Occupational Hazards

By Rory Stewart

A fascinating insight into the complexity, history and unpredictability of Iraq from Rory Stewart, bestselling author of Politics on the Edge and host of hit podcast The Rest Is Politics.

‘Devastating’ - The Sunday Times
‘Absolutely absorbing’ - Ken Loach

By September 2003, six months after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the anarchy had begun. Rory Stewart, then a young British diplomat, was appointed as the Coalition Provisional Authority's deputy governor of a province of 850,000 people in the southern marshland region. There, he and his colleagues confronted gangsters, Iranian-linked politicians, tribal vendettas and a full Islamist insurgency.

Occupational Hazards is Rory Stewart's inside account of the attempt to rebuild a nation, the errors made, the misunderstandings and insurmountable difficulties encountered. It reveals an Iraq hidden from most foreign journalists and soldiers, a rare and compelling insight that remains just as important today.

‘An extraordinarily vivid tale’ - The Guardian
‘Wonderfully observed, wise, evocative’ - The Observer

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Sep 18, 2009
• ISBN: 9780330508247

Rory Stewart

Rory Stewart was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Malaysia. After a brief period in the British army, he joined the Foreign Office, serving in the Embassy in Indonesia and as British Representative in Montenegro, Yugoslavia. In 2002 he completed a 6,000 mile walk from Turkey to Bangladesh. His account of crossing Afghanistan on foot shortly after the US invasion, The Places In Between, was published in 2004, drew widespread acclaim, and was shortlisted for that year's Guardian First Book Award. He was awarded an OBE in 2004 for his work in Iraq. From 2006 to 2008 he lived in Kabul, where he was the Chief Executive of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation; in 2009 he was appointed to a professorial chair at Harvard University as the Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights; and in 2010 he was elected as Member of Parliament for Penrith and the Border.

Reviews for Occupational Hazards

[jbreedlove_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A close up look at the occupation by one of its governors. Stewart is a Brit with varied international experience and a lot of practical sense. He goes into the convoluted ties and intrigues of southeastern Iraq and through his experiences conveys the complex social structure which may be unable to support a democracy.

[sarialam_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A cool and canny young Scottish diplomat tells of his daily deal-making with wily Arab officials and tribal leaders in Southern Iraq during the occupation by the Coalition Provisional Authority. His 12-month tour begins in hope yet ends in disillusionment at the sad inadequacies of both East and West in a clash of cultures. Stewart craftily notes a similar history has often dogged the region even as long as four thousand years ago when invaders routed King Sulgi of Ur and looted his treasure. The publisher's proofreading is notably deficient.

[queeresque · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

On-the-ground tutorial on how not to conquer a country by the 21st Century's own Sir Richard Burton.

[replay_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A bit disappointed by Rory's testimonial on his Iraqi experience. I've been enthralled by his Afghan adventure and was eager to follow him through the meanders of the Iraqi quagmire expecting a new, fresh and witty eye on the biggest lie of the century. I ended up feeling very frustrated, wondering where this courageous, iconoclast farsi-speaking Scottsman had gone. Iraqi society is complex, multi layered and unfit to democracy: wow, major breakthrough. Why on earth did he go there?

[teaperson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book really brought home the tragicomedy of good intentions and bad planning characterizing the American, er coalition, occupation of Iraq. The young British diplomat is really trying to understand and do good, but he (at least in the retrospect of this book) sees how futile the effort was. They didn't have the resources, the cultural knowhow, or ultimately the Machiavellian resources to make lasting change.

[mikereadsalot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written account of the 2003 coalition government by a British diplomat.

[paulberauer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Rory Stewart is tapped by the Coalition government to help run one of Iraq's southern provinces, it seems to be a surprise to everyone, including Rory. And what the author finds there is even more surprising. At a time when Iraq is quickly becoming known for its violence, it is clear that the Coalition government in Baghdad has little power and even less help for Rory and the mixed bag of Brits and Americans in charge of the province. Between attempting to learn Arabic, dealing with Iraqi tribal leaders, power-hunger military leaders and Islamic extremists, Rory does his best to create a stable government run by the Iraqis, an effort that is constantly undermined.Overall, a fascinating look into how Iraq's provinces were lead in the early days of the occupation, and how any success was more luck and force of will and firepower than a thought out effort by the occupying Americans.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent book by Rory Stewart, this recounts his time in Iraq helping to rebuild the nation after the coalition invasion of the early 2000s. He calls into question the logic behind the coalitions attempts to create in Iraq a modern democracy, suggesting that there was no concrete plan, no sense of achievable objectives, and no hope for success in this country that never invited invaders to come in and deal with Saddam in the first place.