The Cold War certainties that had seemed so fixed in the 20th century were overturned by the war in Iraq. Saddam's forces were the battlefield victims of a brutally quick war of shock and awe. No less shocked and awed were some of America's former allies: old Europe, large blocks of the United Nations, and half the G8 nations suddenly found themselves outside the chain of command and influence. Bush, Blair and their allies were driven by a new global vision. Their mission, expressed with great moral certainty, has been called imperialist. In this landmark book, one of Britain's most admired journalists William Shawcross examines the state of the Western alliance after the Iraqi War and makes - powerfully, persuasively, controversially - his case for the removal of Saddam Hussein's government, which he states was simply inevitable after the events of September 11: a terrible event that ushered in a new era with new rules. With his trademark eloquence Shawcross shows what the future will hold for Iraq, Israel and the Middle East, how Western alliances will be changed forever, and demonstrates that the war was the definite proof that a new era of 21st Century international politics has begun...