Book Description
"Let me say that this book is one of the most comprehensive works on the matter that I have ever had the pleasure of reading."
—Timothy N. Cash,
STG Safety & Security Institute
In the same dynamic spirit as the prior edition, the
Second Edition of
Understanding Terrorism:
Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues continues to
provide students with an interesting, accessible and comprehensive exploration of contemporary terrorism. This new edition is completely updated to offer the most recent theories and cases related to terrorist activity and efforts to combat terrorism over the last three years.
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New to the Second Edition:
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Offers a new chapter on religious terrorism: Because religious terrorism has become so prominent in the world today, it is important for readers to investigate the different manifestations of religious violence. This new chapter evaluates the historical and modern origins, as well as the quality of religious terrorism to help students develop a contextual perspective on the modern era of religious violence.
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Includes coverage of cutting-edge issues: New material on gender-selective terrorism and the nexus between criminal enterprises and terrorist violence is provided to orient readers to these emerging topics and stimulate critical thinking. A consolidated chapter on ideological terrorism is also included, in which the causes of left-wing and right-wing terrorism are identified, as are the qualities of ideological violence.
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Provides updated pedagogy: Opening Viewpoints begin each chapter to express in human terms the roots and responses to terrorism.
All maps, tables, case studies, and Web exercises have been updated to help students better understand the concepts and issues presented within the text. In addition, more photos are used to help illustrate the violence caused by terrorist activity as well as provide visual context to other areas of the world and different time periods.
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Accompanied by High-Quality Ancillaries!
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Instructor's Resource CD-ROM: provides test questions, maps from the book, and guidance on using Discussion Boxes
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Companion Web site at www.sagepub.com/Martin2Study containts
research articles focusing on terrorism that are useful to instructors and students alike for review and further research
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Intended Audience:
This text is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Political Conflict in the fields of Criminal Justice, Political Science, Administration of Justice, Sociology, Public Administration, and Peace Studies; as well as for professionals, such as law enforcement, corporate, or other agency employees.
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Customer Reviews:
Gravely Inadequate.......2007-07-29
"Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues," Second Edition, by C. Augustus "Gus" Martin, over 14 Chapters, addresses terrorism from multiple perspectives: the political right and left, state and non-state, religious and secular, criminal and non-criminal. Each chapter is supported by end notes and the book contains an appendix for maps, one for historical examples, and a glossary/index. There is no bibliography.
Chapter 6, "Violence in the Name of Faith: Religious Terrorism," pages 182-217 devotes a section to "Understanding Jihad as a Primary Religious Motive: An Observation and Caveat" which is covered on pages 187-188. Martin makes the following observations:
(1) "One such misunderstanding is the common belief that the concept of "holy war" is an underlying principle of the Islamic Faith. Another misunderstanding is that Muslims are united in supporting jihad. This is simplistic and fundamentally incorrect. Although the term "jihad" is widely presumed in the West to refer exclusively to waging war against nonbelievers, an Islamic jihad is not the equivalent to a Christian Crusade" p. 187.
(2) "It is permissible - and even a duty - to wage war to defend the faith against aggressors. Under this type of jihad warfare is conceptually defensive in nature; in contrast the Christian Crusades were conceptually offensive in nature" p. 188.
"Holy war" is not an underlying principle of Islam, but as a strategic theme within Islam, "jihad" is. Within the Koran, the Haddiths, and the Sunna, less than ten percent of the discussion is on the greater jihad (personal striving) while the remaining 90 percent is on the lesser jihad (warfighting). Martin fails to identify or discuss the combat, combat support and combat service support obligations of jihad contained in Islamic Law (the Koran, the Haddiths, and the Sunna) and clarified in Islamic legal texts such as "Reliance of the Traveller: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law" p. 599-605, "The Distinguished Jurist's Primer" (Vol 1 and 2) p. 454-487, and "Riyad-us-Saliheen" p. 976-1016.
Martin states that jihad is defensive while the Crusades were offensive. A reading of the above legal texts gives insight to the term "defensive." In war, unbelievers are offered three alternatives: Conversion, subjugation and payment of the jizya, or war. A refusal to submit is an offensive act and the resulting combat is, from the Islamic perspective, defensive. Martin fails to inform the reader of this key distinction and its implications.
With regard to the Crusades, Martin fails to tell the reader that the First Crusade was a delayed response to Islamic expansion and the capture by Islam of 1/3 of the Christian lands. Islam's strategic offense triggered Christianity's strategic defense: the First Crusade.
Martin states that "The Five Pillars are faith, prayer, zakat (alms or charity), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for those who are able" p. 202. A check of the index fails to reveal a more substantive discussion on zakat that should have told the reader that there are eight categories of disbursement in zakat, three of which support jihad: Those fighting in the way of Allah; those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and travelers needing money. Of these three obligatory categories of disbursement, the most significant is "Those Fighting For Allah" which is defined by "Reliance of the Traveller", p.272, as "Those engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster; Given enough to suffice them for the operation even if affluent of: weapons, mounts, clothing, expenses, and for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there. Current interpretation and practice has been to provide expenses in supporting such person's family during this period." Martin fails to explain to the reader that zakat (almsgiving in Islam) is an asymmetrical warfare funding mechanism.
