A Fist In the Hornet’s Nest: On the Ground In Baghdad Before, During & After the War

Comments

1. Guest says

   July 25, 2015 at 12:00 am

   No as excited as I expected but informative. I didn’t always sense his being in "danger" although I believe he was. I am amazed at his survival.

2. Guest says

   August 18, 2006 at 12:00 am

   Despite my giving this book a rather lukewarm rating, it does have several things to recommend it. Of these, the strongest is Richard Engel himself. His own story is a pretty impressive one. Fresh out of college, he decided the next frontier of journalism was going to be the Middle East. So he moved to Cairo and taught himself to speak and read Arabic (that right there puts him head-and-shoulders above probably 95 percent of the Americans reporting from the Mideast). With war in Iraq imminent, he made the effort to get to — and remain in — Baghdad when most other reporters were getting out. He was rewarded for this by becoming, after Peter Arnett was fired, the only western reporter still in the city as the bombs were falling. So I can’t fault Engel at all for his bravery, his foresight, or his commitment to \\”telling the story.\\”

   Another thing Engel should be credited for is his decision while in Baghdad not to watch what other reporters or networks were saying about what was happening around him. (In part, he admits, this was due to the lack of functioning televisions during the bombing campaign. But that reinforced more than prompted his decision.) Engel’s coverage therefore avoided the circular nature of reporting-on-what-other-reporters-are-saying that becomes so common during big news events. It also gives the central portion of this book a sort of claustrophobic immediacy — like most other Iraqis, Engel is only aware of what’s happening around him, not what larger picture may be unfolding around him. It’s this that makes for the most interesting and evocative part of the book. On the other hand, when the author pulls his focus back — like the clichéd technique at the end of movies — to discuss The Big Questions about Iraq’s future, the book becomes rather less interesting. Some 30 months after it was published, it’s also now obviously fairly dated.

   If all that makes for a generally positive review, what I kept coming back to as I was reading \\”A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest\\” is that the writing itself — the actual prose — is fairly pedestrian. I suppose you could propose some theory about television reporters, whose primary medium is visual, not having cause to develop descriptive writing skills, and you might have something to that. At any rate, I thought the narrative here was often flat, the metaphors frequently tired, and many scenes that could have justified some vivid descriptive writing instead ended up lacking the emotional punch they deserved. But as a snapshot of the war (as opposed to whatever you want to call the period we’re in now), \\”A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest\\” still may be worth a look.was reading \\”A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest\\” is that the writing itself — the actual prose — is fairly pedestrian. I suppose you could propose some theory about television reporters, whose primary medium is visual, not having cause to develop descriptive writing skills, and you might have something to that. At any rate, I thought the narrative here was often flat, the metaphors frequently tired, and many scenes that could have justified some vivid descriptive writing instead ended up lacking the emotional punch they deserved. But as a snapshot of the war (as opposed to whatever you want to call the period we’re in now), \\”A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest\\” still may be worth a look.

3. Guest says

   December 30, 2005 at 12:00 am

   Engel’s book provides an interesting look at what it was like to report on the beginning of the war, however the book shows its age and bias right in the title. Engel seemed to think in 2004 that the war was actually over when we can see today (and I’d think he could have seen at the time) the the war was really just starting. Engel’s analysis relies heavily on statements from the US military and discounts Iraqi sources and what he had to be seeing. This book is really heavily pro-war and pro-Israel. Background about his time in Palestine relates events during the Intifada as if the Israeli forces were always forced to respond to Palestinian attacks and fails to see the real situation of brutality and occupation by Israel as causing much of the violence. Engel sees the Iraq War in the same light. The Iraqis are painted as stupid, uncivilized, simple, savages and the US soldiers are just young heros doing their duty. Racist really when you think about it. Anyway, interesting reading if you want to know what it was like for him reporting the war, if you can ignore his analysis and bias.

4. Guest says

   December 27, 2005 at 12:00 am

   One of the most impressive (though not explicit) topics in the book is Engel’s initiative and fortitude in becoming a mid-East reporter – without any initial contract, contacts, or local language ability.

