‘Witty and absorbing … Essential, and humbling, reading for all those pundits and commentators who think they understand what happened in Iraq.’ Malise Ruthven, author of A History of the Arab Peoples ‘A vivid picture not only of the events leading up to the war and the chaos of the war itself but also of some of the Iraqi emigres who were hoping to take over the government of Iraq.’ Ian Gilmour ‘Should be mandatory reading for all wannabe foreign correspondents.’ Jonathan Randal, author of After Such Knowledge, What Forgiveness? – Encounters with Kurdistan. ‘In the finest tradition of radical reporting – anti-war, sympathetic, compassionate and enlightening.’ Phillip Knightley, author of The First Casualty ‘A beautifully written account of the full sweep of the war and of what it was like to report on it. His diary should in future serve as the starting-point for any proper understanding of the whole contentious business of the Iraq war.’ John Simpson

Charles Glass was chief Middle East correspondent for ABC News until his kidnap by Hizbullah in Lebanon in 1993. He is an established journalist and political commentator with an international reputation. His other books are Tribes with Flags, Money for Old Rope and The Tribes Triumphant.