The failure to more fully develop the discussion on jihad outlining the combat, combat support and combat service support obligations Islamic Law imposes on Muslims, the failure to carefully characterize and define the term "defensive" in the context of "defensive jihad", the failure to articulate the offensive expansion triggering the First Crusade, and the failure to fully explain the true nature of zakat (almsgiving) seriously undermine the value of "Understanding Terrorism" as a credible reference.
Terrorism and its history.......2007-07-07
This book is a terrific intro to terrorism and its history, but more than that it really depends on what you hope to achieve by reading this book. If this book has been assigned by a professor, you are on your way to a fundamental understanding of terrorism and its consequences, root causes, etc. If you are reading this book for leisure, with no lecture/seminar accompanying it, then it is a good read but not as worthwhile. I would recommend books by the pre-eminent scholars of terrorism like Bruce Hoffman, and his mentor Walter Lacquer.
An excellent purchase for both college-level reference holdings and for assigned reading for courses on social issues.......2006-05-21
The second updated edition of UNDERSTANDING TERRORISM: CHALLENGES, PERSPECTIVES, AND ISSUES is an excellent purchase for both college-level reference holdings and for assigned reading for college-level courses on social issues. Added here is a new chapter on religious terrorism, reviews of new material on gender terrorism and criminal businesses, updates on pedagogy, and a format which includes test questions, amps from the book, and more on both a CD-ROM and an accompanying web site. Plenty of examples from events around the world pepper surveys which cover the politics, economics, and social foundations of international terrorist experiences.
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch
Good and so-so information.......2005-06-10
Martin's book is a very detailed review, with examples, of alternative motivations and ideological orientation of 20th and 21st century terrorists. The web links and details about terrorist organizations are very good but the later chapters are a bit redundant. It is a fine primer on terrorism but his attempt to create typologies for all manner of information is less-than-successful because categories in later chapters are either overlapping or describe fairly minor points.
Average customer rating:
- Occasionally insightful, but generally uninspired
- Important book
- What we should have learned in school about the world...
- Very informative reading
- Debunking the global warming myth!
|
Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America: Climate Change, the Rise of China, and Global Terrorism
Harm de Blij
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850
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Before We Were Free (Readers Circle)
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The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization
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Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World
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Floods, Famines, and Emperors : El Nino and the Fate of Civilizations
ASIN: 0195315820 |
Book Description
Over the next half century, the human population, divided by culture and economics and armed with weapons of mass destruction, will expand to nearly 9 billion people. Abrupt climate change may throw the global system into chaos; China will emerge as a superpower; and Islamic terrorism and insurgency will threaten vital American interests. How can we understand these and other global challenges? Harm de Blij has a simple answer: by improving our understanding of the world's geography. In Why Geography Matters, de Blij demonstrates how geography's perspectives yield unique and penetrating insights into the interconnections that mark our shrinking world. Preparing for climate change, averting a cold war with China, defeating terrorism: all of this requires geographic knowledge. De Blij also makes an urgent call to restore geography to America's educational curriculum. He shows how and why the U.S. has become the world's most geographically illiterate society of consequence, and demonstrates the great risk this poses to America's national security. Peppering his writing with anecdotes from his own professional travels, de Blij provides an original treatise that is as engaging as it is eye opening. Casual or professional readers in areas such as education, politics, or national security will find themselves with a stimulating new perspective on geography as it continues to affect our world.
Customer Reviews:
Occasionally insightful, but generally uninspired.......2007-08-29
I would describe this book as the rambling--but occasionally insightful--musings of a thoughtful scholar. Unfortunately, many, if not most, of Blij's arguments are not made from a geographic perspective. For instance, his chapter on the European Union rambles on for page after page about the history of the EU from the European Coal and Steel Community, to the European Economic Community, to the European Community, and, finally, to the European Union. That's not to say that's not and interesting and important history lesson for people who are unfamiliar with EU history, but its not geographic! I was hoping for a book of theories explaining human events using reasoning built on spatial orientations or location. Why Geography Matters had some of that, but Blij could have, in my view, omitted much of the voluminous background information. Doing some would have made his book more concise and allowing his genuine insights to be featured more prominently.
And for what its worth, the book could have used a better editor. For instance, on p.160 it refers to "South Ossetia" as a Russian Republic instead of North Ossetia. I noticed a couple errors like this.
Perhaps, I would be more positive about this book if its last chapter hadn't been the low point. The chapter on Africa had absolutely nothing original to say (AIDS is bad, we need to do more to stop it; colonization and slavery were bad too; Africa has been plagued by bad leadership; etc.).
Important book.......2007-08-28
This is an exceptional and needed introduction to Geography and how it relates to world problems.
What we should have learned in school about the world..........2007-05-27
This is essential reading for anyone who should have a sound foundation of knowledge to back up one's social commentary, but doesn't. Geography can be understood and used to understand our world with great clarity. Everyone who watched Al Gore's movie should read this book if only to know that Harm de Blij has been explaining geographic issues for decades better than nearly anyone.
The US Department of Education needs to buy and issue a copy of this book to every teacher in America.
Very informative reading.......2007-05-13
This is definitely a quality work in the field of Geography with an emphasis on Politics i.e. GeoPolitics. However, it is important to point out a couple of incorrect facts I found while reading this work.
