As part of my research for the Presidents at the Movies book, I’ve read a few studies of life in post-occupation Iraq. Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s in depth account of his exeperiences in the Green Zone are terrifying; mispent funds, disorganisation and a politic driven entirely by the needs of the Bush administration (particularly relating to a second term).
Of course, we know all of that, but Rajiv places it into a context that anyone who has worked within a large institution will entirely understand, where incredible decisions are made with little consideration for their long term consequences, and of inexplicable appointments driven by politics rather than a greater good. The title alludes to The Imperial Presidency, Arthur Schlesinger’s 1973 account of the Nixon presidency and, of course, The Wizard of Oz. Peek behind the Green Zone curtain by reading extracts at Rajiv’s website.
Kingsley Marshall is an academic and journalist who lectures in film and contributes music and film criticism, features and reviews to Little White Lies, Shook and Big Screen magazines in the UK. He was appointed Technical Editor at Clash magazine in 2010, where he writes a technology and games column.