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WOW... this book is AWESOME!! I am a police officer in upstate New York, and I am very impressed with John's way of telling his story. He gives great details, and it doesn't take much of an imagination to be taken away to the places in his book! I have always been interested in the New York State Police, and just wish I started my career earlier and became a Trooper!
I do wish I had the authors address, as I would very much like to contact him! [...]

I thoroughly enjoyed "One Cop's Story", John Briant showed me an 'inside look' at what life in the NY State Police was like in the middle of the 1900's when the State Police Barracks were called "Barracks" because that was actually where the troopers did most of there living. His portrail of this life in what now seems a by-gone age is a testament to the devotion and spirit of the troopers from the days of many years ago. And Mr. Briant doesn't sugar-coat any of it - he shares the good as well as the bad and together they weave into an excellent story of life on the Force. I truly enjoyed "one Cop's Story" and recommend it to all!

A candid portrayal of the author's 28 year career in the NYSP. A career often fraught with danger and full of personal obstacles but also a career of adventure, excitement and oftentimes humor. The reader will warm to John Briant's sincerity and warm personality. John Briant takes you on a tour of his life while modestly downplaying his often heroic achievements. I know because I worked with him. You will enjoy getting acquainted with this man who epitomizes your perception of what a Trooper should be. An enjoyable read.Wayne E. Beyea, author of "Fatal Impeachment."

One Cop's Story: A Life Remembered has reached and completed its fourth year on the market. It still is selling, especially to young men and women interested in the field of Law Enforcement. The book in its early publication almost made the national market, however it is still alive and well to those readers interested in the field and students participating in Criminal Justice Studies. Hardcovers and soft covers are still AVAILABLE.

Chalet Publishing announces the third printing of "One Cop's Story: A Life Remembered by John H. Briant. The book will be distributed by North Country Books, Utica, NY to regional booksellers. The book will be ready for sale in the middle of October. The reason for the reprinting is there have been numerous requests for this book.

Thank you,

The Publisher

Rivers is a wonderful author and I expected these books to be as good as her Lineage of Grace series. They were not quite there...

When I was a child, I became an avid reader when I picked up my first secular novel, and I was particularly facinated by historical novels because of my love for history. When I became a Christian, I was in such love with my Savior Jesus Christ that I couldn't get enough of Christian literature. I put aside novels for years. I never thought that there were good Christian novels available, except for romances and the like which only seemed to arouse in me sinful passions and desires. I ran across Francine Rivers somewhat inadvertently. It had been so long since I read a novel that I decided to try once more with "The Prophet." I read it within a week and was rushing to order another one. I was overwhelmed by her skill of writing. She intrigued every facet of my interests, from a good story, to a historical drama, to a Biblical edification. The focus of this book from start to finish was the awesome glory of God. I was in tears often. As the book begins, God's glory is demonstrated in a somewhat allegorical format as we are led along with Amos in the pastures of Tekoa where he shephered his flock. I saw Psalm 23 come alive and was deeply impressed by the gracious patience of my own Good Shepherd as I saw the parallels between the sheep of Amos and myself, as well the actions of Amos to Jesus Christ. Following Amos further through his life exhaulted the long-suffering love of God in bearing with the obstinent sin of His people, and yet His perfect justice to deal with unrepentent rebellion. Rivers' novel brought the Biblical book of Amos to life, which I read in the Bible at the same time. I would highly recommend this book. It is the best novel I have read.

You did a good job in getting the book out fast and it was what I wanted. The book is like brand new.

Thank You

God Bless

Char

The Prophet (Sons of Encouragement)Even if you are an avid student of the Bible, most of us don't spend the time it took Francine Rivers to get to know the prophet Amos. We might study the words he wrote but Rivers has brought the man to life. I came away from this novelette with a new appreciation for the calling that God has on a man's life and what path that might lead one on. Just as Amos was compelled to walk the chosen way that God lead him - so are we. I thank Francine Rivers for reminding me that I too must walk in love and obedience - no matter what the personal cost.

