Rating: 
Summary: Educational, interesting, and hopeful
Review: "The New Iraq" is eye-opening, informative, and enjoyable to read. In just a few hours, I made my way through a vivid portrayal of Iraqi history, culture, as well as its current situation-- economic, social, and political. I especially liked Mr. Braude's use of anecdotes and humor to add flavor to the analysis. Obviously, there is a lot more that I, as well as most Americans, need to learn about this country if we hope to help rebuild Iraq and make a positive impact in the Middle East. But Mr. Braude offers a good start, and I urge others to take advantage of it.
Rating:
Summary: Educational, interesting, and hopeful
Review: "The New Iraq" is eye-opening, informative, and enjoyable to read. In just a few hours, I made my way through a vivid portrayal of Iraqi history, culture, as well as its current situation-- economic, social, and political. I especially liked Mr. Braude's use of anecdotes and humor to add flavor to the analysis. Obviously, there is a lot more that I, as well as most Americans, need to learn about this country if we hope to help rebuild Iraq and make a positive impact in the Middle East. But Mr. Braude offers a good start, and I urge others to take advantage of it.
Rating:
Summary: The New Iraq is THE Book to Read
Review: After reading Joseph Braude's The New Iraq, I am now inspired to find ways that I can help the people of Iraq build the country of their dreams. Now that the war is over, rebuilding Iraq is the top priority. Those who want to understand Iraq's past and where Iraq might be heading ought to read The New Iraq. Braude sets a positive course for the future, packing his prose with exciting stories, anecdotes, and cultural flavor (I loved the chapter on Iraqi cinema and entertainment!). The "Teachers and Judges of Truth" chapter paints a compelling portrait of the kinds of change that will be needed in Iraq's legal and educational system, so that the country can one day bloom into a democracy. This book is a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Iraqi-American Writes a Wonderful Book about The New Iraq
Review: As a fellow Iraqi-American, I thank Joseph Braude for writing his excellent book, The New Iraq. I bought my copy and read it cover-to-cover with glee and rapt attention. Not only does Braude write well and demonstrate the fruits of deep research, but he also engages the reader with humor, vivid stories, and cultural insights that lead the reader to the heart of the Iraqi people. From the amazing stories of Tanukhi, the medieval judge and storyteller, to the resillient adventures of ingenious modern Iraqi businessmen, Braude weaves a delightful tapestry in The New Iraq. As an Iraqi-American, Braude's love for the Iraqi people and their culture is evident. It's also evident that Braude is an appreciator of the best of America and is an ambassador who bridges the gap of understanding between Americans and Iraqis. He has degrees from Yale and Princeton in Arab and Islamic studies and has lived in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and throughout the Middle East. With the media coverage focusing so much on the details of war, the punditry of retired generals, and the mechanics of invasion, Joseph Braude's The New Iraq takes a step back to admire the past, present, and potentially bright future of the Iraqi people. As an Iraqi, I want Americans to learn more about my people. I believe, as Joseph Braude does, that it is essential for Americans to engage the people of Iraq who have lived in Saddam's shadow for years. "This book is not about Saddam Hussein," writes author Braude. Indeed, this book is about the exciting yet underreported and repressed accomplishments of the Iraqi people - a people who have the potential to build a great country. In the introduction to his book, Braude offers a call to action for Americans and others throughout the world in the public and private sector to join in supporting the rebuilding of Iraq. Braude calls on Americans to contribute their talents and energies toward one of the Middle East's most talented peoples. As Braude argues in his introduction, rebuilding Iraq after the war will benefit not only the people of Iraq, but also the Middle East and the world. The transformation will take time, Braude warns, but the benefits are immense. I am so proud of the idealism, balanced with a practical streak, that 28-year old Braude radiates. In rebuilding Iraq, Americans will show my brothers and sisters in the Arab world that the U.S. is serious about bringing civil society and the best of our values to the Middle East. Read Braude's The New Iraq for inspiration.
Rating: 
Summary: A (...)
Review: As a Western academic who has carried out extensive research in post-Saddam Iraq, I was looking forward to reading this book, especially with regards to human trafficking in new Iraq. I was disappointed and found this book to be a mere collection of anecdotes that did not bring anything new to the many burning issues in New Iraq. Trafficking of women and girls does indeed exist in post-Saddam Iraq, this under the nose of the very people who have a responsibility to protect the populations under their care: the US. This book is a waste of time and money.