1. On page 190 we have the statement, "On an aircraft carrier off the coast of California, President Bush declared "mission accomplished.", regarding the war in Iraq. If you read the speech that President Bush gave, you will find that he never uttered the words "mission accomplished." The author just regurgitated this line from the biased print media i.e. The NYTimes, Time, Newsweek, etc... Intuitively, if you think about it, George Bush, assigns the mission to the military and after assigning the mission to the military he is not going to turn around and say good "mission accomplished. That is what the military's response, will be, to the President, after they have completed the mission. This is reflected by the fact that the military hung a banner up on the aircraft carrier that said "Mission Accomplished."
2. On pages 193-194 The author states. "The American invasion severly damaged the city, which was for months afterward, and remains as of this writing, without a reliable water supply, power, medical facilities, or schools." It is very true that much of the infrastructure in Iraq is severly damaged, but the author has tried to blame this on American firepower and it is simply not true. The precision guided weapons our U.S. forces utilized were excellent at avoiding collateral damage. The truth is more damning for the Saddam regime. THE INFRASTUCTURE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY 30 PLUS YEARS OF NEGLECT ON THE PART OF THE BAATH PARTY AND NOT AMERICAN MILITARY MIGHT. Also, the military planners who provided for getting the infrastructure back online, after the war, grossly underestimated the level of the existing infrastructure of Iraq, before the U.S. military even set foot inside the country.
Overall I recommend this work, but it cannot be given five stars due to these errors.
Debunking the global warming myth!.......2007-03-08
This is an excellent book based on scientific fact debunking the "global warming" myth.
I highly recommend this book.
Average customer rating:
- Thinking about Terror
- Hezbollah has 500 sites, 250 originating in the US
- Fear mongering and calls for government intervention
- Terror on the Internet
- Scary, well-written study, very important
|
Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges
Gabriel Weimann
Manufacturer: The United States Institute of Peace
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Binding: Hardcover
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Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism
ASIN: 1929223714 |
Book Description
Terrorists fight their wars in cyberspace as well as on the ground. However, while politicians and the media have hotly debated the dangers of terrorists sabotaging the Internet, surprisingly little is known about terrorists’ actual use of the Internet.
In this timely and eye-opening volume, Gabriel Weimann reveals that terrorist organizations and their supporters maintain hundreds of websites, taking advantage of the unregulated, anonymous, and accessible nature of the Internet to target an array of messages to diverse audiences. Drawing on a seven-year study of the World Wide Web, the author examines how modern terrorist organizations exploit the Internet to raise funds, recruit members, plan and launch attacks, and publicize their chilling results. Weimann also investigates the effectiveness of counterterrorism measures and warns that this cyberwar may cost us dearly in terms of civil rights.
Illustrated with numerous examples taken from terrorist websites, Terror on the Internet offers the definitive introduction to this emerging and dynamic arena. Weimann lays bare the challenges we collectively face in confronting the growing and increasingly sophisticated terrorist presence on the Net. A publication of the United States Institute of Peace, distributed by Potomac Books, Inc.
Customer Reviews:
Thinking about Terror.......2007-01-09
This is a comprehensive study of the Internet, how it is used by terrorist group--not just Islamic terrorists or al-Qaeda, but also the IRA, and South American terrorist groups as well--and what measures are being taken to combat the growing use of the Internet by terrorists. Perhaps the most valuable portion of the book is the discussion of civil liberties and tracking/surveillance of the Internet. Mr. Weimann does an excellent job of pointing out the problems inherent on both sides of the issue, but does more than that--he offers solutions to the questions he raises. A bit outdated, the Patriot Act update was not yet passed by Congress when this book went to press. Many of the concerns of Internet surveillance were addressed in the Patriot Act update of 2006. Still, a great resource for the average thinking person who wants to be reasonably informed on the dangers facing our country. Politically neutral.
Hezbollah has 500 sites, 250 originating in the US.......2006-08-23
Terrorist websites have increased from several hundred a few years ago to over 5,000 at this time - and that only counts those documented by strict criteria. Hezbollah has cartoon websites targeting children that depict beheadings and advocate all the atrocities committed by adult terrorists. Al Queda and others have websites targeting women. Throughout the web, messages from various organizations glorify suicide attacks.
These websites are used for recruitment, distribution of literature, manuals, instructions, fund-raising, car-bombs, use of missiles - any needs of the organization. A jihad on-line encyclopedia is available, and participants may come and go with anonymity.
Chat rooms contain debates between members of different organizations - which certainly open the door for counterterrorism efforts. These sites are monitored by government agencies from many countries.
All methods of censoring these sites run the risk of damaging our civil liberties, although this is not a problem for some countries.
The author covers the material well and ends with a caveat and a recommendation. Caveat - that this is a psychological war over minds and hearts. Recommendation - that we be proactive by producing anti-terrorism websites. Most young people participating on terrorism websites never see another version of life and truth.
Fear mongering and calls for government intervention.......2006-08-21
Mr. Weimann from Israel wants American government control over access to certain Internet websites so that terrorists won't be able to communicate; or perhaps the real reason is to block Moslem news and propaganda so that we will be exposed only to Israeli slanted news and propaganda. That way the US can continue to support Israeli efforts at ethnic cleansing from all the land which they say God promised them.
