Book Description
With the publication of his magisterial biography of John F. Kennedy, An Unfinished Life, Robert Dallek cemented his reputation as one of the greatest historians of our time. Now, in this epic joint biography, he offers a provocative, groundbreaking portrait of a pair of outsize leaders whose unlikely partnership dominated the world stage and changed the course of history.
More than thirty years after working side-by-side in the White House, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger remain two of the most compelling, contradictory, and powerful men in America in the second half of the twentieth century. While their personalities could hardly have seemed more different, they were drawn together by the same magnetic force. Both were largely self-made men, brimming with ambition, driven by their own inner demons, and often ruthless in pursuit of their goals. At the height of their power, the collaboration and rivalry between them led to a sweeping series of policies that would leave a defining mark on the Nixon presidency.
Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified archives, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger's tumultuous personal relationship and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach for achievements in foreign affairs. Dallek also brilliantly analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home and abroad—including the nightmare of Vietnam, the unprecedented opening to China, détente with the Soviet Union, the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East, the disastrous overthrow of Allende in Chile, and growing tensions between India and Pakistan—while recognizing how both men were continually plotting to distract the American public's attention from the growing scandal of Watergate. With unprecedented detail, Dallek reveals Nixon's erratic behavior during Watergate and the extent to which Kissinger was complicit in trying to help Nixon use national security to prevent his impeachment or resignation.
Illuminating, authoritative, revelatory, and utterly engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provides a startling new picture of the immense power and sway these two men held in changing world history.
Customer Reviews:
Lots for research, but no "there" there at times, and some questionable analysis.......2007-09-27
The book seems to have plenty of snippets of research from the latest from the Nixon Library and Henry K himself. But, as other reviewers have also noted, it doesn't add a lot of new analysis to Nixon, Kissenger, or Nixon-Kissenger bios. The book could have been trimmed 200 pages (and lost 20 pages of footnotes as well), and maybe bumped up a star. Or, Dallek could have done more actual work, expanded it another 100 pages and have a worthwhile in-depth study. Instead, we get neither. (For example, there's just a handful of pages about relations with NATO allies, including almost nothing on their take on SALT talks.)
Beyond that, I have two historical analysis bones to pick, and one writing/copyeding one as well.
First, on page 76, Dallek claims that successful fall 1968 Vietnam peace talks would have been unlikely to change the election. HUH?
Given that Humphrey closed a double-digit percentage point gap in the final two weeks to the 0.7 percent of election day, that's a ludicrous argument. Heck, if LBJ had called the bombing halt on, say, Oct. 28 instead of Oct. 31, and gotten one more shred of "movement" from Hanoi before election day, HHH would have beaten Nixon.
Second, on page 511, Dallek claims that Chilean socialist president Salvador Allende would have been overthrown by his own ineptness even had Nixon/Kissenger not supported coup elements in various ways. For Dallek to say this without taking into account US economic pressure, or ITT meddling, is equally ludicrous to what he said about the 1968 election.
Finally, on the copyediting/writing side. Throughout the book, "State Department" is lower-cased as "state department," while "summit" and "junta," among other words, are consistently capitalized. This is not per Chicago style (at least not when I worked as a book publisher). I'm guessing it's some idiosyncrasy of Dallek's.
I had thought about three-starring this, but, what I said above, plus how I was able to skim this book so much, showing its amount of fluff, made me move it down a star.
Worth reading - An Inside Look.......2007-09-01
I liked this book. It gave a real inside view of two extremely complicated and powerful men. I came away not especially liking either one. Yet one could, to some extent, feel some sympathy for each. It takes a good writer to be able to illicit that in the reader. Dallek is a fine writer. You can trust what he pens. I recommend the book.
Author animous prejudices history.......2007-08-29
It is a pity that author Robert Dallek has allowed his personal animus, typical of many Nixon haters, to compromise almost every page of his book.
Dallek measures Nixon's views and actions with 20 / 20 hindsight rather than based on contemporary information and circumstances. In fact, Nixon's demonstrates great prescience and profundity in his early years as he struggles to lead the nation out of the inherited Viet Nam quagmire and to effectively deal with various major foreign policy challenges in order to safeguard the world against nuclear war.
We hear more of Dallek's criticism and psycho-babble than we hear of what Nixon and Kissinger were actually doing. So it is a task of shifting through pages to extract tid-bits of information.
When early in his administration Nixon makes a swing through Asia to become acquainted with and renew relationships with a dozen leaders, a typical Dallek comment is "The visits to Djakarta, Indonesia, and Bangkok, Thailand, were noteworthy only for heavy rains that drenched them to the skin, terrible heat that again left them 'dripping wet,' and delicious food. A quick four-and-a-half our visit to Saigon to discuss the war with Thieu and visit some U. S. troops accomplished nothing of importance."
