Dance of the Headless Chickenhawks

In Baghdad during the long hot summer of 2003 bombs start going off with startling regularity, and ordinary Iraqis struggle to survive. But inside the concrete blast walls of the Green Zone Brian walks the manicured streets, far more concerned with bureaucratic turf battles, his budding friendship with a comely Army lieutenant, and his efforts to rebuild Iraq's internet. He watches with a wry eye as the American efforts expend themselves against a wall of inertia, Washington's blunders, and the inescapable fact that the Iraqis will have a say in their own lives. But as the summer progresses Brian's sheltered life in the Green Zone is stripped away to reveal the dangerous realities of the occupation - corruption, mismanagement, kidnapping, and danger to life and limb. He must make hard choices, between country and duty, and safety and friendship.