Let me begin by sharing my quick and dirty method of determining the credentials of the author of any book that I am considering reading. First, is he qualified to write on the subject? Does he have other published works, does he have personal experience/first hand knowledge of the subject, and does he have standing within his field of expertise? And secondly, does the book have extensive footnotes, and additional information in appendices that indicate that the book is based upon more than just personal opinion?

Dr. Mike Evans has impeccable credentials. He has been a personal confidant of many top Israeli leaders for more than twenty years , he has appeared as a Middle East analyst on numerous network radio and television shows, he has authored two New York Times"s best sellers, he has produced award winning prime-time television specials, and he is a distinguished public speaker having spoken at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, the Kennedy School of Law at Harvard and the World Summit on Terrorism in Jerusalem.

His book, The Final Move Beyond Iraq, has extensive footnotes which allow the reader to do his/her own research of primary sources. In addition, it has eleven appendices which offer the reader additional information.

The Final Move Beyond Iraq passed my initial screening and since it is about a subject that is of great interest to me I avidly began to read it. The author, in a straight forward, tell-it-like-it-is manner, reveals insights on the Iraq situation that I had not found from any other source. What was startling was that what he had previously predicted proved to be extremely accurate. In Beyond Iraq: The Next Move, written in 2003, the author noted:

• The greatest threats to American troops would come after the war for Baghdad had been won.
• There will be enormous loss of human life in an attempt to weaken the resolve of the American people to win this war.
• Terrorism will not end with the fall of Baghdad and deposing Saddam Hussein but it will rise to a new level.
• Every possible attempt will be made to start a civil war in Iraq.
• The winner will be determined by who wins the last battle.
• The war on terrorism and the battle for Iraq can, indeed, be lost.

The author has extensive knowledge of the history of the Middle East and, therefore, offers insight into the real conflict in Iraq. In 1501, Shia Islam became the official religion of Iran. Since that time there has been continual conflict between Iran (Persia) and Arab countries in the region, which are mostly Sunni Muslims. Currently, Iran is attempting to establish its dominance in the area by taking advantage of the fact that Shia Muslims (the most populous group in Iraq) were the most suppressed group under Saddam Hussein. The difficulty faced by United States is that it is impossible to reason with people who are motivated by religious fanaticism. When our enemies believe that their reward is greater in death than in life, there is an intense desire to die as a martyr. In addition, it is widely accepted that killing infidels or being killed by infidels brings the same reward. It is, therefore, impossible to reason, negotiate, or compromise with irrational unreasonable people.

Iran supports Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Qaeda by providing financial support, by supplying arms, and operating training camps. It's hope is to outlast the Americans, believing that we do not have the political will to win a protracted war on terrorism. The Iraq Study Groups and others (particularly, in the Democrat Party) give credence to this belief when they suggest that "we should win the enemy over through appeasement." The author, however, believes, that "winning the war on terrorism means defeating the ideology of Islamofascism--it is not only about Iraq, but Iraq must be a first victory along the way." Victory hinges upon "maintaining the political will to win this war; and in the short term, stopping the flow of Iranian financial and arms support for terrorists groups in Iraq, while in the long term halting Iran's nuclear ambitions." The war may be fought in Iraq but the real enemy is Iran!

The over-ridding principle is simple. Reward our allies and stop appeasing our enemies. al-Sadr and and Prime Minister al-Maliki are not our allies. The Arab world, which has chosen to sit on the sidelines out of fear of retaliation should the terrorists win, are not our allies. Turkey, who is massing troops on the border with Iraq, is not our ally. Pakistan, who harbors terrorist in the mountainous regions that border Afghanistan, are not our allies. France, North Korea, China, and Russia, who have all supplied Iran with nuclear material and equipment, are not our allies. Our strongest allies are Israel, the United Kingdom and the Iraqi Kurds.

On the battlefield it is even more difficult to distinguish between our allies and our enemies. The core of the problem is how do our "troops identify peaceful Iraqi citizens from the influx of terrorists bent on killing them in any way possible." Often vocal leaders (especially among the Shiites) who have called for the support of the American effort are assassinated. Iran has emphatically stated on more than one occasion "that an American-friendly democratic Iraq could not be in their best interest." It is absolutely "certain that a sustained flood of terror would demoralize the U.S. military and the American people and therefore influence the Bush administration to bow to pressure from Congress to with draw the troops as quickly as possible."

The consensus is "that the Bush administration vastly underestimated the enemy--no, not Saddam Hussein, but the government in Iran." The author believes without a doubt "that as long as Iran has a direct influence on the Shiites in Iraq, it will continue to stir civil strife between the Shiites and the Sunnis." No one can predict for certain whether or not "the various sectarian groups will be able to hammer out a viable working relationship."

In spite of the current civil strife in Iraq, the author still believes that the war can be won. "The only hope to save Iraq is by enlisting the Iraqi Kurds" because the current elected government of Iraq shares "secrets with Iran, which now is aware of our every move." It must be replaced! Kurdish military leaders indicate the key to building Iraq is to build from Kurdistan southward. Close the border, replace the troops that are loyal to Iran with troops that are loyal to Iraq, and allow the Kurdish army to fight with the Americans to stop the terror in the major cities of Iraq. So far the American government has refused their offer!

The author concludes, "I am certain that if the United States provided the tools for the Iraqi Kurds to fight the war and simply controlled the skies and provided backup, U.S. deaths would drop and victory would come in time."

The Final Move Beyond Iraq is a must read for every American, especially those who believe that immediate troop withdrawal is the only answer.