Dallek clearly is an academic rather than someone with knowledge of business, diplomacy or politics to conclude that starting an administration by generating relationships and learning the views and positions of various heads of state is "nothing of importance."
Dallek severely faults Nixon for his desire to be well thought of in his own and future times, not recognizing that these are instincts that have motivated such great leaders such as George Washington, Winston Churchill, Douglas MacArthur and Charles DeGaulle.
Had Dallek saved his analysis for his final chapters, it would have been fair play and interesting, especially if he endeavored to support his views with citations. But as it is, "Nixon and Kissinger" reads as one long venomous hatchet job. I can only recommend it to students of history as an example of how not to write a book.
Only the Paranoid Survive!!.......2007-08-16
Your Jeopardy answer is "Nixon and Kissinger."
Buzzer. The question is "Name two paranoid, overweening, self-centered, sometimes delusional men who were responsible for US policy between 1968-1974."
As might be expected from historian Robert Dallek, he has written an interesting, often compelling book about two giants (some might say ogres) of 20th century US government.
Both men would probably claim that all of their actions were for the benefit of the United States, but Dallek shows convincingly that Nixon and Kissinger's priorities might be rated as 1) How will this help my public image? 2) Will this help my election prospects? and 3) oh yes, I nearly forget, this policy / action will be for the benefit of the United States. Visionary leadership was not a strong suit for either of these two men.
Whatever demons existed inside Richard Nixon, he trusted no one. Had Intel's Andy Grove not titled his book "Only the Paranoid Survive," this would be a perfect title for Dallek's work. Kissinger was of a similar mind set to Nixon and was involved in consistent internal warfare with other government colleagues especially Secretary of State Bill Rogers. He brought Al Haig to Paris peace talks because he "didn't trust him behind my back anymore." He was not the only one with similar views of Haig. One of Kissinger's staff said Haig was "excessively ambitious, manipulative, ingratiating, crafty, not at all intelligent, a dissembler and untrustworthy." These were people who truly deserved each other.
Nixon will forever be remembered for Watergate, but Robert Dallek does a good job in showing Nixon and Kissinger's drive for improved relations with both the Soviet Union and China.
The material on Vietnam and the peace discussions shows both parties - Vietnam and US, to be cynical and devious. Kissinger thought that dealing with two groups of Vietnamese "in the one day, you might as well run an insane asylum." In forcing South Vietnam to sign a peace treaty with the communist North Vietnam, neither Nixon nor Kissinger were under any illusions but that the treaty would ultimately lead to the complete surrender of South Vietnam.
The most interesting part of what is a good lengthy (623 pages, excluding notes) read is the profile of Nixon during the Watergate debacle. Dallek shows the president to be often very close to nervous and mental breakdown and goes so far as to suggest Nixon should have been asked to hand over the reins of power much earlier. Watergate broke Nixon. He drank to excess and was often a rambling, shambles of a man. Much of this personality was hidden from public view but his bitterness at the press surfaced at one conference when he declared he was not angry at the fourth estate - "You see, one can only be angry with those he respects." I bet that won him a lot of kudos with The New York Times!
Keen students of Nixon and Kissinger might suggest there is little new in the book, but if you are looking for an interesting oversight of two brilliant but flawed men, it is a very worthwhile and interesting read.
horrifying.......2007-08-15
In this worthy book Dallek chronicles the dysfunctional relationship between two very dysfunctional individuals who made foreign policy from 1968 to 1974. These were two aloof men with inferiority complexes who believed that they were right and everyone else was wrong and promply proceeded to prove the opposite. In this relationship can be found the tragically unnecessary prolonging of the Vietnam War, the unethical overthrowing of President Allende of Chile and other catastrophes of foreign policy.
No matter how many times Kissinger has tried to rationalize his time at the top or find excuses for Vietnam there are none save that he read the issues wrong and acted wrongly.
This book is a good argument for why foreign policy should be made by the State Department and not the National Security Adivsor and why foreign policy shouldn't be made at the desk in the Oval Office.
Book Description
Written by professionals in the fields of nursing, pharmacology, pharmacy, and medicine, this reference book provides a guide to pharmacotherapy for common healthcare conditions of adults and children in ambulatory settings. It provides a concise decision-making guide for pharmacotherapuetic management of common primary care health conditions. A template assists the advanced professional to consistently consider clients' assessment and history, along with evaluating when drug therapy is needed, short and long term goals, selecting appropriate agents, outcomes management, efficacy and toxicity and patient information. In addition, general issues such as safety, aging, herbal therapies, social factors and immunizations as well as specific patient population needs are addressed. These special populations include individuals with disabilities, pregnant women and children. For advance practice nurses, pharmacists, clinical nurse specialists, physicians, and physician assistants.