Terror on the Internet.......2006-08-05
Good book to get a clear picture of how terrorists now use the Internet as a central part of their operations. Weimann is a well-respected scholar who cleary has his finger on the pulse of modern terrorism.
Scary, well-written study, very important.......2006-05-03
This is a scary book about the ways terrorists are using the Internet. It is very interesting, well documented, well-written (easy for people like me who are not sophisticated Internet users) and very alarming. The author knows well the dark sides of the Net and guides the readers to the darkest virtual streets modern terrorists take when using the cyberspace. The book is loaded with examples from various terrorist groups (all are now on the Net) and relates the findings to the framework of communication studies and psychological warfare. What to do about it? Well, read the book's last chapters...
I highly recommend this book though it left me troubled and scared.
Michael Wise
Average customer rating:
|
Intervention, Terrorism, and Torture: Contemporary Challenges to Just War Theory (AMINTAPHIL: The Philosophical Foundations of Law and Justice)
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1402046774 |
Book Description
Just war theory is the traditional approach taken to questions of the morality of war, but war today is far from traditional. War has been deeply affected in recent years by a variety of social and technological developments in areas such as international terrorism, campaigns of genocide and ethnic cleansing, the global human rights movement, economic globalization, and military technology. This book asks whether just war theory is adequate to the challenges these developments pose. Just war theory provides rules for determining when it is justified to fight a war. But some have argued that the nature of contemporary war makes these rules obsolete. For example, genocidal and aggressive regimes may require the use of military force that is not strictly in self-defense, as just war theory requires. In addition, the theory provides rules for determining what the limits are on justified conduct in war. But the random violence of terrorism and the deliberately inflicted violence of torture seem endemic to our age, yet take us beyond the limits set by these rules of conduct in war. By carefully examining the phenomena of intervention, terrorism, and torture from a number of different perspectives, the essays in this book explore this set of issues with insight and clarity.
Book Description
The greatest danger facing the world today, says Alan M. Dershowitz, comes from religiously inspired, state sponsored terrorist groups that seek to develop weapons of mass destruction for use against civilian targets. In his newest book, Dershowitz argues passionately and persuasively that global terrorism is a phenomenon largely of our own making and that we must and can take steps to reduce the frequency and severity of terrorist acts.
Customer Reviews:
This book is great!.......2007-05-19
This book is insightful and well written. Obviously anything written by Alan Dershowitz is going to be amazing, but I found that I share a lot of his views. Before reading this book I felt that terrorism works because our global community rewards it. I continue to feel that way, but I now know of historical instances to back it up.
The depth of story he tells about the reign of terror the Palestinians have led makes me so much more aware. All I hear about today is the war in Iraq, but this book shows that Iraq is not the beginning. It also shows that terrorists get ideas from fellow terrorist organizations.
I feel that this is an important book to read because of the vivid explanations of some of the world's most heinous acts of terror. The book explains how you can prevent terror, how it started, and how to be more aware even if it is not in the news. If you are someone who likes politics, world history, or would just like a general understanding of the intentions of terrorists, this is the book for you.
It works alright..........2007-03-31
Terrorism (the use of fear to persuade and manipulate the masses) works due to the efforts of people like Dershowitz.
When ordered to guard the oil pipelines being aimed in Israel's direction one doesn't need a man who makes his living protecting murderers to explain the ways in which terror works.
- J
Torture is Good for the Commonweal.......2005-11-23
Noted civil libertarian Alan Dershowitz joins forces with noted civil libertarian Dick Cheney in "Why Terrorism Works" and calls for the "judicious" use of torture when dealing with our enemies. According to the Dershowitz/Cheyney school of interrogation, if a foe's testicles are crushed in a vice- a "sterile" vice-then he will tell all. What he will tell is whatever the testicle mashers want to hear so that they will stop mashing his testicles. The good professor has evidently forgotten the hoary old legal chestnut about one drop of ink polluting the whole bottle of milk, usually cited by the trial lawyer asking for a mistrial because a witness has blurted out inadmissable evidence in front of a jury. Torture is wrong, morally and constitutionally. A wee bit of it applied to really bad people is still wrong.
Unfortunately more true today than when the book was published .......2005-09-15
The main thesis of this work is that the international community rewards Terrorism. A good part of the examples presented relate to the tremendous success Palestinian terrorism has had in moving the international community to applaud and reward terror. Today Terrorism is thriving on many different fronts, most of which have some connection with a discontented Islamic group of one kind or another.
Since this book was written we have not seen the international community forcefully take a stand in support of the US in its effort to move Iraq to a democratic future. Instead the Sunni terrorists who are daily murdering their fellow Muslims are rewarded by the support, clandestine or otherwise, of Arab countries.
The Palestinians, who have done more for international terror than any other people, have just been given the prize of having Jews removed from Gaza. Their reaction was the burning of synagogues and promises that they will war against Israel until they have destroyed it completely. For these kind actions they were treated as usual with kid gloves by the Western Media, which has an ambivalent attitude towards terror.
Dershowitz in this book makes recommedations for American policies including the introduction of identity- cards, which he hopes will stem future acts of terror.
Most experts however believe that the cat is already out of the bag, and that the US is filled with sleeper cells , ready to produce the next great mass horror. Let's pray this is not true, and the terrorists have been trying, and have not succeeded to this point.