   An early observation by the author was the wide-spread and intense hatred of Israel. Arabs noted that Israel repeatedly ignored U.N. resolutions that it disagreed with – and the U.S. did nothing, while using Hussein’s violation of U.N. direction as an excuse to invade.

   Just prior to the U.S. taking Baghdad Baath party members set up control points at major intersections – purportedly to defend the city. The acclaimed Republican Guard had been disbanded into homes on the outside of the city – the plan was that they would then come out and encircle the Americans who entered Baghad. It didn’t happen.

   Pre-invasion \\”minders\\” for press personnel generally could not \\”see\\” (report) reality – would deny events occuring in front of them such as people fleeing the city.

   Iraqi’s did not believe Americans with their high-tech weapons accidently hit civilians – thus, this advantage became somewhat of a liability. The blackout caused by U.S. bombing led to another wave of refugees and the initiation of widespread looting. The looters then compounded the electricity problem by stealing wires, etc., leaving citizens with unrealistic expectations for the Americans to resume electrical service.

   Shortly after the U.S. takeover, Engel left for ten weeks. Upon returning he found many buying CDs or tapes of torture during Hussein’s reign – not because they were voyeurs or sympathetic but because it provided insight into the reality they hadn’t known. Numerous newspapers and political parties arose in Saddam’s absence.

   With their new freedom, many took the opportunity to settle old scores – murder soared to a rate 14X that of New York City. Price controls ended, many renters were forced out into the street, and many had difficulty affording daily living due to the combination of inflation and loss of their government-supplied job.

   Engels estimated that there were only 50-75 groups antagnostic to the Americans, focused in the Sunni area. The groups would hire others to do their dirty work. Unfortunately the struggle attracted others from outside Iraq to come in and fight the Americans. Engels did believe that the Iraqi Governing Council, appointed by Bremer, was not a rubber-stamp group. However, while Engels is optimistic at the end, subsequent events have not proven very positive.many had difficulty affording daily living due to the combination of inflation and loss of their government-supplied job.

   Engels estimated that there were only 50-75 groups antagnostic to the Americans, focused in the Sunni area. The groups would hire others to do their dirty work. Unfortunately the struggle attracted others from outside Iraq to come in and fight the Americans. Engels did believe that the Iraqi Governing Council, appointed by Bremer, was not a rubber-stamp group. However, while Engels is optimistic at the end, subsequent events have not proven very positive.

5. Guest says

   March 6, 2005 at 12:00 am

   First of all, I would like to advice all that this wasn’t just a waste of money but a HUGE! waste of time, Richard keeps talking with a pro-kurd point of view and defends iran despite it is part of the Axis of evil! And under which circumstances did he give himself the RIGHT! to make sunnis 20% though they are 32-37% according to the CIA factbook and 60%! according to the Absolute truth! […] A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest is a book to stay away from if you want to know the truth because it expresses the opinion of a pro-kurd and an iran sympathizer! For the truth we will need a Neutral point of view!

6. Guest says

   July 27, 2004 at 12:00 am

   This is an interesting account by Richard Engel, who gets my vote for bravery, when he stays in Baghdad as the war arrives. His descriptions of the events, and in particular, the reaction of the people on the streets, shops, and restaurants are surreal. For example, while US bombs are falling on the city, people in the restaurant don’t even acknowledge what is going on due to their fear of Saddam’s regime. The story seems quite balanced. I was surprised to read his stance on the war, which I won’t reveal. Pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.

7. Guest says

   July 20, 2004 at 12:00 am

   This book is part memoir, part many religious factors of the country, part war reporting, and finally assessment of Iraq’s future. All are interesting and you learn a reason for what is happening there at this moment. The Shiites are the power now through the religious government named the hawza; "the hawza being the most powerful and influential body in Iraq." The merja is the working part of the hawza. Confusing? The complexity of this country is mind boggling. Religion is the backbone and how events are going to unfold to stabalize the nation is anybody’s guess. An interesting book for up-to-date information.

