Sign-In
Cart
Chaos in the Green Zone: My Time as an Iraq War Strategist
Paperback
Military BiographiesIraq War (2003-2011)
Publisher Price: $24.99
ISBN13: 9780700641314
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Published: Apr 14 2026
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.96
Height: 0.75 Width: 6.12 Depth: 8.99
Language: English
An American officer offers an explosive memoir from inside coalition headquarters in Baghdad. With raw honesty and exhilarating detail, Tom Mowle shares how policy and strategy were built at a time when it still felt like the US could win the Iraq War.
When Tom Mowle volunteered to go to Iraq in 2004 to help shape American strategy, he left behind a comfortable life as a noncombat junior officer and a professor at the US Air Force Academy. In Chaos in the Green Zone, he relives the chaos and absurdity of war in a way that recalls Joseph Heller's classic novel Catch-22.
Mowle vividly depicts the frenetic cycle of activity at a wartime forward headquarters, where the enemy often dictated the schedule of events, fifteen hours a day, seven days a week. Important tasks were set aside for urgent distractions; hard deadlines constrained critical thinking and well-balanced decisions. Frequent indirect fire attacks, the deaths of colleagues, heat-induced illnesses, and personality conflicts thickened the fog of war.
Amid this chaos in an unfamiliar land, Tom wrestled with deeply human issues, including his troubled marriage, his daughter's health, and his own career prospects. Through it all, he sought to find meaning through service despite creeping skepticism about the mission at hand.
Chaos in the Green Zone provides keen insights about Iraqi political dynamics and shows how collective ignorance, toxic optimism, and partisan considerations affected coalition decision making. The result was twenty years of dysfunctional Iraqi politics, increased Iranian influence in the Middle East, and many unnecessary Iraqi and American deaths.
This honest memoir, drawn from his original wartime diaries and other materials, is as thrilling as it is insightful. It is a must-read for anyone wanting to see what it was like to serve as a high-level strategist in Iraq and for anyone wondering how we wound up where we are today.
Also in
Iraq War (2003-2011)
The Secret Way to War: The Downing Street Memo and the Iraq War's Buried History
Danner, Rk
Danner, Mark
Paperback
Damn Fine Soldiers: The Epic Story of Task Force 2-7 Infantry and the 21-Day Attack to Baghdad That Changed Modern Warfare
Rutter, Scott E.
Paul, Matthew
Paperback
One is a Warrior: The Relentless Fight of an Army National Guard Sniper Team in Ramadi
Martinez, Harry R.
Hardcover
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden
Owen, Mark
Maurer, Kevin
Paperback
Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance
Grdovic, Mark
Paperback
American Sniper: Memorial Edition (Large Print Edition)
McEwen, Scott
DeFelice, Jim
Kyle, Chris
Paperback
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
McEwen, Scott
DeFelice, Jim
Kyle, Chris
Paperback
The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers Won't Tell You about What They've Seen, Done or Failed to Do in War
Sites, Kevin
Paperback
The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy Seal Leader (Large Print Edition)
Bruning, John
Redman, Jason
Paperback
One is a Warrior: The Relentless Fight of an Army National Guard Sniper Team in Ramadi
Martinez, Harry R.
Paperback
Proud to Serve: Leadership, Responsibility, and Command from 9/11 to Iraq
Walsh, Col Shawn P.
Hardcover
The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein: My Six Months Inside the Mind of a Tyrant
Piro, George
Hardcover
The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq
Coll, Steve
Paperback
Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance
Grdovic, Mark
Hardcover
One is a Warrior (Large Print): The Relentless Fight of an Army National Guard Sniper Team in Ramadi (Large Print Edition)
Martinez, Harry R.
Hardcover
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
DeFelice, Jim
Kyle, Chris
McEwen, Scott
Paperback
The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives
Kennedy, Kelly
Gamal, Adam
Paperback
Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army
Staub, Michael E.
Williams, Kayla
Paperback
Proud to Serve: Leadership, Responsibility, and Command from 9/11 to Iraq
Walsh, Col Shawn P.
Paperback
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War
Wright, Evan
Paperback
Recon 701: A story of Resiliency, Brotherhood, and Triumph, as told by the troopers of G/10 CAV
Bailey, Desmond V.
Paperback
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
DeFelice, Jim
Kyle, Chris
McEwen, Scott
Hardcover
What You Can Do About It: Taking Real Action Against Corruption, Radicalism, and Moral Decay to Save America
Maness, Robert L.
