Hope is Not a Plan

Hope is Not a Plan
edited by Thomas Mowle

Upon returning from Baghdad in December of 2004, Tom Ruby stayed in touch with several of his colleagues from the Coalition staff, both civilian and military.  They collaborated on a project to bring the inside story of the workings of the staff from inside the Green Zone.  Tom Mowle edited the work, which took the name Hope Is Not A Plan: The War In Iraq From Inside The Green Zone.  Tom Ruby wrote one chapter of the book and coauthored two others.  The book received extensive praise for its forthright criticism of the coalition plan, or lack thereof.  It is a work of caution and correcting mistakes in the future, and not an indictment of the people who led the operations.  The book is used extensively in universities across the country and is easily accessible to readers of every age and profession.

These lessons directly applied to Widmer’s future successes in business in Europe, North America and Asia. I like this book so far because it is not a list of “foolproof steps” or “irrefutable truths” about business. These are lessons about life that made Widmer a better businessman.