This was a great book! I was in the middle of another book when I got it, so I didn't get to read it right away and my husband started reading it. He loved it so much and I had to wait until he was done before I could start on it! And he never reads my books! But he finished it quickly, so I didn't have to wait long. :-)

This 690 pages book is the most comprehensive book I read on the subject. It provides detailed account of the background of the SALT treaties and the complete history of the soviet nuclear buildup. It is detailed enough to describe the complete process, from uranium processing to the MIRV and ballistic missiles deployment. Even, a table of all nuclear tests with every detail, an incredible sort of sometimes scary reality. Sharp pictures, accurate and exhaustive tables, this book is a reference. Russian references and identifications are provided, this is more accurate than NATO equivalences. It is to be read with 'The Kremlin`s nuclear sword, Zaloga', they complement each other.

Worth having in your library.

This book is really exciting to read. I have been trying to find a book on Soviet weapons for a while and came across this book. I must say I was amazed of the amount of content and detail included in this book. The book lists different strategic missiles from the very first ICBM to the latest model that was produced in the Soviet Union. The authors even lists different missile bases and production sites i.e. (closed cities) and warhead depositories, and the nuclear fuel cycle . Even though the Cold War is over I'm wondering if some of the material should still be classified.

This book goes through the early history of the production of missiles, naval fleets, information of strategic aviation sites and production facilites and locations. This book has a section on nuclear tests which lists nuclear explosions. It also describes the decision making process of the strategic nuclear forces in the event of a nuclear war. The chapter that was interesting was the "Strategic Defense" chapter which includes missile and space defense forces, antisatellite and space surveillance the Soviet version of the United States SDI program was interesting. Toward the end of this book includes the present state of Russian strategic forces.

I would recommend this book to anyone that's interested in soviet military thinking and the history of Soviet/Russian weapons systems. A great reference.

Pavel Podvig's Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces was initially available only in Russian, however when it was finally updated and released in English we received the absolute most authoritative and detailed report on the subject available in the civilian sector.

Podvig's effort is to be highly commended, as he has compiled an impressive amount of research, much of it relating to the technical side, though good write-ups and historical overviews are included. From R&D to production and finally deployment, every Soviet/Russian ICBM, SLBM and Strategic Bomber system is discussed in extensive technical detail, including such well researched and hard to find details such as Circular Error Probability of all Russian strategic systems.

The book is a heavy volume containing nearly 700 pages, none of it filler, so you can imagine the sheer amount of information in this volume for anyone interested in attaining a deeper understanding of the subject. Given the price, it really is a no-brainer. Furthermore Pavel Podvig maintains a frequently updated and detailed web site which continually adds newer information, essentially making this a "living research" project on the subject. You can locate his site here:

Seems Amazon edits out any links in reviews, so to try again Podvig's site can be found at russianforces.org

Once again, for the incredibly low price this book is offered at, you have nothing to lose, and a wealth of knowledge to gain.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Mr. Podvig, aside from being someone who has been won over by his dedication and research to the subject at hand.

Mr. Podvig's book, "Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces," is an excellent unclassified look into the world of Russian/Soviet nuclear weapons. The book covers weapon systems, facilities and nuclear tests since the dawn of their nuclear age. The diagrams and tables are clear and concise.

This book was very helpful in allowing an individual to quickly memorize (or 'compare and contrast') different missile ranges and warhead yields. Very useful if briefing American missile combat crews on potential nuclear threats, or if writing 'peace-nik' papers on the evils of nuclear weapons. Honestly, I don't care what your bent is - if you want to know about nukes, this book needs to be added to your library.

Nuclear forces, like other branches of the military, are divided into two categories: Tactical and strategic. Strategic division of the nuclear forces covers the armaments that have a wider scope of effect. These are the forces that have kept the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) balance between the superpowers so far. Strategic nuclear forces have air, land and submarine launch capability of nuclear warheads targeted for intercontinental targets.
This book covers every aspect of the Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces from the very beginnings up to post-Soviet restructuring. It covers detailed development phases of strategic bombers, land-based launch platforms and the submarine leg of the nuclear triad. There are detailed data on the organization of the nuclear command, early warning systems and launch protocols. There are also detailed data on the Soviet/Russian nuclear complex and their products. At the end of the book, there is a long list of the nuclear tests undertaken by Russia.
All in all, this book should be read and kept as a reference by all those who want to have a well-balanced look at the Russian Nuclear Strategic Command's capabilities and importance. Readers of this book will appreciate why the latest efforts by the United States for a missile defense system will be highly counter-productive.