One more point in this rambling review. The US war on terror is compromised by its support of the Saudi Regime. The Saudi Regime has cultivated Wahhabi Islam which is the main source not only of the Osama Bin- Laden way of thought but of most of the radical Islamic terror in the world. The US has not known how to deal with the Saudi problem. And now has a great threat in terror coming from Iran, the threat of nuclear terror.
Dershowitz does not outline the full range of problems confronting the West in confronting Terror. But he does show how Terror has paid, and has not been stopped.
Unfortunately, if the Western world does not learn to do better against this scourge, all of human civilization , and the worlds of freedom which so many of us have been fortunate to have known all our adult lives, will be severely threatened in the future.
Very well thought out.......2005-02-15
This was an extremely interesting book for me. Although, there are some minor contentions I have with some of the points raised in this book, I believe that torture warrants can have its place. One reviewer shocked me by saying even if the fingernail torture would work, she wouldn't care because it is simply 'wrong' for this country to ever do such a thing. The worst wrong is to know some terrorists have crucial information that can save many innocent American lives, but refuse to talk. If it means saving many American lives from hell and murder, it would be more evil to ignore possibly millions of innocents who have a right to live but may not, as oppossed to worrying about the extreme non-lethal pain under a terrorists fingernails who by confessing important information may help the United States to protect its own. Admittily, this country has soul searching to do regarding why the unbelievable has happened and can happen again which may perhaps be as painful as torture itself. But under the criteria outlined in Dershowitz's book, the controlled torture warrants in very extreme cases is the lesser of the two evils by far.
Book Description
Today, Iran constitutes the single greatest challenge to the United States and the War on Terror. In the Persian Gulf and Central Asia, Iranian policymakers are busy cobbling together alliances intended to marginalize the United States and its Coalition allies. Iran remains the world's most active sponsor of terrorism, fueling the activities of Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, and insurgents in Iraq. And, through its nuclear advances, Iran is gaining the capability to catastrophically alter the geopolitical balance of power far beyond its immediate neighborhood. As evidence of this threat mounts, one thing remains crystal clear to Ilan Berman: Washington is woefully unprepared to deal with this mounting peril. Berman's approach is hard-hitting, provocative and unflinchingly critical. Yet he takes the exploration of Iran's menace one step further, providing what has been missing so far in the foreign policy discourse regarding Iran -- practical policy prescriptions designed to contain Iran's strategic ambitions.
Customer Reviews:
Read Elsewhere to Learn About Iran and the U.S........2007-08-19
After reading perhaps half a dozen books on the history of Iran and Iranian-U.S. relations, I would rate this book at the absolute bottom. I knew I was in for a rough ride when the author effusively praises Bush's "Preemptive Doctrine" as a "groundbreaking new policy" without the slightist consideration of what it would mean for the world if all countries felt free to attack at will any other country they imagine MIGHT attack them.
You will not find a balanced or even rational approach to the topic here. The book is a primitive, ahistorical attack piece written by a Superhawk who is attempting to set up the U.S. to do Israel's dirty work in the region. Proof by assertion and undocumented opinion are the primary tools of this author's trade. Repeat until you believe it: Iran Bad, U.S. Good.
Scott Ritter's "Target Iran - the Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change" and Ali Ansari's "Confronting Iran: the failure of American foreign policy and the next great crisis in the Middle East" both give the reader a more balanced and informed view of the complexities of Iranian-U.S. tensions.
If you hate Christendom, believe the first few reviewers.......2007-01-30
If not, discard their obvious racism toward Jews and hatred for the country and culture which has (somewhat foolishly?) taken them in. They want to see America at the mercy of the sword of Islam--a dubious mercy, by all accounts.
I don't and I'll bet you don't either.
Another Biased Political Pamphlet.......2006-10-19
As many other Zionist propaganda materials, this is a distorted, deceptive
collection of "prefabricated information" made up by previous "so called" writers and/or commentators which is a waste of time to read it. The socio-political affiliation of the writer speaks for itself and there is no need to struggle to find out where he comes from.
Zionist Propaganda.......2006-10-19
Completely unsubstantiated and false claims geared towards the Neo-Con and Zionist audience. There's much more truth to the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" than this piece of work.
The author, Ilan Berman, is a Vice President for Policy at the American Foreign Policy Council, a Zionist organization in bed with the "Israel-first" AIPAC lobby in Washington, DC.
If you want to read literature authored by otherwise intellectually honest and gutsy Jewish authors check out any of Noam Chomsky's books or Norman G. Finkelstein's "The Holocaust Industry".
A complete waste of time and devoid of intellectual honesty that contributes to the seeds of war and misunderstanding. Enough American youth have been sacrificed at the altar of Zionism/Israel.
Misleading and inaccurate.......2006-08-07
Based on sources including Israeli intelligence, Mujahedin-e Khalq and right-wing US think tanks, this book repeats a whole raft of unsubstantiated accusations designed to show that Iran is pulling all the strings behind all America's problems.
Forget Saudi Arabia. Forget the west's role in training Islamic militants in Afghanistan. Forget the west's support for the Shah before 1979 and forget the support for Saddam Hussein. Forget the backing for Israeli in every adventure through half a century of dis-appropriating and then persecuting the Palestinians. Forget the mismanagment of Iraq (if that's what it is) that has taken the country nearer and nearer complete disaster.