Book Description
THE SEMINAL WORK ON FOREIGN POLICY AND THE ART OF DIPLOMACY
Moving from a sweeping overview of history to blow-by-blow accounts of his negotiations with world leaders, Henry Kissinger describes how the art of diplomacy has created the world in which we live, and how America's approach to foreign affairs has always differed vastly from that of other nations.
Brilliant, controversial, and profoundly incisive, Diplomacy stands as the culmination of a lifetime of diplomatic service and scholarship. It is vital reading for anyone concerned with the forces that have shaped our world today and will impact upon it tomorrow.
Customer Reviews:
Shows historical roots of Kissinger's brand of diplomacy.......2007-08-27
I enjoyed reading this book. Dr. Kissinger is, without saying, one of the most talented and accomplished diplomats that this nation has had. The fact that he ignited so much controversy on both the left and the right does much to confirm this view. In this book, he traces the evolution of international diplomacy from the 17th century. He begins with a discussion of Cardinal Richelieu, a talented practitioner of raison d'etat, which would later develop into realpolitik. Richelieu, though a French Catholic prelate and regent, would ultimately cooperate with Protestant and Muslim rulers against the fellow Catholic Habsburg Empire. It is easy to draw parallels between this and the Nixon-Kissinger policy of rapproachment with Communist China and efforts to play China and the Soviet Union against each other, to the benefit of the United States. Dr. Kissinger also spends a lot of time discussing Metternich's "balance of power" brand of diplomacy, and Bismark's realpolitik. It is clear from the presentation that he has a great deal of interest in, and respect for, these 2 men (and, in my view, with plenty of justification). This book is a "must-read" for people who want a better understanding of diplomatic history.
The World According to Henry Kissinger.......2007-05-13
During his terms as foreign secretary and national security adviser Henry Kissinger was the ultimate bad guy. Nice to have such a chap around! All the frustrations during the Nixon and Ford Administrations could be directed at Henry Kissinger. But every bloke deserves a second chance.
In 1994 Kissinger wrote Diplomacy. It really is a brilliant piece of work!!Astonishing how a former secretary of state commands every detail of statemanship in foreign policy. Kissinger deals with the concepts of national interest, balance of power and power politics. The book is a thoughtful exercise in modern politics and as such a wonderful textbook for every student of government and bureaucracies. The foreign policy of the United States in the twentieth century strikes Kissinger as ambivalent. It is insisting simultaneously on the inadmissibility of intervention in the domestic affairs of other states and on the other hand passionately asserting that its (the United States') own values are universally applicable. In the day to day conduct of foreign affairs the United States is pragmatic while no nation has been more ideological in the pursuit of its assumed historic moral convictions. Well, Kissinger wrote his Diplomacy in the period between Bush 41 and Bush 43. Maybe we could pinpoint this precisely as the difference between pragmatic and ideological.
Luuk Oost
Absorbing account on the art of dealing and warring among nations.......2007-01-17
In Diplomacy, Henry Kissinger presents his masterpiece analysis of the evolution of the art of diplomacy. As a top diplomat, the author leaves out details of historic events that are circumstantial to his theme. That is the understanding of how national diplomacy has grown up in the last four centuries.
Diplomacy starts with the seventeenth century dominance of Holy Empire where the Emperor drove his absolute authority direct from God. In such imperial design, the populace is the servant of the Emperor who represents God on Earth. Democracy is a sin since it questions God's will. Modern science was newborn and untested.
The emergence of reformation presented challenge to the Holy Empire. That gave rise to new diplomacy. France improvised the tactic of "nation-state" as a savior of its populace from the estranged Empire. Astute leaders would have to adapt the biblical doctrine to deal with the new trend of questioning the divine authority of the Emperor. The rise of "nation-state" started the "immoral" struggle for national interests and securities, in place of God's work.
The national struggles that replaced the Holy Empire collided over land grabs, borders, and national interests. Bismarck advanced that evolution farther into "Realpolitik" with cold and calculating national dealing that is devoid of personal affection. The result was the unification of Germany.
The major landmarks in the evolution of diplomacy are closely attributed to individual statesmen with secure and long careers on the national theatre. After Bismarck's removal, the reckless "Worldpolitik" led to expansionism and two world wars. The aggravating factor was the emergence of new military technology that complicated the coordination of diplomatic planning and military strategy.
