Book Release: In the Belly of the Green Bird

While many books have been written on post war Iraq, only a handful have been by writers who speak Arabic and --until now--none by a writer who has had direct access to the insurgents. Nir Rosen’s new book fills this important gap. The New America Foundation is pleased to host the first DC event featuring Rosen, author of the forthcoming In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq.

The title of the book refers to the Prophet Muhammad and his declaration that the souls of martyrs will reach heaven in the bellies of green birds. The book describes the Iraqi occupation, reconstruction, and apparent descent into civil war, recounting the story that you haven't heard from the perspective of the only western journalist able to infiltrate the insurgents due to his fluent Iraqi Arabic and Middle Eastern appearance.

Rosen moved to Baghdad to cover the aftermath of the war in April 2003, and was the only western journalist able to directly access the insurgency and report from Fallujah during the height of resistance in 2004. He remained in Iraq for 14 months as the Baghdad Bureau Chief of Asia Times and returned later on assignment for The New York Times Magazine. He visited the most dangerous areas of the country in a quest to understand why so many Iraqis are willing to martyr themselves in an attempt to overthrow the American occupation. He’s interviewed radical sheiks, including Moqtada al-Sadr, militia members, political thugs, and party leaders, and combines first hand description of on the ground events with historical background on the Sunni-Shia divide.

Join New America Foundation for the rare opportunity to hear what’s really happening on the ground in Iraq—followed by a thought-provoking discussion about what the future holds.

Copies of the book, to be released May 8th, will be available for purchase at the event.

Participants

• Nir Rosen
  Fellow, New America Foundation and Author, In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq
• Peter Bergen
  Schwartz Fellow, New America Foundation; Terrorism Analyst, CNN; and Author, The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda’s Leader
• Steve Clemons
  Senior Fellow & Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation; and Publisher, The Washington Note