Hardcover
Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up-An Alarming Memoir of Combat and Coming Back Home
Colbert, Laura Naylor
Paperback
The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq
Coll, Steve
Hardcover
The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid
Bardenwerper, Will
Paperback
All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier's Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront
Satterly, Tom
Jackson, Steve
Hardcover
Fading Echoes: A True Story of Rivalry and Brotherhood from the Football Field to the Fields Ofhonor
Sielski, Mike
Paperback
Brothers Forever: The Enduring Bond Between a Marine and a Navy SEAL That Transcended Their Ultimate Sacrifice
Sileo, Tom
Manion, Tom
Paperback
Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America's Bravest Warriors
Eversmann, Matt
Patterson, James
Paperback
Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers - the Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan
Darack, Ed
Paperback
Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan
Parnell, Sean
Bruning, John
Paperback
Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent Into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death
Frederick, Jim
Paperback
Counting on Death: A Marine Infantryman's Journey from the Front Lines of Combat to the Fight for Peace
Shores, Joshua
Hardcover
When Presidents Fight the Last War: The Oval Office, Sunk Costs, and Wartime Decision-Making Since Vietnam
Groves, Bryan N.
Paperback
All American: Two Young Men, the 2001 Army-Navy Game and the War They Fought in Iraq
Eubanks, Steve
Paperback
Radical Courage: How One Marine's Sacrifice Helped Change America
Cross, Candi S.
Alva, Eric
Paperback
Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
Trainor, Bernard E.
Gordon, Michael R.
Paperback
The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War: Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture Official Secrets
Mitchell, Marcia
Mitchell, Thomas
Paperback
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo
Spence, Graham
Anthony, Lawrence
Paperback
Fortune Favors Boldness: The Story of Naval Valor During Operation Iraqi Freedom
Costello, Barry M.
Paperback
Crimson Mist: Legend of the Deadliest Platoon of the Invasion of Iraq
Thorpe, Ltc Stephen a.
Paperback
Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood
Campbell, Donovan
Paperback
Det One: U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Special Operations Command Detachment, 2003 - 2006: U.S. Marines in the Global War on Terrorism
Piedmont, John P.
Paperback
The Bremer Detail: Protecting the Most Threatened Man in the World
Gallagher, Frank
Del Vecchio, John M.
Hardcover
Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq
Urban, Mark
Paperback
Radical Courage: How One Marine's Sacrifice Helped Change America
Alva, Eric
Cross, Candi S.
Hardcover
When Presidents Fight the Last War: The Oval Office, Sunk Costs, and Wartime Decision-Making Since Vietnam
Groves, Bryan N.
Hardcover
War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine
Solomon, Norman
Paperback
Driving Around, Waiting to Get Blown Up: Hearts, Minds, and the Occupation of Iraq
Stoneman, Mark L.
Paperback
Buried Alive: The True Story of Kidnapping, Captivity, and a Dramatic Rescue (Nelsonfree)
Hallums, Roy
Paperback
The Iraq War: The Military Offensive, from Victory in 21 Days to the Insurgent Aftermath
Keegan, John
Paperback
Collateral Damages: Tracing the Debts and Displacements of the Iraq War Volume 60
El-Shaarawi, Nadia
Paperback
80th Division in Iraq: Iraqi Army Advisors in Action, 2005-06
McLaren, John
Schreckengost, Gary
Paperback
Zone of Action: A JAG's Journey Inside Operations Cobra II and Iraqi Freedom
Warner, Kirk G.
Paperback
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War
Wright, Evan
Paperback
Insurgent Hunter: Memoirs of a Navy Seal Turned Counterinsurgent Agent in Iraq
Treadway, Jack
Templin, Stephen
Hardcover
Innovation, Transformation, and War: Counterinsurgency Operations in Anbar and Ninewa, Iraq, 2005-2007
Russell, James
Paperback
The Second Battle of Fallujah: The History of the Biggest Battle of the Iraq War
Charles River
Paperback
Theatre of Iraq Under Occupation, 2003-2011: Lamentation, Homeland, Identity
Al-Shamma, James
Al-Azraki, Amir
Paperback
The Beauty of a Darker Soul: Overcoming Trauma Through the Power of Human Connection
Mantz, Joshua
Paperback
They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq
Kennedy, Kelly
Paperback
Soft Spots: A Marine's Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Van Winkle, Clint
Paperback
If You Love Someone, You Must Tell Them: A True Story of Young Love in the Post 9-11 Iraq War Era
Allen, Neal
Paperback
U.S. Marines in Battle: Fallujah, November-December 2004
Schlosser, Nicolas J.
U. S. Marine Corps History Division
McWilliams, Timothy S.
Paperback
Secrets and Lies: Operation Iraqi Freedom and After: A Prelude to the Fall of U.S. Power in the Middle East?
Hiro, Dilip
Paperback
The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives
Kennedy, Kelly
Gamal, Adam
Hardcover
From Dublin to Bull Run to Baghdad and Beyond: The Story of the Fighting 69th
Tierney, James P.
Paperback
U.S. Marines in Iraq 2004-2005: Into the Fray
Us Marine Corps History Division
Estes, Kenneth W.
Hardcover