As modern science grew confident and Deity grew challenged, the military industry outpaced diplomacy in securing national interests. WWI engulfed Europe as a result of the failure of diplomacy to catch up with military mobilization. As science grew older and military force became lethal, WWII erupted out of exercising excessive diplomacy, with little military strategy on the allied side.
The author delves into the psychology of nations and leaders in a brilliant analysis of its impact on historic development. For three centuries, the cold and calculating Great Britain dominated the seas and retained its imperial kingdom and democratic government in determined trend of "splendid isolation". Great Britain kept the balance of the European forces till its fateful end in the marsh of German and Russian dictatorships. Modern technology then eliminated the oceanic barriers between America and the old world. Great Britain is then replaced by USA, with only one difference: rejection to colonialism.
The psychological analysis of the behavior of the statesmen in time of peace and war offers deep understanding of how our present day policy has evolved. As recent as the year 1914, WWI started because the European emperors refused to attend the funeral of the assassinated Austrian emperor because his dead wife was not from noble blood. In 1960, Henry Kissinger was freely and humbly walking Kansas City's streets with Henry Truman. Neither of the two was from noble blood, yet each of them was the top policy maker in the human history.
Diplomacy has grown and matured as our struggle with faith, race, and science continues.
Mohamed F. El-Hewie
Author of
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training
Excellent book.......2007-01-12
This book is excellent. I recommend for students in International Relations and Science Polict.
My least favorite "statesman" writes one of my favorite books!.......2006-10-29
I would love to give this book 1 star based on the person who wrote this book, but Kissinger has shown in almost all of his writings an understanding of world politics that goes far beyond almost any other American student of diplomacy in analysis and historical accuracy. This is one of his true Master Works, and is easily the best single volume on diplomacy that I've ever read. He is able to place European diplomacy in a narrative that is exceptionally readable and erudite despite its inherently esoteric topic.
In terms of a general discussion of diplomacy, the next best is a *three* volume series, *The Great Powers*, by Longman Press. Without judging the person who wrote this book, *Diplomacy* ranks with the great histories of our day.
Customer Reviews:
Dont be stupid.......2006-08-26
1 "1" how the hell could they have ended the war when Hanoi demanded a unilateral pullout and that the US toppled the Saigon government on the way out?? It took years of political and military pressure for Hanoi to abandon that demand. Dont be stupid.
1-1 is a raving idiot.......2005-12-02
1-1 has cut and pasted the same idiotic rant for all three volumes of Dr. Kissinger's memoirs, and has obviously NOT READ ONE SINGLE PAGE OF ANY OF THEM!!!! Go post your polemics on Indymedia you moron.
This is a first rate account of one of the most influential statesman in history.
War Criminal.......2005-03-01
if you want the evil truth about Dr K and how he undermined the 1968 peace talks, read "No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger, and Betrayal in Vietnam" by Larry Berman.
This book explains how Nixon and Kissinger illegally colluded with SVN and Nguyen Van Thieu - he was told by Nixon via Anna Chenault to "hold on, we are going to win" and "you will get a better deal with us". So Thieu says he won't talk peace, Nixon wins, Kissinger openly changes sides after working with the Democrats, and together they crank up the war.
The point is: The War could have ended in 1968 if it were not for this man - Dr Death himself, Henry Adolf Kissinger!
Architect of a modern foreign poligy.......2005-01-24
I started this book on a whim in a coffee shop and soon decided to read all 1,475 pages (which required buying the book!) Kissinger has an amazing story to tell and writes exceptionally well. He gives vivid descriptions of encounters with world leaders and of Washington politics. His reflections range over history, politics, culture in many countries, war, and US policy.
He is full of surprises, sharp-edged, hilarious, philosophical, and always authoritative. Professor Kissinger doesn't use fancy words. He is never aloof. His purpose is to make the material understandable. Some passages about negotiations have perhaps more detail than one really wants.
The last four years of the Viet Nam war figure prominently in the book. Nixon and Kissinger's insistence on winding down the war slowly over four years is controversial. The whole book is unsentimental, convincing and will appeal to the liberal or conservative reader. It is also a revealing study of the "Cold War", including Nixon's trip to China, the Middle East, the SALT treaty, European relations, war between India and Pakistan, and more.
"The Longest Journey Begins With The First Step".......2001-01-23
The title of this review stems from an ancient Chinese proverb. Henry A. Kissinger's book, White House Years is the first of a three-volume trilogy that covers his remarkable career. This initial book begins with his appointment as National Security Advisor to Richard M. Nixon January 1969, and ends with the initialing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Kissinger lets the reader know early on, they were under no illusions their journey would be easy or joyous.