8. Guest says

   July 15, 2004 at 12:00 am

   This war correspondent (handsome young man) could be called Mr. Intrepid. When hundreds of journalists and network reporters left Baghdad a year ago, Richard stayed on. After all, he has been living in the Mid East for almost twenty years now.
   This is nothing like Jimmy Carter’s novel, HORNET’S NEST; however, they are both about war. So many years apart, these wars but atrocious just the same. In Carter’s novel, we read about scalpings, now we know of beheadings going on in Iraq in this modern age. Have times changed? Not much. There are still uneducated savages leading others just as ignorant.
   I will always remember the first atom bomb with the mushroom; USA developed and used the first one! Amazing! And I thought we were educated and erudite here.
   This Mr. Intrepid is able to survive over there because of his fluent use of their language. He was educated at Stanford University in America. He should win some kind of award for endurance and survival in such turbulent times.

9. Guest says

   April 25, 2004 at 12:00 am

   This book is full of youthful exuberance, fear, concern and wonder. It is the story of a rather self-starter of a reporter and his time covering the war in Iraq. The author starts that book with a chapter on how he moved from the US to the Middle East to start a career in journalism. He then jumps into the path he took going into Iraq without a news organization to work for and on a \\”Human Shield\\” visa. I could not tell if this very risky adventure was all bravery, desperation or stupidity, but it worked out for the author. It is a lesson in how corrupt and lazy government officials can be paid off for rather small amounts of good old cash.
   The author covers the pre war condition in Baghdad and what it takes to survive. The picture he paints is very interesting. It turned on my head a number of the recent impressions I had heard about the conditions in Iraq pre war. He does state it was difficult, but he could find the essentials for life in the markets. I was surprised by some of the rather carefree ways he was able to lose his minders and roam around town talking to whomever he wanted to. It started me thinking that if a young reporter with no experience in Baghdad can do this then why could not professional CIA staff been able to do the same?
   The book picks up with the war and the author has some interesting, but not overly exciting experiences to share. As he was not an embedded reporter, he saw the war from the finish line so that once Baghdad fell his brief glimpse of war was over. He then covered the turmoil after the American army took over, the looting and random violence. If you followed the war on TV this reporting was nothing really that new or exciting, but very interesting. Overall the book was good, easy to read and fast paced. It did slow down at the end when the author went from reporting to providing his opinions on what the military and Bush Administration did not do correctly in a Monday morning quarterback style. The book just did not have enough extra to get it to the top of the charts in my opinion.

10. Guest says

    March 3, 2004 at 12:00 am

    Richard Engel’s "A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest" is a stunning book, as absorbing for me as the Richard Halliburton books that I read and reread in my youth. Engel’s own saga of living in the Cairo slums to learn the language and the culture is remarkable; and his decision then to move to Iraq without prospects of employment is courageous. The writing is intelligent and illuminating and yet so unpretentious I had the feeling that I was listening to a close friend describing the realities of a living adventure.
    I am left with vivid images of the writer’s relationships with shopkeepers, drivers, secret agents, terrorists, thieves, Iraqi top officials and the military.
    The book is comprehensive, providing as it does, a knowledgeable exploration of the causes, problems and future issues that grip Iraq.
    I recommend it enthusiastically.
    William H. Kaven , Ph.D.
    Professor Emeritus, Economics and Marketing, Cornell University
    Ithaca, New York

11. Guest says

    February 26, 2004 at 12:00 am

    I couldn’t put this book down! Mr. Engel’s firsthand experiences reflect his knowledge and understanding of the Mideast culture. His personalized style of writing made me feel like I know him. This book gave me a deeper understanding on how this war evolved, his experiences during the war and what the implications are for years to come. His story would make a great screeplay as it is passionate and riveting!

12. Guest says

    February 26, 2004 at 12:00 am

    It was enjoyable to read a book that was comprehensive, entertaining, insightful and most importantly conclusive. I really enjoyed learning the end to stories that were shown on the news. It was also a delight to have a behind the scenes look into the world of jounalists. As with many things, it may seem glamorous, but the reality of it is completely different