This book is a work of investigative journalism and historical recreation ranging from 2003 to 2012, giving a comprehensive, inside account of arguably the most widely reported yet least understood war in American history, from the occupation of Iraq to the withdrawal of American troops. Provides a blow-by-blow chronicle of the fighting, but also deftly pieces together the puzzle of the prosecution of American, Iraqi, and Iranian objectives, and the diplomatic intrigue and political struggle within Iraq since the American invasion.

Originally published in hardcover: New York : Pantheon Books, c2012. Originally published: New York : Pantheon Books, c2012. Originally published in slightly different form in hardcover: New York : Pantheon Books, c2012.

Iraqi freedom : the occupation and its discontents, 2003-2006. Desert crossing -- Politics of the gun -- "Sovereignty with limits" -- Vigilant resolve -- A lost cause? -- Our man in Baghdad -- New dawn -- The long telegram -- Papa Jaafari -- The Red Team -- The year of living dangerously -- Together forward -- The perfect storm -- Out west -- Double down : the Surge and its aftermath, 2006-2008. Some friendly advice -- Back to the drawing board -- League of the Righteous -- Petraeus takes command -- The enemy within -- The former-insurgent counterinsurgent -- Phantom thunder -- The USS CENTCOM -- General Petraeus goes to Washington -- No "Plan B" -- Charge of the knights -- March madness -- Strange justice -- New dawn : Obama, Maliki, and beyond, 2008-2012. Let's make a deal -- The home stretch -- Change at the top -- The odd couple -- Trouble up north -- Crises of confidence -- Team of rivals -- The numbers game -- Mission accomplished.