He paints a vivid picture of Lyndon Johnson at Nixon's inauguration. If a political heavyweight like L.B.J. could be humbled by (sic) "Veetnam" no one could expect an easy time. Nixon, who had made a career of exhorting political opponents to, "Get tough with the Communists," now had his turn. He would either succeed where his predecessors had failed, or share L.B.J.s fate.
A series of opportunities to "get tough" with the Communists soon followed. The Soviets continued to harass Berlin; the Strateg!ic Arms Limitation (SALT) Talks provided critics from the right and left; West German leader Willie Brandt's Ostpolitik threatened the cohesion of the Atlantic Alliance and the Soviets' establishment of a submarine base at Cienfuegos, Cuba created a situation reminiscent of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also, the election of Salvador Allende in Chile threatened to introduce a second, Communist state into the Western Hemisphere. Elsewhere, a crisis was brewing between India and Pakistan, and the powder keg in the Middle East threatened to explode at any time.
All these things occurred while the bulk of our military forces were mired in a seemingly endless stalemate in Vietnam that was tearing our nation apart and steadily draining both our coffers and our national resolve. Any of them had the potential to bring the two nuclear equipped superpowers into direct confrontation at any time. Kissinger calmly states: "Statesmen do not have the right to ask to serve only in simple t!imes." The early '70's were anything but, "simple times."
White House Years is a first-person account from a key player in each of these crises. Kissinger takes us step-for-step through the decision-making process they undertook before each action. These deliberations led to the most spectacular diplomatic initiative of our time: Nixon's historic trip to The Peoples Republic of China! The diplomatic opportunities made possible by this trip still shape our world today. Among other things it made Hanoi serious about negotiating an end to the War in Vietnam.
Dr. Kissinger narrates the maddening, secret negotiations with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho in Paris. The differences between what the Communists were feeding the Western media and what they were saying behind closed doors makes the reader both loathe and admire them for their political skill. Their efforts finally led to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. Kissinger sincerely believed South Vietnam would surv!ive. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
White House Years reads like a Greek tragedy. The reader gets excited and then remembers how it all ends. The very secretiveness that produced spectacular successes also sowed the seeds that would lead to Nixon's self-destruction.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the War in Vietnam and/or international relations. The conduct of international diplomacy today is still unquestionably influenced by the events narrated here. I am much better informed for having read it. You will be as well!
Average customer rating:
- Profoundly simple and important.
- Simple, honest explanations
- Very helpful
- It's OKAY...
- Terrific book for use in the classroom
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All the Colors We Are/Todos los Colores de Nuestra Piel: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color
Katie Kissinger
Manufacturer: Redleaf Press
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The Colors of Us
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All the Colors of the Earth (Mulberry Books)
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The Skin I'm In: A First Look at Racism
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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
ASIN: 0934140804 |
Book Description
Magnificent color photographs and simple, engaging language capture the essence of one way we are special and different from one another-our skin color! Answers the "what and why" questions that children love to ask. Includes unique activity ideas.
Customer Reviews:
Profoundly simple and important. .......2007-05-20
Our culture does not know how to talk about race. This book is an amazing way to help children, not to mention adults, talk about race in simple and scientific terms. This book helps adults move through their own fears and talk about race in the matter-of-fact way children experience the world.
Simple, honest explanations.......2006-08-31
My 3-year old began asking lots of questions about the different people we know and their skin color. I looked everywhere for a simple, informative book. He loved the photos and the explanations that the color you are comes from 1) your family 2) the sun and 3)melanin. At the end the books asks where you think your ancestors came from (for instance somewhere very sunny). Any my son immediately replied: "Somewhere dark!" Indeed, he's right and now he understands why we come in different colors and sees this as interesting and wonderful. I read many other books on the subject but most are a celebration of racial differences which is great but did not help address a natural curiousity as to why. I highly recommend this book for those with young children asking questions about why people have different skin colors.
Very helpful.......2004-01-29
We live in a very small town and my 3 year old daughter goes to an in-home babysitter with only three other children, she is also the oldest child there. After routine T.V. time and Christmas shopping at the mall this past holiday season, my daughter began to ask questions. In early January, we bought a new car and the business manager that we did all of the paperwork with had a darker complexion, my daughter asked "mom, what color is he?". This embarrassed my husband and the next day I ordered "all the colors we are". My daughter likes the book because of all the pictures of real kids. She also has begun to point at different skin colors in the book and say "this one is pretty" and similar comments. She doesn't understand the melanin section yet but overall she likes the book and asks us to read it to her over and over.