Forget even intellectual honesty. Mohammad Khatami is a "reformist" in quotation marks, but George Bush's invasion of Iraq was the Coalition of the Willing (no quotation marks and capital letters).
Forget even basic accuracy. The author thinks North Korea was "the only Asian member of the axis of evil". So where exactly is Iran, Mr Berman? South America?
And there is not even a basic understanding of Iran - well, why should there be? It seems Mr Berman hasn't even bothered to visit. He thinks with a "moderate, pluralistic, post-totalitarian government in Iran, the US would gain a new friend in the Persian Gulf and a valuable ally in the War on Terror".
Really, are you sure? Is that why the Americans overthrew Mossadegh, the most popular leader of Iran in modern history (mentioned in this book, once, in passing)?
But then the only Iranians Berman has talked to are former supporters of the Shah (one of whose former newspaper barons is frequently cited, the man who peddled the totally erroneous story that Jews in Iran would have to wear yellow stars) and the Mujahedin-e Khalq.
Maybe this is a question of the US right - the blurb calls Berman "one of the rising stars of US foreign policy" - needing to create external enemies for domestic purposes. That could be a reason to call Iran a "superpower" that is dedicated to "destroying the United States" (have you checked out the military disparity between Iran and the US?).
Otherwise it's simply laughable.
Avoid.
Book Description
The politics and ideology of terrorism have removed past limits on the levels of violence that terrorists are willing to use. Captured al Qaeda records clearly show that Islamic extremists have an interest in acquiring biological weapons. Still, the fact that a threat exists does not define its probability. With this study, Anthony Cordesman seeks to provide a credible risk assessment of biological terrorism.
Customer Reviews:
A Balanced View of Bioterrorism.......2006-03-02
While this book concentrates primarily on terrorism using biological weapons, the basic concepts he is bringing out need to be applied to all forms of terrorism.
Specifically, yes there is a threat of biological weapons being used by terorists. But how real is the threat. And the word 'real' means many things. For instance what is the likelihood of a biological weapon being used by a terrorist in the future -- it is high. But what if the effect is roughly the same as a person walking aaround with a cold. He sprays out germs, but only a few people get infected, and virtually none of them are killed. Is that a 'real' threat?
This book analyzes the threat but also illustrates the technical challenges, the response by Governments, and the political, economic and psychological impact of bioterrorism. It goes far behond the little news snippits that the network television news shows give to attempt to produce a credible risk assessment.
This is an extensively researched book and attempts to give a balanced view of the risk. It also gives some comparisons to natural diseases such as HIV/AIDS which are growing beyond expectations without the 'benefit' of deliberate use by terrorists.
Some 2.6 million people died of AIDS in 1999. Pneumonia killed 3.5 million. It is hard to imagine any biological attack that even approaches these numbers.
Customer Reviews:
Unique Info, Unique Insight, and a Good Read.......2004-03-01
I had the opportunity to interview Richard Robison for a two-part article in Utah Spirit Magazine (March & April 2004), and in the process I read "War Process." I found a thoughtfulness that only nearly a quarter century in the Middle East could deliver, an insight that only a CIA case officer could gain, and the kind of read that only a master storyteller could create.
The message of the book is tactful, but very forward. Robison loves the Middle East, its culture and people, but he doesn't let that stop him when it comes to calling a spade a spade. The pages of "War Process" contain many elements of U.S.-Mideast foreign policy that readers won't currently find in mainstream media. For instance, Robison examines the Islamic "taqiya," where "a lie is not a lie," and also how terrorists often exploit the idea that "Americans don't bleed well" to create incredibly damaging attacks on American forces and civilians.
"Fear the man who has little to loose," Robison warns.
Robison also spends a great deal of time examining the gap and overlap between Islamic and American cultures. He uses many personal experiences to show how little known parts of Islamic culture, when overlooked, can create a great embarrassment and, in some instances, a great divide. He also explains how popular American culture with all of its tantalizing skin and revealing clothing has become the perfect recruitment tool for terrorists.
He offers an interesting insight into why the US went into Iraq, even toying with the idea that America might have had some part encouraging the first Iraq war. And however incredible such a claim might seem, Robison was there as part of the Gulf War Task Force, something that few others can claim. He was there.
Robison says that America is in the Middle East to stay. It has little to do with the price of oil, and yet it has everything to do with the security of oil. For the answers, Robison says, look to China, its increasing dependence on oil, and a future conflict that many intelligence experts (both American and Chinese) say is inevitable. America is in the Middle East to place a firm hand on the spigot---a tactic similar to one that America employed against Japan in WWII.
The book is beefy with ideas, but it can be read fast. Robison keeps the info simple and critical, never wasting his readers' time.
I absolutely recommend "War Process." Readers will find that many of the more cryptic reports in the world press more revealing. There's a lot to miss out there when, as Robison said during the interview, "you don't know what questions to ask."