Book arrived quickly and in shape described. I am very satisfied with the seller. Thanks.

In the last novella of the Sons of Encouragement series (the follow-up to her Lineage of Grace series), bestselling author Francine Rivers imagines the little-known life of Silas, one of the first Christians and the beloved traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.

Pulling from the biblical books of Acts, First Peter and Matthew, used as an outline for her novella, Rivers presents Silas as a rich and educated man who gives up everything for the early Church.

The novella opens with Peter and Silas --- his secretary --- fleeing Rome. Peter turns back at the last minute, leaving Silas to go on alone unwillingly. Tradition tells us that Peter is then crucified, upside down (having deemed himself unfit to die in the same way as Christ), and Rivers narrates the events through the grieving Silas's recollections. We also learn that Paul, Silas's travel companion for thousands of miles, has been beheaded. The apostles are scattered; many are dead.

Silas, as seen through Rivers's words, is a man broken by the loss of the giants of the Christian faith, burdened with the responsibility of safeguarding their letters, penned in scrolls, that someday would be the cornerstone of the New Testament text. He longs to join Peter in death: "To have an end of trials, an end to fear, an end to the attack of doubt when he least expected it." Silas is presented as a man tired, defeated and fighting an internal battle with discouragement and grief. Grudgingly obedient and desperately weary, he is determined to finish his task. And he comes to find that his task is to write of what he has seen and experienced while living in a small room in Puteoli. "Those I loved most dearly are not lost, only beyond my sight. I cannot give up! I cannot fail! I must go on!"

With time to rest and remember, Silas begins writing again. He talks of how he was at first put off by the company Jesus kept: lepers, women, the poor --- commoners. However, Silas had many questions about the Jewish Law and hoped that Jesus might be able to answer them. He also longed to see a miracle. Rivers recaps the biblical text about various events in Christ's life that Silas might have been witness to, including the call for Jesus to become king; Jesus defending the woman caught in adultery; Jesus teaching from a boat where the unruly crowd might better hear him; and Jesus explaining why it is right to "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." Rivers imagines Silas to be the rich young ruler who Jesus commands to give up his money and cannot. She also imagines him as one of the two men who walks with Jesus to Emmaus after His resurrection.

Several pages are taken up with recapping key events in the life of Christ through the eyes of Silas's recollections, followed by events from the book of Acts involving Saul's conversion to Paul, Silas's defense of the young John Mark, and the life of the early Church. Indeed, an over-reliance on scriptural retelling and less reliance on imagination of Silas's life makes the writing a little too familiar to those who have studied the scriptural text. Although there are some good imaginative stories, such as Paul and Silas falling into the hands of robbers, those who have read some of the great novels of the early Church, such as THE SILVER CHALICE or LION OF GOD, will wish for more embellishment and less adherence to straight scripture retelling. (Some scenes, such as Timothy's heroic decision to be circumcised as a young teen, which lend themselves to more exploration, are barely glossed over.) Those who want to revisit biblical events without too much embroidering of the details will find this book more satisfactory.

Readers will appreciate the Bible study section at the end of the book, which allows for greater exploration of the scriptural basis for the story and its application to Christians today.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

Rivers is a wonderful author and I expected these books to be as good as her Lineage of Grace series. They were not quite there...

Great writer. Brings the characters to life. Wonderful story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things with God's help. It shows that you don't have to be the wealthiest, most popular, or most intelligent for you to be used in an amazing way...even to the point of changing history!

The Scribe follows the journeys of Silas, the scribe who traveled with Paul and Peter. Along the way, it gives amazing insight into the lives and faith of early church believers and brings the New Testament to life.

This book is incredibly relevant to our lives today and made such an impact on me. So inspiring! I was in tears by page seven. It's easily one my favorites in this series (along with The Prophet) and from Francine Rivers in general. I didn't want the story to end, and I'm sure I will read it again. It made me eager to read the New Testament from beginning to end, and to live for Christ no matter the cost- a true mark of a great Christian book!

well written and entertaining. The story of a gutsy young woman who learns the art of couture on her own from the time of her running away from two babies and an unhappy marriage to her working in the dawn of the movie business in Hollywood. Sounds kind of lame but it isn't - it's saved by the writing from being a pot-boiler romance to the level of a good well-constructed novel. It shows her evolution in character and that's always a kick for me.