It's OKAY..........2003-05-02
I personally like the book, but reading this to my kids was a drag. They wouldn't pay attention. They didn't care. And they said it was boring. The pictures are REAL pictures, and not illustrations.
My kids are 6 and 4 years old. Maybe in 2 or 3 years they'll appreciate it. I don't know.
Terrific book for use in the classroom.......2000-11-27
This is a great book for use in the classroom. It allows students to gain a better understanding of the differences among us and that these differences are not always black or white. This book is a good book to use in a literature focused unit on Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.
Book Description
Etgar Keret’s stories are quick, brief and precise — unhesitatingly moving. They are also hilarious and off-the-wall, yet dark, sometimes violent, and often intensely poignant: a powerful new collection from Israel’s best-selling author.
Average customer rating:
- Dull, Boring, Inaccurate in Places and Out of Date Investigation into the Drug Industry
- Penetrating Historical Analysis
- Increase the War on Drugs?
- Exaggerated truth
- The Truth Will Wake You UP!
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Dope, Inc.: The Book That Drove Henry Kissinger Crazy
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ASIN: 0943235022 |
Customer Reviews:
Dull, Boring, Inaccurate in Places and Out of Date Investigation into the Drug Industry.......2006-02-11
I found this book a real grind to read. It consists of page after page of seemingly unconnected names, places, big amounts of money, and I just found myself getting bored with it all. The bulk of the book is material from the 1978 edition so there are lots of references to Jimmy Carter. I think there could be a good book written on this subject what with all the stuff that's been happening lately in Afghanistan and Colombia, so maybe if a revised edition came out then it might be a bit more interesting. The only interesting section for me was the section on how the British first launched the Opium Wars on China; I would have liked to have learned about this at school.
Overall, the standard of investigative journalism in this book is a bit poor. There's a pro-Christian bias and the authors seem to blame Freemasons+Gnostics+Zionists for all the world's problems. E.g., page 404: "Since the days of Saint Augustine, the oligarchy has drawn on the Gnostic belief structure, with its deep hostility to the Western moral values of technological progress and the sacred worth of the individual, to do battle with the Christian faith, whose teaching that man can share in the divinity of God by continuing his creative work is anathema to the oligarchy." Also, the book is riddled with little factual errors, e.g. the authors assert that Timothy Leary was fired from Harvard when he in fact resigned following Richard Alpert's dismissal, and some of the allegations are unsubstantiated, e.g. that the Red Cross ambulance service performs terrorist actions for the British. And why do the authors keep referring to China as "Red China"?
More interesting reads about the drug industry include Trail of the Octopus, Dark Alliance, Compromised and Bushwhacked by Uri Dowbenko, in particular chapter 26 in which he interviews Rodney Stich.
Penetrating Historical Analysis.......2004-02-17
Although the Larouchies have done some speculative work, this is not entirely of a low-grade quality. In fact, much of the historical information on the Opium Wars is widely known and accurate. Before disregarding EIR, because of their solution to world problems is bigger global government, give this book a close read. It points in the right direction and read in combination with other similar works it can really cause an awakening.
Increase the War on Drugs?.......2003-05-01
From what little i read of the book i found it to be overly dramatic. ... The writer, ... makes the conviction that if the american people don't move to quickly crush the international drug mafia, the US and Western Civilization will fall into a new dark age. He goes on to say we need to launch a full-scale War on Drugs as the Allied nations used to defeat Nazism. I have no doubts that many governments are involved with the mafia and drugs, but my view is for legalization and not increasing the "lost cause" on drugs.
Exaggerated truth.......2002-05-01
Jeff Steinberg is the chief editor of the Larouche political organization. Though a skilled writer I find most members a bit excitable & hyper. I sensed this through the book as I read it. The book takes one through the time Adam Smith managed the British East India Co. to most of the 20th century. It is obvious that they have an ax to grind with the Rockefellers, Kissinger, Theodore Schackley, and, the Bush family. This organization does have some good information as they have moles that work in our government. I am just as certain the CIA have opereratives inside the LaRouche organization. The book has good information about things the average person has no control over except our own personal choices.
The Truth Will Wake You UP!.......2001-08-07
I remember the day that this book was given to me for free. I started reading it from day one. I was amazed to reallize that there is really nothing this country or any other country can do about the drug trade. That the current war on drugs is a total waste of time and effort. That people in "Law Enforcement" are truely lost if they think they are making a difference.
