Book Interview: Examining America's presence in the Middle East - and what's next

"George HW Bush made a grave mistake: thinking that victory in Iraq would be swift and decisive. In the short term it was. 'But the war ended by leaving Saddam in power. It also withdrew US military power from the region...'"

USAF aircraft of the 4th Fighter Wing (F-16, F-15C and F-15E) fly over Kuwaiti oil fires, set by the retreating Iraqi army during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

• Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East 
• Steven Simon
• Penguin Press, €25.99