My first Erin McGraw book, and I'm now looking forward to reading her 3 previous ones. I love "rags to riches" tales...this one was rags to almost riches to an ending that I THINK was happy. I really cared for the main character, which can make or break a book for me.

It's rare that a novel which is considered "literary" is also a page-turner, but The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard definitely fits this bill. I finished this novel in just a couple of days because the main character seems so real. McGraw makes you feel as if you stepped inside Nell Plat's skin as she makes her harrowing life choices. Who wouldn't want to leave a hardscrabble Kansas farm for the bright lights of Hollywood? Nell's efforts at reinvention are more riveting than Madonna's, but this is no easy fairy tale, and her every move comes back to haunt her--especially when her abandoned daughters arrive at her doorstep! My only wish is that Nell could have attended at least one Hollywood premier, and that we, as readers, could have seen her tailor the costumes of some of the stars of her day, like Clara Bow or Errol Flynn. I would have loved to have seen Nell's reaction to the reality behind all the glitter! But no matter--stitch for stitch, The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard is a wonderful examination of our Amerian urge for self-determination, even when that means you have to wing it a little . . .

I took The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard on vacation with me, and devoured it whenever the rest of the group would allow me a few minutes privacy. McGraw's voice as Nell is flawless. I could see the characters, the places, and the action. This book will make a fine movie, provided the screenplay is as well-written as the novel.

This book was a welcome surprise to me. I loved it! I have never read this author's work before but now I want to read her other books. The story was engaging and pulled me in from the start. I enjoyed the rhythm of the writing and found the old Kansas farm dialect and characters completely believable. Fast forward to Hollywood and once again I wholly believed in the character - her mannerisms, speech, behaviors, decisions. Later in the book, after a lifechanging event happens to the main character, I had to make myself slow my reading - I naturally sped up because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I was sure that with each turn of the page something scandalous or shocking would happen. When subsequent major events occurred, I wasn't disappointed. I finished the book yesterday but find myself still thinking about it at work this morning. I definitely recommend this book!

Gumbel has run over the history of American electoral fraud, starting as early as 1788 and running through extensive discussions of the 2000 and 2004 elections.

On the way we learn about a number of fascinating scandals of the past, now largely forgotten, along with some that haven't been, such as the famous Tammany Hall gang that dominated New York City for a decade. Gumbel shows that, while big-city corruption got the publicity, elections in many rural areas were equally dirty. He also show how periodic concerns over ballot box stuffing have resulted in a numbr of reforms that, by making voting harder, have effectively lowered participation, which was once at around 80% of eligible voters, and now is sometimes below 50%. For instance, the secret ballot, by replacing earlier party-distributed ballots that had shown, by color and logos, which party they represented, had the quite intentional effect of disenfranchising many illiterate immigrants and former slaves. The practice of denying the vote to convicted felons even after completion of their sentence was invented entirely to prevent former slaves from voting, and is used to disenfranchise blacks to this day, as notably happened in Florida 2000.

Gumbel's discussion of the Florida crisis is useful, although I thought a little too hard on Gore. His discussion of Ohio 2004, which he feels was clearly a legitimate victory, although he does show the strong evidence of illegitimate means used to suppress the Kerry vote, is obviously unconvincing for many of his readers here. (It's interesting to note that, although the book really works not to be a partisan tract, the reviewers on Amazon seem to be overwhelmingly Democrats.)

The extensive discussion in this book of touch screen voting shows clearly how flawed the technology is in current form. He also adds a fascinating historical perspective by showing how past changes, earlier voting machines and punch card ballots, were promoted in their time as technological wonders which would eliminate corruption and make voting easier.

One thing that is very convincing indeed in this section is the discussion of how professional election administrators have repeatedly ignored, downplayed, or just flat lied about the flaws in technology they have committed taxpayer money to, both with e-voting and with previous technologies. I used to think that the professionals who explained how my fears of touch screen voting were groundless probably knew what they were talking about, since they worked with the systems so closely. I won't ever trust those quotes again after reading this book.

