and fuels unrest.