Book Description
Includes a new Afterword
Finalist for the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award
One of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject of suicide terrorism, the esteemed political scientist Robert Pape has created the first comprehensive database of every suicide terrorist attack in the world from 1980 until today. In Dying to Win, Pape provides a groundbreaking demographic profile of modern suicide terrorist attackers–and his findings offer a powerful counterpoint to what we now accept as conventional wisdom on the topic. He also examines the early practitioners of this guerrilla tactic, including the ancient Jewish Zealots, who in A.D. 66 wished to liberate themselves from Roman occupation; the Ismaili Assassins, a Shi’ite Muslim sect in northern Iran in the eleventh and twelfth centuries; World War II’s Japanese kamikaze pilots, three thousand of whom crashed into U.S. naval vessels; and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a secular, Marxist-Leninist organization responsible for more suicide terrorist attacks than any other group in history.
Dying to Win is a startling work of analysis grounded in fact, not politics, that recommends concrete ways for states to fight and prevent terrorist attacks now. Transcending speculation with systematic scholarship, this is one of the most important studies of the terrorist threat to the United States and its allies since 9/11.
“Invaluable . . . gives Americans an urgently needed basis for devising a strategy to defeat Osama bin Laden and other Islamist militants.”
–Michael Scheuer, author of Imperial Hubris
“Provocative . . . Pape wants to change the way you think about suicide bombings and explain why they are on the rise.”
–Henry Schuster, CNN.com
“Enlightening . . . sheds interesting light on a phenomenon often mistakenly believed to be restricted to the Middle East.”
–The Washington Post Book World
“Brilliant.”
–Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc.
Customer Reviews:
An attempt to understand suicidial terrorism.......2007-08-17
The attacks on 9/11 and other attacks around the world (such as the attacks in Britain and Spain, and the daily bombings in Iraq) have created a heightened interest in understanding terrorism in general and suicide terrorism in particular. Some, like Pape, believe that this form of terrorism is a recent phenomenon (since the 1980s). Others, like Mockaitis, (in his book The `New' Terrorism: Myths and Reality, believe that it bears striking resemblance to past movements. One can find several publications addressing specifically suicide terrorism from various different perspectives.
Pape believes that to understand the rational behind suicide terrorism, one needs to respond to the following questions:
1) Why does suicide terrorism make sense from the perspective of the organization financing, planning, training and ultimately taking responsibility for such attacks?
2) Why are suicide terrorists so willing to give up their lives for such acts?
3) Why does the organization receive broad support for terrorist activities? Accordingly, this book is divided into three parts, each addressing a question above. In each section he presents a thesis, which he then analyzes and presents evidence for.
The main points he brings out are that this form of terrorism is used when there is a perceived threat to one's homeland (by foreign occupation), its goals are nationalistic (not religious), and it is directed at democracies. Pape dismisses two suicide myths. First that it is carried out by only Muslim groups (he points to the Tamil Tigers as a counter-example). Second that these terrorists are poor, uneducated and fundamentalist. He states that recent events show the terrorist as having above average education and opportunity, and as being well integrated into his/her community-to the point where the greater good for the community overrides personal goals.
One may question the validity of Pape's theory and even the soundness of his statistical analysis. What is important is that a book like Dying to Win engages us in a dialogue that enables us to understand suicide terrorism. This in turn helps us craft policy that effectively protects those targets most vulnerable to such attacks and minimizes the organizations willing to carry out such attacks.
Armchair Interviews says: Robert A. Pape is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs.
Suicide attacks have logic.......2007-07-30
An interesting co - relation about psycho - social and enviormental factors needed to know dealing with terrorism and suicide attacks.
Read This Book or Stop Watching the News.......2007-07-22
Everything we "know" about suicide terrorism is dead wrong. That is the most succint way to put it.
We are completely wrong and we need to rethink RIGHT NOW how America is going to fight terrorism if it does not understand it.
Pape finally puts forward a thesis which has explanatory power not only over Muslim suicide terrorism but suicide terrorism throughout the entire world. This is a must-read for anyone, their parents, and their communities.
Scholarly and relatively impartial.......2007-02-15
This book presents carefully researched evidence that suicide bombers are motivated primarily by a desire to force democracies to withdraw troops from the territories claimed by the bombers, that they use rational strategies to achieve their goals, and that suicide bombers are acting mainly out of a sense of duty (like kamikazes) rather than the insanity of ordinary suicides or a desire for rewards in the afterlife.