Gumbel's discussion of touch screen voting in other countries is also interesting, both for how he shows that such advanced nations as Venezuela do far better than the US at holding clean and reliable elections, as well as some anecdotes showing that American voting equipment companies have just as doubtful a record overseas as they do at home. This section will give you the mild relief of knowing that the way they're screwing up our elections is (probably) more a matter of corporate greed and incompetence than a deep conspiracy to install permanent right-wing government by fixing elections.

Steal This Vote is a fascinating book whose interesting premise is unfortunately marred by a boring and choppy writing style. Gumbel's accusations, arguments and images are stirring and rather frightening; the fact that elections have been stolen for the last two hundred years isn't exactly encouraging to those supporting election reform. He paints a very clear picture of each point in election-stealing history, from the early days of the Republic to Chicago's Daley machine to the 2000 and 2004 debacles. Each shocking detail comes out fast and harsh, which is alarming (as it should be) for the first few chapters, but then soon becomes repetitive and tiring. That doesn't keep the whole story from enlightening the reader, however. Even if I struggled to get through this book, I learned the history of elections in this country and how they are taken for granted and are almost never clean. And though I am constantly distressed by the American population's election habits, Gumbel's suggestions for reform are reasonable goals for which I will fight to the end. With some more editing, perhaps a new edition of this book could be more easily read, and I think it should be read. This population is too ignorant of its system's workings; if the people knew that their perfect democracy is not so perfect, there would be hell to pay, and then there may at last be change.

One would have thought that of all the boring topics that an author could select, the mechanics and history of the secret ballot in the world's pre-eminent democracy should have been close to the top. But far from it, Mr Gumbel has documented and told a quite extraordinary and at times amazing tale. Whether he is right in every detail I have no idea but either way it ought to have every US citizen asking some very tough questions. Politics can be a venal game but surely the actual electoral process itself ought to be above question. Sadly it seems in the USA it's not.

I was really impressed with this book. This is an incredibly important topic, and the author is so immensely knowledgeable, and his handling of the material is so comprehensive and fair, that by the end, I felt closer to grasping what's been going on with American politics than ever before. It turned my perception of the whole voting process in America completely around (I really never suspected it was THIS bad). If you have any interest at all in politics (and if you don't, well, you might be past saving), you should read this, and pass it along, and talk about it. It's an eye-opener. And so entertaining! I laughed out loud several times, and throughout, I felt that the author was presenting really substantial, weighty information in an appealing, witty style. (It's a fun book to cart around, too -- about 15 people stopped me and asked me about the book after glimpsing the title.)

The election travesties of 2000 and 2004 left me angry and disgusted. I'm still angry and disgusted about those events and their conduct, but after reading Gumbel's book, I've softened my impressions a bit and redirected the focus of my ire and disgust. It's clear to me now that no American political party has ever seriously objected to election theft as long as the result was victory. Since achieving honest elections has never been an honest goal (except temporarily for the losers), a party in power has never had genuine interest in realizing honest results! So, here we are.
I shouldn't be surprised at all that, but Gumbel's detail, clarity and focus make me wonder why I'm so late coming to the full realization table.
Gumbel provides clear insight. Nevertheless, the reader is left to judge for himself what all this says about the alleged state of democracy in the U.S.A., past and present.

John Lewis Gaddis is probably the foremost historian of the Cold War.

Strategies of Containment provides a complete basic overview of the subject of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. It is specifically a history of the U.S.'s containment policy toward the Soviet Union and the Communist-bloc and its evolution over time.

It begins with U.S. diplomat George Kennan's famous memomorandum or "long telegram" from the Soviet Union which provided the guide for interpreting the intentions of the Soviet that was used by the State Department and the Executive Branch in formulating U.S. foreign policy towards the Soviet Union and the Communist-bloc nations - especially during the early stages of the Cold War. If a U.S. foreign service officer or other U.S. official wanted to understand the Soviet Union's foreign policy or history and the considerations which would impact the Soviet leadership's behavior - he or she was directed to read it.

The initial assessment by Kennan and his subsequent use of the term "containment" in a Foreign Affairs magazine for the first time, was controversial and volumes have been written on what he meant.

His approach basically was to advise against a wholesale reordering of the world order based on U.S. values which would cause consternation in the Soviet leadership and trigger Soviet defensive diplomatic (and potentially more drastic measures) in opposing the new international framework.

