
Now a Conservative MP for Penrith, he maintains warmth, humanity and good humour throughout, which he's finding he'll need in politics. My favourite passages were his account of the siege of Nasiriyah and his dealings with the preposterous Italians. But there were lighter moments too, such as the special forces stakeout of a disused factory, frequented by small groups of furtive men in the dead of night. An Al Qaeda bomb factory? No, a secret location for gay sex.
In the week that we've seen US combat troops leaving Iraq and rather tastlessly whooping that they've "brought democracy" to the country, it serves to remind you how much has changed since Stewart's account, but also how little. His major conclusion is that peace can only come to such a troubled land when western forces leave and let Iraqis, for all their baffling differences and bitter rivalries, to get on with it themselves. Let's hope so.
1 comment:
The sight of one US soldier claiming "We've won" was particularly sickening.
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