The book's style is fairly dry and slow to read.
He sounds like one of the most objective voices on this subject, although his objectivity is hard to verify. He is so careful to minimize partisan comments that his index only lists one entry for George Bush and none for Clinton. One place where this disappoints me is when he reports that no al-Qaeda suicide attackers came from any country described by the U.S. State Department as sponsoring terrorism. Since this covers a period including nearly 4 years of Clinton's term, it suggests that the problem of falsely connecting governments such as Saddam's with al-Qaeda is a more pervasive problem than just one dishonest president (although the State Department used a broader definition of terrorism than the suicide terrorism that the book deals with). I'm disappointed that Pape doesn't analyze this enough to determine how much of this problem preceded Bush.
His use of the word nationalism to describe al-Qaeda's aims doesn't sound quite right, but it is close to the territorial, tribalistic motives that his evidence points to.
It's only in the last few pages when he departs from reporting research and recommends strategies that he becomes unconvincing. His support for a fence over all of the U.S. - Mexican border seems unrelated to the rest of the book. Does he think stopping people from carrying bombs across the border will help (i.e. that it would be hard for a terrorist to make or buy a weapon after crossing the border)? Or does he hope to stop terrorists from crossing the border (which his book implies would require turning away nearly everyone from Islamic countries with U.S.-backed governments)?
He says "the idea that Islamic fundamentalism is on the verge of world domination ... is pure fantasy". His book provides some evidence for that conclusion, but it involves extrapolating from a small sample of terrorist campaigns to conclude al-Qaeda will stop at achievable goals. I'm uncomfortable with the way he dismissed such an important source of disagreement with excessive confidence and with limited analysis. (I'm also annoyed that he exaggerates the degree of alarmism of his opponents).
An Objective Approach to a Misunderstood Issue.......2007-01-13
Overall the book is good to read regardless if you agree with the conclusion or not. So you can at least take the presented facts and make up your own conclusions.
The book uses scientific methods to explain the suicide terrorism phenomena so keep that in mind for at some point it might sound boring or a little bit confusing.
The author might seem that he is contradicting himself at some points but he is just making a point so don't judge the book before you read it until the end.
I think this book presents a great window into the world of suicide terrorism and maybe its future.
Book Description
Selection of the Executive Program Book Club
For any manager or executive who's had it with quick-fix approaches to organizational transformation, here's a proven approach that lasts. In this paperback edition of the best-selling original work, management expert Ed Lawler presents six principles--and plenty of practical guidance--for overhauling an enterprise from bottom to top and bringing it into alignment with the realities of today's marketplace. Don't fall for yet another silver-bullet solution. This is the definitive approach to making the kind of substantive changes that will bolster your company's competitive stance, now and for years to come.
Customer Reviews:
The Six New Logic Principles and the Star Model........2001-01-26
"When we look around the business landscape, we see many giant corporations that were once very successful-General Motors, Westinghouse, IBM, Kmart, Digital, and Sears-trying to regain their glory days. At the same time, we see much younger corporations such as Compaq, Wal-Mart, Intel, and Microsoft competing with them and thriving. How did these successful giants of the 1960s and 1970s end up with major competitiveness problems in the 1980s and 1990s? The answer is both simple and extraordinarily complex. These once very successful corporations remained good at operating well-managed, bottom-line-oriented hierarchies, and as a result they continued to make small improvements in performance. Their fiercest competitors, on the other hand-often other U.S. companies-were, and still are, redefining the rules for business success and achieving dramatic improvements in their performance. Until recently, many of these formerly very successful companies have stubbornly clung to the old ways of doing things and refused to accept that a new era of management thinking what I call the 'new logic' of organizing-is beginning. As a result, the IBMs, Westinghouses, and Sears Roebucks of the world are behind in the race to reinvent themselves and the way they are managed" (from the Introduction).