Kennan wanted diversity in the international system, to allow the Soviet Union to participate within it, and not undermine or be alienated from it, and thus transformed by it over time. The history of the Soviet Union's participation in the UN and its institutions confirms his analysis.

Kennan initially argued for a particularist approach as opposed to a universalist approach. He also argued for strong point as opposed to wide-scale perimeter opposition to expanding Soviet spheres of influence.

Kennan's writings set the stage for an interpretation of Soviet behavior and intentions. He studied Soviet and Russian history and knew that the Soviet Union would seek to build buffer zones between it and any potential adversary. The Napolean invasion, Germany's invasion, etc. as well as the Crimean War, and the Russo-Japanes War of 1905, and the U.S. and European intervention in the Russian civil war, all shaped the Soviet leadership's thinking.

Kennan wanted to restore a balance of power at the interface between the East and West in the European theater as well as in Asia, but without contesting every Soviet move for influence along its borders and without alienating the Soviet Union from the new international order.

Truman subsequently instituted a policy review process that led to NSC-68 which expressly stated that the U.S. policy was to promote U.S. values of freedom and human dignity. Containment then moved into the shape of a perimeter-type defensive strategy in which Soviet moves on its periphery for political and military influence was to be contested.

The book then describes U.S. national security policy and how U.S. containment evolved over time into Eisenhower's "New Look" policy in which no further Soviet expansion of its power into other nations was to be uncontested and then later into "flexible response" under Kennedy and Johnson and then detente under Kissinger.

The book is an excellent introduction to the Cold War, the U.S. policy of containment and its evolution.

This book show us the strategies of Containment in the Cold War Era; an important beginning had been made with the Truman Doctrine and the Containment thesis, which established a defensive position holding back Soviet expansionism.
In 1947 the US had an exclusive monopoly on the ultimate weapon, the atomic weapon, and this monopoly should be used -the bomb "makes politically possible....the domination of the world by a single sufficiently large state". The architect of containment was George Frost Kennan, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War.
He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers. The NSC-68, the most important of all Cold War documents, was "a plan of military rearment and development is at present going forward". It's the central document of the Cold War that transformed containment into a global crusade. Approved by Harry Truman in April 1950, it still lacked Congressional funding and support, and Truman was too weak a president to push it throught in the absence of a major crisis.
It would have been interesting if the author of the book had also used an approach from the Soviet point of view, as well as one in the West and the United States. In addition, Henry Kissinger has been widely studied and detailed, but it seems that is not mentioned in the book the figure of the first Secretary of State of the Nixon presidency, William Rodgers.

Now in a revised edition, Strategies Of Containment: A Critical Appraisal Of American National Security Policy During The Cold War is a revised and expanded edition of Bancroft Prize winner and Cold War expert John Lewis Gaddis' classic on understanding the history of containment as a policy, its role in bringing the Cold War to an end, and its possible value or pitfalls in the future. Originally published during the Regan presidency when the Soviet Union was still a superpower, Strategies Of Containment includes a greatly expanded chapter on Reagan, Gorbachev, and the completion of containment, as well as a new epilogue. A welcome scrutiny of history with the advantage of post-Cold War hindsight.

This book is still useful even 20 years after publication. Gaddis view US policy toward the USSR as a pendulum that swings between"symmetrical" and "asymmetrical" approaches. The periods are split into: Kennan's original containment, NSC-68, Eisenhower's "New Look", JFK and Nixon's détente. There is a coda covering Carter, but it is less helpful.

The symmetrical approach confronts the USSR wherever the USSR chooses to probe. In this approach, wherever the Soviets seek to advance is, by their very actions, a US interest. In contrast, the asymmetrical view seeks to identify those areas that are inherently vital US interests and protect those.

The first seeks to build a fence (containment) around the Soviets. The second approach builds its fences around US interests and lets the USSR do what it wants - within reason - elsewhere. Heck, why let them do that? The answer is "means." Gaddis stresses the point that US means are not unlimited. The US must balance means and ends and this leads to the pendulum swings.