Book Description
As America confronts an unpredictable war in Iraq, Stephen Randolph returns to an earlier conflict that severely tested our civilian and military leaders. In 1972, America sought to withdraw from Vietnam with its credibility intact. As diplomatic negotiations were pursued in Paris, President Richard Nixon and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger hoped that gains on the battlefield would strengthen their position at the negotiating table--working against the relentless deadline of a presidential election year.
In retaliation for a major North Vietnamese offensive breaking over the Easter holidays, the President launched the all-out air campaign known as Linebacker--overriding his Secretary of Defense and clashing with the theater commander in whom he had lost all confidence. He intended to destroy the enemy with the full force of America's "powerful and brutal weapons" and thus shape the endgame of the war. Randolph's narrative, based not only on the Nixon White House tapes and newly declassified materials from the National Security Council, the Pentagon, and the White House but also on never before used North Vietnamese sources, re-creates how North Vietnam planned and fought this battle from Hanoi and how the U.S. planned and fought it from Washington.
Randolph's intimate chronicle of Nixon's performance as commander-in-chief gains us unprecedented access to how strategic assessments were made, transmitted through the field of command, and played out in combat and at the negotiating table. It is a compelling story about America's military decision-making in conflicts with nontraditional belligerents that speaks provocatively to our own time.
Customer Reviews:
(RAW Rating: 4.5) - What is happening to black men?.......2007-08-04
Demico Boothe has explored the reasons so many black men are indeed in prison in, WHY ARE SO MANY BLACK MEN IN PRISON? He begins with his own story of a shaky upbringing and his subsequent dabbling in drug dealing. He was caught with a few grams of crack cocaine but because it was the dreaded crack, he was given 10 years in prison. When he left prison after serving his time, he was actually railroaded back into prison by a crooked justice system. He delves deeply into our justice system and the motives behind all the new prisons that are being built. He gives succinct and reasonable views of exactly what is happening now in the United States and how the past has played a role in the present. He uses persuasive statistics regarding the number of black men in prison as compared to the number of white men who are incarcerated.
Demico Boothe has done an excellent job of researching his subject and it is a plus, if unfortunate for him, that he has actually experienced first hand what he's talking about. I knew I was hearing the real story rather than just statistics from an intellectual who had no real idea of what the prison system is really like. I would have liked for Boothe to search a little deeper into the Haiti, Aristide and USA question, maybe even reading Randall Robinson's take on the situation, and then he might see it a bit differently. Otherwise, it is a good book and one every one in America should read. We indeed, have a crisis going on.
Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Why Are So Many Black Men In Prison? A Comprehensive Account Of How And Why The Prison Industry Has Become A Predatory Entity In.......2007-06-09
The book was very interesting. I learned soooo much about the government and the prison industry. I did some searching independantly to check on the things reported in the book and they are very true. Great Read!! Buy the book.
A Must Read.......2007-05-25
Mr. Demico's book is a must-read for anyone concerned about young African American men. Although I did not agree with every conclusion he reached, Demico's main premises are convincing. As a white woman who teaches mainly students of color, I am always impressed, and often in awe, of those young men who reach college with so much going against them. Demico's books lays bare not only the horrible inequalities of our society, but also the racist attitudes of our political system - - Democrats, Republicans, and most everyone in between.
Why are so many Black Men in Prison?.......2007-05-13
I is a well put together book. He really goes into a lot of detail of how our society is really set up.
Why are so many blacks in prison?.......2007-05-12
I found this book very interesting. As a white devil myself, I had no idea that I was responsible for forcing blacks into committing crimes and then subsequently clogging up the whole "Prison Industrial Complex"(tm). I will try to stop causing this, as I am sure it is creating a LOT of trouble for everyone! Sorry!
It is probably also my fault that young black men dressed in XXXXL clothes overtly threaten me and my family members routinely. Can anyone tell me what I should do to make this not happen?
I imagine it's also my fault that black on white violent crime is WAY higher than white on black violent crime, even though blacks constitute about 12.5% of the population, and whites are about 70%. But since it is impossible for a black to commit a hate crime according to our criminal justice system (since blacks are not under any circumstances racist), statistically, there are more white on black hate crimes. Boothe notes a statistic regarding hate crimes, but he skips the one about interracial violence in general.
In sum, Boothe notes that just about everything blacks do is actually MY fault, because my skin is white. Boothe, I've got a word for you.
Introspection.
Book Description
What made Henry Kissinger the kind of diplomat he was? What experiences and influences shaped his worldview and provided the framework for his approach to international relations? Jeremi Suri offers a thought-provoking, interpretive study of one of the most influential and controversial political figures of the twentieth century.