In this context, Edward E. Lawler III firstly outlines and contrasts the most important assumptions and elements of both the traditional logic and the new logic appproach as following:
I- The Six Old Logic Principles:
1. Organization is a secondary source of competitive advantage.
2. Bureaucracy is the most effective source of control.
3. Top management and technical experts should add most of the value.
4. Hierarchical processes are the key to organizational effectiveness.
5. Organizations should be designed around functions.
6. Effective managers are the key to organizational effectiveness.
II- The Six New Logic Principles:
1. Organization can be the ultimate competitive advantage.
2. Involvement is the most effective source of control.
3. All employees must add significant value.
4. Lateral processes are the key to organizational effectiveness.
5. Organizations should be designed around products and customers.
6. Effective leadership is the key to organizational effectiveness.
Then, after introducing a new way of organizing and managing based on the new logic principles, he focuses on applying the six principles to the organizational elements in order to create a high-performance organization within the context of the Star Model-it has a pentagonal shape with a five-pointed star inside. It depicts the key features of an organization: strategy, structure, rewards, processes, and people.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended reading for all corporate managers........2000-04-06
From The Ground Up: Six Principles For Building The New Logic Corporation offers an approach for corporate development that is designed around job functions and departments as it focuses on management rather than leadership. Author Edward Lawler presents the "new logic" in six easy-to-understand principles for organizational redesign and a hands-on plan for putting them in place. Lawler draws upon real-world examples from Motorola, Home Depot, #M, and WalMart to illustrate how these new logical principles can affect positive change in streamlining company processes, improving customer service, boosting employee morale, tackling time-to-market issues, defining business strategies, and outlining mission statements. From The Ground Up is highly recommended reading for corporate managers at all levels of responsibility in today's highly competitive and global marketplace.
Book Description
How can managers discover, develop and implement successful business strategies for China and our global economy? Drawing on in-depth research with top executives of successful Chinese and Western companies, this book provides a road map for profitable business strategies in our interconnected economy. In the process, the authors describe and examine both Chinese and Western strategic management, their weaknesses and strengths. Starting with an analysis of the historical, cultural and legal antecedents of Chinese strategy, the authors identify potential for synergy and dominance between companies from Western, industrialized economies and Chinese companies. The book closes with recommendations on how the managements of non-Chinese companies, now pouring into China, can most effectively compete and interact with Chinese businesspersons and governments.
The Chinese Tao of Business offers guidance to compete successfully against local companies and in foreign markets through:
- Unique insights into Chinese bus iness strategy, including its origins and influencing factors;
- Insightful perspectives on the evolution of China’s market and business environments;
- Incisive analysis of Eastern and Western strategic decision-making styles and how they differ;
- Cogent identification of hidden and overt threats, pitfalls and opportunities that Western companies face in China and how to plan for them;
- Effective direction through an Adaptive-Action Road Map (ARM) for successful business strategies in China and the global economy.
Customer Reviews:
China looming.......2007-01-29
It took me a long time to get through it but I found it was worth the effort. In my business, it's important to keep abreast of what's happening globally and Haley came through. Very insightful.
Very timely book with contrarian perspective.......2006-05-01
So you are doing business in China and are spinning your wheels. You've read the culture and etiquette books and the ones on market potential. STOP! Read no further until you read the Chinese Tao. This unassuming (though not little) book packs a punch. If you want to make money in China as a private business, everything is conspiring you -- history, culture, laws and managers -- and mastering them, or atleast anticipating the punches, is key to success in China. A thoroughly enjoyable book, and Usha and George display wry humor through the sometimes weighty material. Recommended reading!
Well-written book which cuts wide swathe.......2006-04-16
I found this book very well-written, full of anecdotes and personal nuggets as well as statistical backing. In sum, it explained for me the contradictions, opportunities and pitfalls behind the "China miracle". I have read several books on China and I recommend this one over the rest.
A book of this kind is very difficult to write, as the authors chose to incorporate history, culture, modern business practices and the law (among other things!) to explain business success and failure in China. However, depsite their tall task, they did a good job. I especially liked the historical and political grounding combined with really fabulous personal interviews with CEOs. Some of the stories were fun (the golf story with Li Ka-Shing) and some were insightful (Pan Shi Yi's rise). I found the chapter on legal affairs in China useful but heavy going. However, regulatory risk is a big component of operating in China (just ask all those companies that have lost their patents there) and there is probably no "fun" way of communicating this. The authors' insights and recommendations were very useful.