The reasons I do not give the book the last star are: It does not cover the Carter-Reagan-Bush era and Smith over draws the magnitude of the swings. The book makes it sound like there were tremendous differences between the various administrations and does not pay enough attention to the essential consistency of US Cold War strategy. Smith acknowledges this in a retrospective on his own book available at the Hoover Institute web site.

Strategies of Containment, by John Lewis Gaddis, is a description of the evolving strategy of containment that was the basis of US policy toward the Soviet Union from 1946 through 1989. Gaddis traces the concept of containment from its inception by George F. Kennan through the modifications applied by five administrations and assesses the strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness of each version. This book is more than another chronology of the cold war; it provides deep insights into strategic thinking and is essential reading for any serious student of the cold war. Here's a brief summary:

Kennan's Original Doctrine of Containment

* Identify and defend vital interests based on the centers of industrial strength - Britain, Western Europe, Japan -don't try to defend the entire world.
* Use all instruments of power: economic, diplomatic, political, and cultural power as well as military power. Rebuilding the economic vitality of the above areas is a high priority.
* Seek to divide the communist world. Our primary adversary is the Soviet Union. Other communist countries, if not actively supporting Soviet policy, may be led to serve as quasi-allies by depriving the Soviets of their support.
* General war with the Soviets is unlikely, so we can afford to take risks. We can limit our defense spending and not try to defend the world. A point defense of our vital interests is probably adequate.
* Define threats in light of US vital interests, not in terms of Soviet capabilities

Truman and NSC-68

* The policies articulated in NSC-68 moved toward a perimeter defense covering the entire world rather than a point defense of vital interests.
* Primary emphasis was switched to military power and to the entire spectrum of war
* US interests were redefined in response to perceived threats (anything that is threatened must be an interest).
* US strategy became based on a symmetric response to threats - responding in the same time, place, and with the same means as the adversary (e.g., the Korean War).

Eisenhower, Dulles, and the New Look

* Eisenhower's guiding philosophy was that defense is not just defeating the enemy - it is the preservation of our economic and political systems.
* Spending too much on defense could destroy these systems by leading to either inflation or the imposition of autocratic controls. He reduced the defense budget by 33% from Truman's last year and held it at about that level for eight years.
* Alliances relied on allies for ground forces with the US providing Air and Naval support.
* The nuclear threat became the cornerstone of deterrence across the spectrum of conflict - with goal of avoiding war - in belief that any war was all too likely to escalate to nuclear.
* Asymmetric response to threats - response need not be in same place or using same methods as Soviet threat
* Anti-colonial Conundrum: The communists are fomenting wars of national liberation while the US is trying to rebuild Europe (the colonial powers). If the US backs decolonization, it undermines the European allies it is trying to rebuild. If the US backs the colonial powers, it loses any chance of support from the colonies. The Soviets really put us in a no-win position on this issue.

Kennedy, Johnson, and Flexible Response

* Kennedy and Johnson return to NSC-68 reasoning by lowering threat of nuclear response and replaced it with flexible response, requiring a direct, symmetric response to threats - a respond in same time and place using the same means.
* These administrations applied a circular logic: Threats create interests which demand responses which require capabilities even where no interest previously had been identified. This was articulated in the "bear any burden, pay any price" rhetoric.
* This strategy necessitated greater reliance on military response versus economic, political, etc which increased demands on the defense budget.
* Kennedy abandoned Eisenhower's commitment to a balanced budget and relied on Keynesian fiscal policy to stimulate the economy. Spending was predicated on the potential of the economy rather than its actual performance. Lack of budgetary constraints led to inability to prioritize, to distinguish the essential from the peripheral, the feasible from the infeasible which encouraged more "bear any burden, pay and price' reasoning because it wasn't real money.
* Flexible response led to graduated escalation in Viet Nam which became "never enough to defeat the enemy, just enough to prolong the war". Stakes were repeatedly raised to prevent the humiliation of a defeat but this only made the eventual defeat more humiliating.
* Calibrated escalation yielded the initiative to the enemy - allowed him to define the terms of conflict. Deterrence can be made effective only if the adversary can be made to doubt that he can retain control of the situation. Taking the nuclear option away encouraged adversaries to call our bluff.

