Emma Sky: Vital to be well informed when writing about issues like Iraq

The author of The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq, Emma Sky is a British expert on the Middle East. The book, a memoir of her time in Iraq since the start of the 2003 war, chronicles her stint there. A stint that earned her an OBE for her service.

This is a woman who in 2003 was working for the British Council when she saw an email asking for civilian volunteers to help in Iraq. She signed up and found herself governing the province of Kirkuk! Sky has been intrinsic to political and military decisions that were taken in Iraq, and what her book offers is a critical look from within.

Owing to her vast experience in Iraq, conversations with Sky often carry the feel of a lesson. But a lesson you will relish rather than resent. One thing that comes across immediately when you speak to Sky is her honesty. It becomes instantly evident that despite having been in a conflict zone during such an intense time, Sky has no intentions of sensationalising a single incident, nor does she have any plans to pick sides.

Speaking to Catch, Sky talks about her time in Iraq, how she had to let her guard down and open up to put her experiences down in a memoir, as well as about how secrets are 'time sensitive'.