This book should be read carefully and digested. I certainly do not advocate an overnight read (300+ pages!) but some chapters must absolutely be read before foriegners go to China -- and I think before the Chinese go abroad. George and Usha Haley have cut behind the hyperbole to reveal some very disturbing truths about this super power and the global business environment which it has changed for ever. More importantly, they have given us some ammunition to help us to control our destinies in this brave new world. A must read!
Dry textbook approach .......2006-04-15
I found some information useful and interesting. However, what was disappointing was the stilted writing of the authors. I often got the impression that they were too repetitive and presented the work as if it were an instructional manual. Also, there was the feeling that the book was edited in a cut and paste format. Overall, there were interesting anecdotes, but this book will never be a THE reference for foreigners trying establish businesses in China.
Serious book -- with a surprising twist.......2006-03-04
This is a serious book with some counter-intuitive conclusions. Logical, easy to read and based on a solid theoretical foundation - I recommend "chinese tao" heartily. At a minimum it will force you to think -- at its best it should bring about a serious retructuring of what it means for us to do business in China, and vice versa.
Book Description
This book is the first to interpret the InfiniBand specification as it applies to high-performance, inter-system I/O. From it, you get the knowledge and insight necessary to develop innovative solutions for system I/O and inter-process communication. The author guides you through the architecture, illustrating ways that you can implement and deploy InfiniBand-based products to relieve I/O bottlenecks.
InfiniBand Architecture Development and Deployment is for developers of software applications and server peripheral hardware as well as for senior Information Technology managers charged with data center management or planning for projects and capital equipment.
Average customer rating:
- Easy to understand the logic behind corporate strategy
- Crucial questions and the right answers
|
Strategic Logic
J. Carlos Jarillo
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Strategy & Competition
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Systems & Planning
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
All Deals
| Blowout Books
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Blowout Books
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1403912599 |
Book Description
Strategic Logic lays the foundations for a clear understanding of corporate profitability and provides the reader with innovative insights on how to develop original yet realistic strategies. Working with real-life examples and based on rigorous theory, the author analyses key managerial decisions and shows how to ensure these enhance the company's long-term profitability. Mergers and acquisitions are great opportunities for strategic development, but they can also destroy value. The author indicates how to judge on what side a specific case will fall.
Customer Reviews:
Easy to understand the logic behind corporate strategy.......2005-02-13
I really appreciate this book in order that it gives concrete expression to "strategy" in terms of corporate activities instead of explaining long and old boring meanings of this buzzword. I hope that we can see its edition soon in Turkish.
Worth to read it.
Crucial questions and the right answers.......2005-01-19
What I especially liked, was the easy way this book addresses key questions every organisation faces, and often choses the wrong answers to.
Often used buzzwords like "growth", "internationalisation" or "focusing on the core" are demystified and a sound logic behind such decisions is presented in a convincing way.
Simple criteria help avoid decision-taking against the "strategic logic" and thus destroying value. The book also reveals the most common mistakes and illustrates them with up to date examples.
Average customer rating:
- The best games bargain I know of
- Flawed masterpiece
- High hopes, high frustration
- Maybe too much breadth and not enough depth
|
100 Strategic Games
Walter Joris
Manufacturer: Carlton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Logic & Brain Teasers
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1842227270 |
Book Description
For all those who thought Tic-Tac-Toe or Battleships & Cruisers represented the outer limits of pen and paper games. This collection of 100 games will fill serious hours for years to come.
Customer Reviews:
The best games bargain I know of.......2004-01-27
This book just came today. I haven't read through all of it, but I can definitely say that it delivers what it promises. 100 strategic games for pen and paper. Only 1 or 2 rely on players hiding information from each other (such as a "Battleship" game, which isn't included here), and another 1 or 2 where the opponents have unequal powers (like "fox and geese", a version of which is included). The rest will appeal to players of PBEM abstract strategy games. Pen/Paper versions of Lines of Action, Fanorona, Halma, Blobs, Mancala and Connect 4 are all included, as well as many variations of Dots and Boxes--I've seen none of these anywhere else. And at the current price, it works out to a dime a game.
I agree the writing suffers from poor sentence construction. Worse, there are a handful of instances where the rules are not explicit enough. However, the gaps are so minor that you can come up with your own rule easily enough. What's important is the idea--that so many games can be played with paper and pen, with no erasing. Some of the original games might even be adapted to board play. Sid Sackson would have been happy to read this book, I think, and there should be more like it.
