Arrows of the Night: Ahmad Chalabi's Long Journey to Triumph in Iraq

Bonin, a 60 Minutes producer, clearly has the chops to tell a good story and this highly detailed study of Ahmad Chalabi, an Iraqi-born Shiite exiled to London during his childhood, does not disappoint. A determined and opportunistic man, Chalabi followed a cyclical pattern of "attaining power, provoking controversy and then turning adversity into advantage," with the ultimate goal of provoking the U.S. into overthrowing Saddam. Bonin's unflattering view of the U.S. government describes the Iraq Operations Group (IOG) in 1994 as "swarming with drunkards and whores" and former President George W. Bush as a hapless and ignorant figure. After attending meetings with the IOG, Chalabi learned that the CIA could be easily manipulated into starting a war. In fact, Chalabi was a major contributor to the "confirmation" of weapons of mass destruction that resulted in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Despite his early successes, the U.S. cut ties with Chalabi in 2004, causing his "near-Biblical fall from grace." Alive with action, Bonin's account is a whodunit for avid newshounds. (Nov.)