Best Book I have ever read on the Middle East.......2003-04-10
This is a great book for those who would like to understand how the Middle East really works and thinks. It contains information not readily published about America's challenges in the region. It looks forward to what we can expect from this area and gives an understanding of why and what we are doing there now. Mr. Robison's experience there, working with military, intelligence, and business sources along with his love and knowledge of the cultures of the area, give this book depth and breath not found in other publications. A great read for anyone who really wants to understand our involvement in the area. I gained a completely new understanding of our challenges, opportunities and risks as he explained them from the perspective of the power, governments, culture, and history of the people there.
Insightful focus on the Middle East War Process.......2003-04-09
The MIDDLE EAST WAR PROCESS is easily understood by the lay reader, yet interesting and informative to anyone working in or studying the Middle East. The book provides new, unusual and little-known facts explaining America's challenges and long-term problems in the region. The United States has shouldered a long-term commitment in the region that will last for generations. The MIDDLE EAST WAR PROCESS offers insights into ways to make this transition less painful, if we will learn from the past.
With American interest in the Middle East at an all time high, The MIDDLE EAST WAR PROCESS is an insightful and interesting book.
Excellent analysis of the "war process" in the Middle East.......2003-04-03
I found this book easy to read and very informative. The writer explains in lay man terms why the Middle East is so relevant to America's interests. In addition, he explains that there is a "war process" in the Middle East as oppossed to a "peace process" (a quote from Shimon Peres if I recall correctly).
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh, interesting, and personal analysis of the situation in the Middle East.
Book Description
Prominent social critic Henry Giroux explores how new forms of media are challenging the very nature of politics in his most poignant and striking book to date.
The emergence of the spectacle of terror as a new form of politics raises important questions about how fear and anxiety can be marketed, how terrorism can be used to recruit people in support of authoritarian causes, and how the spectacle of terrorism works in an age of injustices, deep insecurities, disembodied social relations, fragmented communities, and a growing militarization of everyday life. At the same time, the new media such as the Internet, digital camcorders, and cell phones can be used to energize sites of resistance, provide alternative public spheres, pluralize political struggles, and expand rather than close down democratic relations. Giroux considers what conditions and changes are necessary to reinvigorate democracy in light of these new challenges.
Customer Reviews:
Academia Abducted by Flying Sources.......2005-05-10
Asia Times
May 10, 2005
Academia Abducted by Flying Sources
Terrorism and Violence in Southeast Asia, Transnational Challenges
to States and Regional Stability edited by Paul J Smith
Reviewed by Allen Quicke
The threat of terrorism in Southeast Asia is dire, we are frequently assured,
and as the title of this book implies. Various al-Qaeda-franchised terrorist
groups in the region are helping al-Qaeda wage global jihad, as well as
working together to create a caliphate that will stretch across Southeast Asia from
the Philippines to southern Thailand.
So we should be mightily relieved that the region's two terrorist kingpins
are now behind bars. First Hambali (real name, Riduan Isamuddin) was caught in
Thailand in August 2003. Hambali was a kingpin all right. He was al-Qaeda's
go-between among the region's terrorist groups. He masterminded the Bali bombing
and is linked to just about every other terrorist incident in Southeast Asia.
His last plot, foiled by his capture, according to one of the contributors to
this book [p 114], was to bomb the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in
Bangkok.
Then Abu Bakar Ba'asyir (or Bashir, in this book's style), "spiritual leader"
of the biggest and scariest of the Southeast Asian terrorist outfits, Jemaah
Islamiya (JI), after much pussyfooting by the weak-willed Indonesian
government and pressure from the United States, was finally tried and jailed in March.
We slept easier, though with a few nagging doubts. Ba'asyir received only 30
months in jail (see Indonesia's trial by terror, March 12). The sentence was
light, the judges said, because "the case against him was weak". Weak? How
could it be weak? This is the man variously accused of being (like Hambali) the
mastermind of the Bali bombings, or the mentor of those who did the deed that
killed 202 people, mostly Australians, and of being (somehow) behind countless
other acts of terrorism in Indonesia. And the Americans had Hambali, Ba'asyir's
link to al-Qaeda, under interrogation for a year and a half before Ba'asyir's
trial.
The US was extremely displeased by the lightness of the sentence. The only
problem was, Washington had refused to produce Hambali, who would have been the
smoking gun in the case against Ba'asyir. So who is this Hambali, we wondered
as our sleep became disturbed again. Why won't the Americans produce this
prize catch? Is he what they claim he is? Does he really exist? How real is this
"terrorist threat"? The newspapers aren't answering these questions - they
aren't even asking them. All they are doing is assuring us there is a dire threat.
Could it be their case is as weak as the one against Ba'asyir?
To ease our troubled minds, we turn to this book. Here are 12 distinguished
academics and experts, each with their own chapter, assessing the terrorist
threat to the region. Here, we think, we will be sure to find the evidence and
the answers to our questions: these people, after all, have made a career out of
studying the issue.
It's hard evidence we are looking for, so we go straight to the copious notes
at the end of each chapter: we want to go to the sources. The first thing we
notice is that the study of terrorism in Southeast Asia has become a veritable
industry. There are chairs, departments, faculties, entire organizations
devoted to the subject. There is an untold number of academic papers, studies,
government white papers, and reports by law enforcement agencies. Well, we'll
leave the governments' and interrogators' reports aside for the moment - we're
not sure we trust them. Still, we're encouraged. It looks like we're about to
learn everything we ever wanted to know about terrorism in Southeast Asia.