And if you're still not satisfied, it even comes with a few pages of graph paper.
Flawed masterpiece.......2003-11-18
A great book with many good games. However,as an experienced wargames player, I can see that the author is not familiar with writing good instructions or rules. I even suspect that his first language is not English. For example, he uses the word "randomly" to suggest that a player may place his mark anywhere on the board. Overall, still a very good book, comparable to that classic work - Sid Sackson's Gamut of Games.
Walter, in spite of my criticisms, yours is one of the best games books ever.
High hopes, high frustration.......2003-10-08
I had high hopes for this book, and indeed there are plenty
of interesting ideas here.
However, the descriptions of the games are brief to the point
of obscurity, and the few illustrations that accompany each
game are frequently inadequate.
One wonders if the book's editor actually tried to play
any of the games.
Maybe too much breadth and not enough depth.......2003-09-09
This book has the advantage of being perhaps the only book on its subject (as far as I know). And it has several other advantages as well. It's a great book to pick up and skim for just a few minutes (not that it can't be read for longer). It's also fun for repeat reading.
The primary disadvantage of this book is that I've noticed it seems to leave me wanting more after reading about each game. It really does move quickly--too quickly. Often I'm left wondering about a key detail of a game, or have trouble following a diagram, etc. Sometimes an important point or rule must be deduced from the other rules. Usually I have to read the description of the game and the diagrams several times. It's not so much succintness that makes it this way--that's always appreciated--as it is lack of detail.
In the end, I'm not sure I would rather have a few less games and (just a bit) more exploration for some of the best games. Still, this book will be one I'll enjoy for a long time. It is unique and well done, and thanks to the author for that. Hopefully we'll buy enough to encourage more volumes like this to come out.
Average customer rating:
|
100 Strategic Games For Pen And Paper
Walter Joris
Manufacturer: Carlton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Logic & Brain Teasers
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Racing
| Horses
| Individual Sports
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1844427242 |
Book Description
If you think that Tic-Tac-Toe or Battleships & Cruisers represent the outer limits of pen and paper games, think again: this collection of 100 games will help to fill your leisure hours for years to come. Most of the games described are brand new and invented especially for this book. Some are related to old favorites but reinvented so that they have become new games.
Product Description
Two adventures: 1. Alien Logic.
2. Leave Your World Behind.
Average customer rating:
|
Alpha: A Strategic Review
Cliff Leach
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Production & Operations
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
High-Tech
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Computer Design
| Microprocessors & System Design
| Hardware
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Microprocessors & System Design
| Hardware
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Microprocessor Design
| Microprocessors & System Design
| Hardware
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
PCs
| Hardware
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Hardware
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Oracle
| Databases
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Languages & Tools
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
| Applied
| Chaos & Systems
| Geometry & Topology
| Mathematical Analysis
| Mathematical Physics
| Number Systems
| Pure Mathematics
| Transformations
| Trigonometry
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0133279251 |
Average customer rating:
|
Arms Transfer to Israel: The Strategic Logic Behind American Military Assistance
David Rodman
Manufacturer: Sussex Academic Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Israel
| Middle East
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Relations
| International
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1845191781 |
Books:
- E-Commerce: Business, Technology, Society (3rd Edition)
- Elements of Forecasting (with InfoTrac 1-Semester, Economic Applications Online Product, Data Sets Printed Access Card)
- Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution
- Enterprise Services Architecture: Designing IT for Business Innovation
- Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
- Global Strategy (with World Map and InfoTrac )
- Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
- Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Accelerated Learning Handbook: A Creative Guide to Designing and Delivering Faster, More Effecti
- History: Fiction or Science
- Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey from Poverty to Megastardom
- Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land--From Russian Fur Traders to the Gold Rush, Extraordinary Railroads, Wor
- Derivatives Markets
- History: Fiction or Science
- Get Rolling, the Beginner's Guide to In-line Skating, Third Edition
- The SmartMoney Stock Picker's Bible
- Applied Environmental Economics: A GIS Approach to Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Dead Man's Touch
Understanding Terror Networks
Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror
Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror
Blowback, Second Edition: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire
Inside Terrorism
