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"Must reading -- by someone who saw it first-hand -- for all interested in America's foreign policy and its place in the world." -- Since the end of World War II, the United States has set out to oust governments in the Middle East on an average of once per decadein places as diverse as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan (twice) , Egypt, Libya, and Syria. The reasons for these interventions have also been extremely diverse, and the methods by which the United States pursued regime change have likewise been highly varied, ranging from diplomatic pressure alone to outright military invasion and occupation. What is common to all the operations, however, is that they failed to achieve their ultimate goals, produced a range of unintended and even catastrophic consequences, carried heavy financial and human costs, and in many cases left the countries in question worse off than they were before.