The Achilles Trap

Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq

By: Steve Coll

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 17 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

“Excellent . . . A more intimate picture of the dictator’s thinking about world politics, local power and his relationship to the United States than has been seen before.”—The New York Times

“Another triumph from one of our best journalists.”—The Washington Post

"Voluminously researched and compulsively readable."—Air Mail

From bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steve Coll, the definitive story of the decades-long relationship between the United States and Saddam Hussein, and a deeply researched and news-breaking investigation into how human error, cultural miscommunication, and hubris led to one of the costliest geopolitical conflicts of our time

When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, its message was clear: Iraq, under the control of strongman Saddam Hussein, possessed weapons of mass destruction that, if left unchecked, posed grave danger to the world. But when no WMDs were found, the United States and its allies were forced to examine the political and intelligence failures that had led to the invasion and the occupation, and the civil war that followed. One integral question has remained unsolved: Why had Saddam seemingly sacrificed his long reign in power by giving the false impression that he had hidden stocks of dangerous weapons?

The Achilles Trap masterfully untangles the people, ploys of power, and geopolitics that led to America’s disastrous war with Iraq and, for the first time, details America’s fundamental miscalculations during its decades-long relationship with Saddam Hussein. Beginning with Saddam’s rise to power in 1979 and the birth of Iraq’s secret nuclear weapons program, Steve Coll traces Saddam’s motives by way of his inner circle. He brings to life the diplomats, scientists, family members, and generals who had no choice but to defer to their leader—a leader directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, as well as the torture or imprisonment of hundreds of thousands more. This was a man whose reasoning was impossible to reduce to a simple explanation, and the CIA and successive presidential administrations failed to grasp critical nuances of his paranoia, resentments, and inconsistencies—even when the stakes were incredibly high.

Calling on unpublished and underreported sources, interviews with surviving participants, and Saddam’s own transcripts and audio files, Coll pulls together an incredibly comprehensive portrait of a man who was convinced the world was out to get him and acted accordingly. A work of great historical significance, The Achilles Trap is the definitive account of how corruptions of power, lies of diplomacy, and vanity—on both sides—led to avoidable errors of statecraft, ones that would enact immeasurable human suffering and forever change the political landscape as we know it.

©2024 Steve Coll (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[E]xcellent . . . [A]n engrossing portrait of Hussein, which is drawn from interviews with U.S. officials, U.N. weapons inspectors and surviving members of the dictator’s government as well as what Coll calls the Saddam tapes . . . The resulting details he assembles give a more intimate picture of the dictator’s thinking about world politics, local power and his relationship to the United States than has been seen before . . . The new material captures a trained assassin and rural tribesman who could be sharp and worldly, but was more often erratic and paranoid . . . Unlike his main character, Coll succeeds in part because he has an eye for dramatic irony . . . ‘Narcissism is dangerous and can cost a man the opportunity to be wise,’ Coll quotes him saying. Saddam Hussein failed to understand that he might as well have been talking about himself.”—New York Times

“The Achilles Trap presents Hussein as a human being, not a caricature. Coll’s book, relying as it often does on newly translated Iraqi documents, couldn’t have been written back when it might have hindered a war. But it succeeds because of Coll’s willingness to reexamine the mutually reinforcing delusions of Hussein and four U.S. administrations . . . Hussein’s miscalculations were ultimately fatal. But at times he showed insight, and Coll is gambling that an American audience is now ready to hear about it . . . [A]nother triumph from one of our best journalists.”—Washington Post

“[V]oluminously researched and compulsively readable . . . Similar to Ghost Wars, Coll’s 2004 history of the C.I.A.’s encounters with Osama bin Laden before 9/11, the action is cinematic, moving from the Situation Room to the mountains of Kurdistan to the sixth floor of the C.I.A.’s original headquarters in Langley, Virginia . . . Coll’s book includes plenty of examples of Saddam’s cruelty and lust for vengeance, even against members of his own family. Yet the picture that emerges is of a more confounding figure, a power-obsessed but pedantic strongman who wrote romance novels in his spare time, corrected state-TV presenters for grammatical mistakes, and agonized over the failings of his eldest son, Uday.”—Air Mail

From the Saddam’s Point of View.

The book is not at all sympathetic to Saddam but this is the best account I have seen how his own foolish behavior contributed to the invasion. That said, it is also clear that the Bush administration willfully misinterpreted what they did know. Call it dishonest or more likely confirms bias, the US invasion of Iraq was a tragic mistake. Tragic not because Saddam was a victim, but because the invasion led to a decade of misery and chaos and tarnished America’s reputation. If you haven’t already read Coll’s Ghost Wars you should get it now.

Time lines about sadam’s life

Very simplifies the issue about complex subject like Iraq I wish he went into details more feel like he tried to make American readers understand subject instead of trying to make a detailed points

Outstanding!

Thorough and engaging account of Saddam Hussein relationship with US. I was not bored at any point. It almost read like fiction except unfortunately it was real events. One of my favorite historical books of all times!

This is the best book I’ve ever read!

This is an amazing book. I’m an avid reader and have read many books on Middle East politics, wars, history, and religion. Additionally, I follow US-Middle East relations. Furthermore, I was born there and witnessed the Iran-Iraq war. This is the best book I’ve ever read!

Very well written. Throughly explained

Outstanding. Touched on it briefly in the epilogue, but hope he releases a sequel on the US war in Iraq and its lasting consequences

Inside baseball

Further supports with data and fact that our decision to go to war was mostly unsupported… like to many of our other ears .

Odyssey of a story

Wonderful retelling of the long story that ended with the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Which started its own odyssey. Highlights the cast of characters that kept circling around each other for decades and the misunderstanding, ignorance, and hubris on both sides.

The story, often untold is detailed and in depth.

Nothing with the Story, or the reader, but there is a background noise in the recording that is distracting.

A fascinating representation of never before told history that has shaped the middle east.

The story telling is amazing. Essential reading for every history buff, highly recommend even if you are not.