The Iraqi Perspectives Report: Saddam's Senior Leadership on Operation Iraqi Freedom From the Official U.S. Joint Forces Command Report

by Woods, Kevin M.

• ISBN13: 9781591144571
• ISBN10: 1591144574
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-20
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
A Note on Citations	xiii
Introduction	xvii
Chapter I. The Nature of the Regime	1	(24)
The Setting	1	(2)
Seizing Power	3	(5)
Flawed Decisions	8	(3)
War Planning	11	(1)
Saddam's Leadership Style	12	(2)
Saddam's Distorted Worldview	14	(3)
Notes	17	(8)
Chapter II. Skewed Strategy	25	(14)
Saddam's Priorities	25	(2)
Hobbling the Iraqi Military	27	(1)
Strategic Calculus	28	(3)
Confident of Victory	31	(1)
Last-Minute Diplomatic Maneuvering	32	(1)
Notes	33	(6)
Chapter III. Military Effectiveness	39	(36)
Assessing Iraqi Tactical Capabilities	39	(1)
Schemes and "Bureaucratic Eloquence	40	(6)
Irrelevant Guidance	46	(2)
The Rise of Private Armies	48	(11)
The Al-Quds Army	48	(3)
The Fedayeen Saddam	51	(5)
Relatives and Sycophants	56	(3)
Security and Command Limitations	59	(7)
Reflections	64	(2)
Notes	66	(9)
Chapter IV. Crippled Operational Planning	75	(14)
The Operational Concept Before 18 December 2002	75	(5)
The Operational Concept After 18 December 2002	80	(4)
Notes	84	(5)
Chapter V. The Regime Prepares for War	89	(34)
The Diplomatic Campaign	89	(6)
Countering Psychological Operations	95	(1)
Logistical Preparations for War	96	(2)
War and the Oil Wells	98	(1)
The Ba'ath Party and Its Militia	99	(4)
Regular Army Preparations	103	(2)
Defending Basra	105	(4)
Republican Guard Preparations	109	(4)
Final Events Prior to 19 March	113	(2)
Notes	115	(8)
Chapter VI. Doomed Execution	123	(34)
The Coalition Psychological Campaign—Effects of Precision Weapons	125	(1)
The Air Campaign	126	(4)
Regime High-Value Targets	126	(2)
Military Targets	128	(2)
The Defense of the Southern Cities and Confusion Out West	130	(18)
The View at the Top	130	(4)
The View of Local Ba'athists	134	(2)
The Military View	136	(12)
The Ba'ath Regime Ends With a Whimper, Not a Bang	148	(3)
Notes	151	(6)
Illustrations	157	(18)
Annex. The Iraqi Perspectives Project: Methodology and Sources of Information	175	(18)
Methodology	175	(2)
Understanding	176	(1)
Accounting for the Nature of War	177	(2)
The Trade Space	177	(1)
Preconceived Notions About the Adversary	178	(1)
Major Sources of Information	179	(5)
People	179	(4)
Documents	183	(1)
Research Methodology	184	(5)
Phase I: Background Research	184	(1)
Phase II: Collection	185	(2)
Phase III: Exploitations and Analysis	187	(1)
The Iraqi Perspective	188	(1)
Notes	189	(4)
References	193
Captured Iraqi Documents	193	(6)
US Government Documents	199	(1)
Iraqi Perspectives Project Interviews	200	(1)
Other	201