Review - Mission Accomplished by Simon Jenkins

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am always fascinated at how the mind works, and how recent history can soon fade into a homogeneous idea. And so I think has happened - for me at least - with the events of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I recall being very angry about it at the time, but as the years progressed, and I moved on in my life, I somehow lost that same passion and anger.

Jenkins' book is a literal walk down memory lane, stretching through a history of Western intervention - particularly focussing on America and Great Britain - in conflicts across the world such as Kosovo in the 1990s through to the Arab Spring, and ongoing conflicts in Syria.

Jenkins writes in a very relatable, understandable style, and I never felt as though I was being talked down to, but rather felt like I was reliving many of the same thoughts I had at the time.

The book was thought-provoking as well, asking questions such as why we choose to intervene in some conflicts, and not others. Ignoring atrocities in south-east Asia, and parts of Africa while choosing to intervene when it is politically convenient.

Mission Accomplished? is an engaging and thought-provoking read.

5/5 stars.