Rating:
Summary: An Uplifting, Humanizing Book, with Breadth, Warmth, and Wit
Review: Believe it, folks! The New Iraq is possible! Say 'no' to the naysayers who predict only gloom and doom and say 'yes' to The New Iraq! Think positive and read Joseph Braude's The New Iraq. This nifty book has it all: a description of Iraq from ancient and modern times, interviews with exciting Iraqi personalities (Iraqi TV executives, refugees, diplomats, storytellers, torture victims, Baghdadi burger flippers,[] common folk, spies, technocrats, businessmen, and musicians). Braude delivers in-depth cultural analysis written with a warm, humanist touch, plus a dash of irony. The book's stellar economic analysis and forecasting are reasons enough to purchase the book. Braude reveals the strong economic assets that Iraq has beyond oil: the Iraqis are an industrious, highly competent people with great business savvy; in the past, the country was a leading manufacturer and agricultural importer in the Arab world. Above all, I appreciated Braude's compelling story-telling and cultural descriptions that humanize Iraqi people living throughout the world. Also, the chapter on the potentially stabilizing role the Iraqi Islamic movement can play within a rebuilt Iraq is quite encouraging. Braude blends anecdotes and data quite nicely as he discusses plans to rebuild the Iraqi army, revitalize the economy, and revamp the educational system. The chapters on cultural, artistic, and journalistic revival are very unique. Even if you don't buy every argument in the book, you're bound to learn a lot and perhaps get juiced to help rebuild the country. There's really no book like this. Go for it! I bought a copy and am now buying one for my college-age niece.
Rating:
Summary: The New Iraq is THE Book to Read
Review: I heard the author on NPR and the next day picked up the book at the library. After reading it, I went out and bought a copy so that I can highlight passages and loan the book to my friends. There are so few sources from which we can learn about what life is really like for people in Iraq (and for Iraqi refugees). This book is exceptionally fun to read, laced with current jokes and ancient poetry, and based on countless interviews with Iraqi people -- who have been left out of the story we usually hear, but who are the ones who will be building the new Iraq.
Rating:
Summary: Very Impressive Work, for an antiquities trafficker...
Review: I thought this book provided some interesting analysis about the opportunities in Iraq.
Recent revelations that the author is a law-breaking opportunist himself, however, color my appreciation of his work. I no longer believe it to be sufficiently "disinterested" as a scholarly work.
[...]
Rating:
Summary: "The New Iraq" is full of breadth, depth, and wit
Review: I was completely opposed to the war against Iraq (I even attended an anti-war rally here in San Francisco) thinking that it would be disastrous to Iraqis. Then I read accounts from Iraqis themselves about the unbelievable horrors of living under Saddam Hussein. It made me realize how little I know about the Iraqi people and what they have had to endure for so long. Just the other day, I saw Joseph Braude give an impressive interview on CNN, and I thought it would be worthwhile to read his book to get an overview of Iraq and a sense of what the future holds. I am happy to say that "The New Iraq" delivered. I found it to be extremely insightful, interesting, witty, and easy to read. Joseph Braude clearly cares about the future of the Iraqi people, and I hope that as many people as possible take his advise to heart.
Rating:
Summary: A lucid and necessary book.
Review: I wish to dissent with the reviewer who labeled Mr. Braude's book "superficial". There is nothing superficial about it. It provides a thoughtful plan for reconstructing Iraq, given that war is now a reality. (Note that this is not the same as an endorsement of the war.) Accordingly, the book devotes due space to Iraq's economic reconstruction. It seems to me that part of rebuilding a nation shattered by years of strife is ensuring that its economy functions. Mr. Braude suggests-correctly, in my view-that the influx of Western capital will aid Iraq's regrowth. But that is not the point of the book. The vast majority of the text discusses ways to bolster Iraqi civil society-not a series of ways for Westerners to get rich, as Mr. Bremmer suggests. Either we did not read the same book, or he did not read it very carefully. Furthermore, rather ominously, Mr. Bremmer ties Mr. Braude's opinions to his citizenship. That is, Mr. Bremmer says, "Braude, an Israeli-American citizen, who is ancestrially [sic] Iraqi Jewish, claims not to have any opinion about the decision to go to war with Iraq. However...his right-leaning, even neoconservative political opinions, seem to indicate a very different underlying purpose." This statement is misleading for two reasons. First, as I noted, discussion of post-war plans does not make any statement about war other than "it is already happening". Avoiding formulating a map for post-war Iraq is not left-wing; it is stupid, a refusal to engage in reality. Second, Mr. Braude is not Israeli. This is clear if you have read his biography or if-as I have-you have heard him talk about his background on radio or TV. He is an American of Iraqi-Jewish descent, hardly the same thing as an Israeli. If a reviewer wishes to condemn the politics of the book, that is acceptable (although incorrect). To condemn them as the product of an "Israeli" is a manifest lie-one that, to me, carries an edge of racism. Mr. Braude's book is clear, concise, vigorous, and honest. It provides the first optimistic account of what might be done with a damaged society. In this, it is far more forward-thinking-far more progressive-than any other book currently available. Strongly recommended for those interested in seeing a rebuilt, healthy Iraq.
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