Then a niggling disappointment. The various writers frequently cite each
other as sources. Professor Carlyle A Thayer cites Peter Chalk who cites Professor
Zachary Abuza; all are contributors to this book. Are we about to go around
in circles, we wonder? And just about all the contributors cite Rohan
Gunaratna. Well, that's not surprising: Gunaratna is the dean of al-Qaeda studies; he's
the authority cited by everyone from Asia Times Online to the mainstream
media to academics; he is the MOTHERLODE! And of course he has his chapter in this
book, so we turn to him first, but not before we notice that an awful lot of
newspapers and magazines are also cited as sources, and we remind ourselves
that they are part of our problem, not the solution.
Gunaratna's chapter is titled "Understanding al-Qaeda and its Network in
Southeast Asia". His contention is that with the loss of Afghanistan and the
pressures on it in Pakistan, al-Qaeda has been forced to decentralize, though its
strategic, tactical and ideological direction "is still intact" (source cited:
Gunaratna). "By decentralizing ... al-Qaeda has successfully networked with
disparate groups and in some cases co-opted their leaders. This was particularly
the case in Southeast Asia" (no source cited). And threat there is indeed:
apart from "suicide terrorism coupled with conventional attacks ... the group is
also considering revisiting the maritime and the chemical, biological,
radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) scenarios ..." (no source cited). And if that were
not enough, "some existing and emerging groups will seek to match it
[al-Qaeda] or even exceed it ...".
Turning to Jemaah Islamiya, Gunaratna tells us that "al-Qaeda has penetrated
[JI]" and the two groups "have divided their responsibilities, personnel,
infrastructure, and areas of operation into territorial organizations called
mantiqis". But he does not tell us where he gets this information. We're expected
to take his word for it. (Elsewhere in this book Peter Chalk mentions the same
information and at least lets us know it's from a Singapore government white
paper: the thought occurs that perhaps Gunaratna had a hand in writing that
white paper, but we won't follow that up just now; we've had enough of vicious
circles). Then the caliphate predictably rears its ugly head: "In addition to
emphasizing the importance of participating in a global jihad, it [al-Qaeda]
created a mission and a vision for the Islamists to build a caliphate ...
comprising Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Mindanao" (no source
cited).
Gunaratna reveals some damning evidence against Abu Bakar Ba'asyir: "Recent
recoveries from Afghanistan include documents with extensive references to
al-Qaeda's [!] spiritual leader in Southeast Asia, Abu Bakar Bashir, Hambali, and
other directing figures of the al-Qaeda network in the region." Strange that
the judges at Ba'asyir's trial seems not to have made much of this timely
"recovery". Come to think of it, why was Gunaratna himself not called as a witness?
He could well and truly have nailed Ba'asyir.
Disheartened, we get to the notes at the end of Gunaratna's chapter. Compared
to the other chapters, there are very few notes, and only two main sources
are cited: one is the illustrious author of Inside al-Qaeda, Gunaratna himself;
the other is "Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, debriefing, Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), US Department of Justice, August 6, 2002" (Ibid, ibid, ibid).
Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, a Kuwaiti-born Canadian and JI member, was captured
in Oman in March 2002. He is alleged to have been one of the key planners in
a major plot uncovered in Singapore that was to involve coordinated bombing of
US warships at the Changi Naval Base, the Ministry of Defense, a shuttle bus,
the British and American high commissions, the US and Israeli embassies, and
American business premises. During his euphemistically termed "debriefing", he
apparently sang loud and clear to his FBI interrogators, and Gunaratna was
allowed access to the transcripts of the interrogation.
So there we have it. This is as close to a real source as we are going to
get.
It's time to take stock. We have a book written by various authorities in the
field, most of whom cite Rohan Gunaratna; Gunaratna cites as his source
interrogation transcripts that the US government has allowed him to see. So it
would seem, judging by this book at least, that these warnings of dire threats to
Southeast Asia from al-Qaeda-linked international terrorism are based on
sources of information that turn out to be the US government and its allies
themselves. And that's a knockout blow. We already know what the governments want us
to think. We are trying to find out the truth.
The threat is taken as a given by the writers of this book, and on this
unquestioned assumption towering academic edifices are built. Time after time, the
familiar claims about Ba'asyir, Hambali and al-Qaeda's involvement in the
region are trotted out as if it were all blindingly self-evident. The trouble is,
the ultimate source of the information is Washington. The rest is a vicious
circle, with academics and experts writing books like this one, and the media
swallowing everything whole and citing the academics who cite the media and each
other.
The rubble and bodies on Bali spoke for themselves, but that was almost three
years ago. Not a lot happened before or since then - apart from the foiling
of many alleged plots. Could it be that international, Islamist terrorism has
been stamped out in Southeast Asia by its super-efficient governments, courts,
intelligence agencies and law enforcers, with help, of course, from
Washington? We doubt it, but nor do we think the threat is as dire as we are being told.
Various governments and agencies have a clear vested interest in such a
threat being seen to exist. They have been abetted in this by the mainstream
Western media, which have been wearing dunce's caps since September 11, 2001. The
PhDs should go and join them in the corner.
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- 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
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- A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900
- A Line in the Sand: the Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, Gonzales, Texas 1836 (Dear America Series)
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
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