Drawing on research in more than six countries in addition to extensive interviews with Kissinger and others, Suri analyzes the sources of Kissinger's ideas and power and explains why he pursued the policies he did. Kissinger's German-Jewish background, fears of democratic weakness, belief in the primacy of the relationship between the United States and Europe, and faith in the indispensable role America plays in the world shaped his career and his foreign policy. Suri shows how Kissinger's early years in Weimar and Nazi Germany, his experiences in the U.S. Army and at Harvard University, and his relationships with powerful patrons--including Nelson Rockefeller and Richard Nixon--shed new light on the policymaker.
Kissinger's career was a product of the global changes that made the American Century. He remains influential because his ideas are rooted so deeply in dominant assumptions about the world. In treating Kissinger fairly and critically as a historical figure, without polemical judgments, Suri provides critical context for this important figure. He illuminates the legacies of Kissinger's policies for the United States in the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
What makes Dr K tick.......2007-09-08
Henry A. Kissinger, one of a handful of memorable secretaries of state, is a German-born Jew haunted by the failure of democracy in his birthplace and the subsequent failure of the world's democracies to stop the Nazi drive for mastery of Europe in the 1930s. Those failures made possible the massive slaughter of World War II, the nearly total destruction of Jewish life in Europe (which marked Kissinger personally)and in its aftermath left the United States and the exercise of its power the main arbiter of the world's fate. Stalin's Soviet Union, however, had other plans.
Kissinger did not view war with Soviet Russia as inevitable, nor did he regard Russian ambitions in Eastern and Central Europe as altogether unreasonable. But he did think that unless America was willing to project its power in strategic areas of the world, such as Europe and the Middle East, and confront Soviet ambitions in those areas, the Cold War would be lost with dire consequences for Americans.
Kissinger thought the Cold War would make strange bedfellows--reactionary kings, military dictators and strongman-types whose personal vanity outweighed any concern for the future of their people.
Kissinger was a supreme realist. He did not seek the make the world a better place, only a safer one for his adopted country and its friends.
His hero was Metternich, of Congress of Vienna and Balance of Power fame. There was no room for sentimentality, and not much room for public opinion, in his world view. Wars and rumors of wars were not only expected, but exploited by Kissinger, which his critics viewed as coldly cynical, immoral and in some cases (Vietnam, Chile) indifferent to human lives.
Kissinger owed his power, at the height of his career, to Richard M. Nixon, whose feelings toward Jews were mixed at best, bigoted at worst.
Oddly, his Jewish background was an asset in dealing with Arab rulers. They figured that American Jews dictated U.S. policy in the Mideast anyhow, so Kissinger essentially cut out the middle man.
The only weakness of the book is its brevity (less than 300 pages) which doesn't leave much room for analysis of complicated issues. Nuclear weapons negotiations are barely mentioned. None the less, an excellent introduction to a complex man who left a large imprint on America's place in the world.
A remarkable book about a remarkable man, a genuine 20th century iconoclast........2007-07-17
In "Henry Kissinger and the American Century," Jeremi Suri has chronicled the political history of arguably one of the world's most brilliant personalities. Suri's book leaves out much of Kissinger's personal history, beyond his childhood in Weimar and Nazi Germany, which is generally vague. "Henry Kissinger and the American Century" does, however, provide readers with the background necessary to begin to understand the man and his policies. Suri pays particular attention to Kissinger's skepticism of democracy, which truly helped shape those policies.
Henry Kissinger is a Cold War oracle, subject to the failings of the human condition as any of us, but arguably far more attuned to the strategic and political situation than anyone ever was.
Suri does not dodge logical criticisms and critics and provides a groundwork for understanding of Kissinger's philosophies. Reading the book, you might notice how just when you begin to forget Kissinger's German-Jewish childhood, Suri extols this fact in context throughout.
The book reveals Kissinger's innate ability to address both his genteel and gentile contemporaries. If any American in history ever leveraged their "outsider" status to the maximum and re-define the idea of an "insider", it was Kissinger.
The book is full of exceptional quotes from Kissinger, his influences and his contemporaries that are no less relevant in the War on Terror than they were in the Cold War.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ!
Books:
- Personal History
- Rabbit Ears Treasury of Tall Tales: Volume One: Davy Crockett, Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan (Rabbit Ears)
- Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign (Civil War America)
- Return To Promise (Heart of Texas, No 8)
- Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
- Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision (On Leadership)
- Robert E. Lee: Virginian Soldier, American Citizen
- Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy
- Southern Horrors and Other Writings; The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells, 1892-1900
- Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face
Books Index
Books Home
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Einstein: His Life and Universe
Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989
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FDR
Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower
