Karl Zinsmeister, editor in chief of The American Enterprise, follows up his book Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq (St. Martin's Press, 2003) with a new volume that draws on his experiences while embedded with soldiers  earlier this year in Fallujah and Baghdad. In Dawn over Baghdad: How the U.S. Military Is Using Bullets and Ballots to Remake Iraq (Encounter Books, 2004), Zinsmeister provides a firsthand account of the fight against insurgents and the effort to stabilize the country. In addition to describing the dangers faced by soldiers and Iraqis alike, he shares reflections from soldiers on their mission and the opinions of Iraqis working to transform their state.

Zinsmeister sees a mission that in most ways is working out far better than is typically reported, and he views the character of U.S. soldiers as a decisive factor in that progress. He writes, "The impulse to link arms with others and serve a higher cause in the military ends up benefiting all Americans-and, in this case, also many Iraqis and other people who aspire to live in peace." Despite media focus on armed resistance, the author points out that many Iraqis comprehend and appreciate the work of coalition forces: "It is primarily to armed U.S. warfighters that everyday Iraqis--lacerated by years of war, governmental neglect and international indifference--owe the hard-won progress in making their communities more humane. The Iraqis understand this."

U.S. soldiers combating insurgents and foreign terrorists also assist Iraqis in rebuilding civil society. Even as Iraq remains a battleground, coalition partners aid Iraqis with economic recovery, working to repair basic services and provide a more secure environment for investment in a burgeoning free market.

On the political front, while many observers see Iraq's ethnic diversity--with Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds the largest groups--as a volatile mix, Zinsmeister speculates that it may be an advantage. The fact that these groups are "all important, all influential, and not aligned in the same direction may be the single best guarantor of true consensual governance in Iraq," as the interim government prepares for a more permanent constitution and elections in early 2005.

Although Zinsmeister recounts the progress that has been made on various aspects of rebuilding the country, his narrative also indicates the ever-present threats facing coalition troops and Iraqis working side-by-side. Zinsmeister recounts having his typing disturbed one evening with a mortar attack against the concrete bunker where he rested with five soldiers, and he takes the reader inside a briefing with the 82nd Airborne division that enumerates the previous day's mortar and rocket attacks against coalition troops alongside reports of large-scale attacks with car bombs. He concludes: "In a sneaky guerrilla war there can be no complacency. Despite the many threats they face, though, the officers are remarkably calm, intrepid, and often even cheerful."

Letters from the Front

Lieutenant John Gibson: "We are homesick and want to see our families and loved ones, but not at the expense of an incomplete mission. . . . I see poverty, crime, terrorism, murder, and stupidity. However I see hope in the eyes of many Iraqis, hope for a chance to govern themselves. I think they are on the cusp of a new adventure, a chance for an entire country to start over again."

Private Melville Johnson: "In the city of Samawah my battalion engaged in the hottest firefight the division has been in since Vietnam. . . . The day after the battle, we took positions in the streets among the blown-out buildings. One by one the people returned. The adults set commerce in motion. The laughter and splashing of children in the Euphrates was a great relief to hear. Every day I was blessed with kind words of gratitude."

Unnamed Officer: "We must show the world that we have the stomach for the ugly realities of a righteous war. I believe with all my heart that this effort is critical to the survival of this region, the position of the U.S. as a world leader, and the spirit of our fighting forces in the future. . . . Specialist Babin, who remains hospitalized with brain and internal damage, Specialist Bermanis, who has lost three limbs, or Specialist Ross, who lost his eyesight and leg saving a young Iraqi, would never forgive us for giving anything less than our all from here on in."