Nixon, Kissinger and Détente

* Nixon and Kissinger moved the US government from a bi-polar to a multi-polar world view by positing the existence of five significant power centers: US, USSR, Western Europe, China, and Japan. They recognized that these five power centers were far from equal. Only the US and USSR were superpowers able to exert substantial influence via military, economic, political, or diplomatic means. This strategy was a return to the balance of power envisioned by Kennan.
* In the military arena, they focused on sufficiency rather than superiority over the Soviet Union and sought to persuade Brezhnev that a similar policy would be in his country's best interest as well. Sufficiency won the logical argument over superiority because the latter invariably provoked the other side into matching every military advance, producing and endless and unwinnable arms race.
* Conceptually, Kissinger and Nixon changed the country's strategic definition of US interests and threats to those interests. For most of the interval between Kennan and Nixon-Kissinger, the US strategic view had started with the USSR, its capabilities and intentions, then identified the impact these capabilities could have. These impacts became viewed as threats and US interests were defined as anything thus threatened. Nixon and Kissinger reversed the logical flow, much as Kennan did, starting with the identification of US interests, independent of any adversary. They then identified as an adversary an entity with capability and intent to harm these interests.
* Again returning to Kennan's approach, Nixon-Kissinger sought to use negotiations to influence Soviet behavior. They took a long-term approach to negotiations, discarding the tendency of previous administrations from Roosevelt on to use negotiations and agreements with the Soviets for domestic political purposes. They discarded the approach of seeking agreements on specific areas where they could be reached and adopted a strategy of linkage - maintaining that Soviet unwillingness to negotiate in good faith on military and strategic issues of importance to the US would result in US refusal to accommodate Soviet desires for economic and trade relations and recognition of the post war division of Europe.
* The next step in the Nixon-Kissinger strategy was to seek an accommodation with China to reduce US-Chinese tensions and, thereby, free China to take a more assertive stance in its own dealings with the USSR. This was a return to Kennan's goal of dividing communism and redefined our prime enemy as the Soviet Union

Reagan

Reagan continued the return to Kennan's original concept of containment:
* Adopt an asymmetric strategy - don't let the enemy determine the time, place, and terms of conflict
* Apply economic, political, diplomatic, and moral power more than military power. A prime example was his Berlin speech: "Mr. Gorbachev! Tear down this wall!" He put the Soviets in the same kind of no-win position that they had inflicted on Eisenhower over colonialism in the 1950s by setting the Eastern Europeans at odds with the Kremlin.
* He recognized that Soviet system was bankrupt financially, intellectually, morally and turned up the pressure until it collapsed.
* Reagan was also lucky. Kennan had hoped to transform the Soviet Union with the help of a new generation of Russian leaders. Gorbachev turned out to be the leader Kennan had hoped for. He and Reagan together ended the cold war and transformed the Soviet Union from a totalitarian system to one that might have evolved into a more liberal one had the 1991 coup d'état not destroyed it first.

Take a look at the cover photo of this book, and the inside content becomes apparent. You can see people, who are now branded as terrorists, were, at one time, chief guests in the White House.

This book carries some of Eqbal Ahmad's writings and transcripts of lectures on various international conflicts including US-Afghanistan and India-Pakistan. This book does a good job of exposing US Govt's hypocrisy and its unilateral goal of furthering only its own interests at the expense of everything and everyone in this world. It also tells you why and how the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts erupted, and why they have only worsened ever since they began. There's a brief discussion on the Kashmir issue as well. I wish it carried more details. Overall, this book presents to its readers a brief but accurate insight into the most prominent present day international conflicts.

Do not think that if you are not interested in international politics, you may find this book boring. Due to its concise nature, this book is very much readable and comprehensible to all. I say it is a "must-have" for every American, because it will tell them what their politicians haven't. US is the only country that, since its birth, has been at war every single day of the year at some place on this earth. It is mind-boggling to imagine what kind of wealth its people would have amassed if the same trillions of dollars that have been cumulatively spent on mindless killing of people and building nuclear weapons that will never be used, had been just distributed in cash to its citizens. It is no wonder that Eqbal Ahmad's words carried a great deal of truth. Why else would the CIA send its operatives to his house at night to threaten him if he didn't shut up? Eqbal was however up to the challenge, and told them to pack-off immediately since he was acting only in accordance with the US constitution, which says - "No taxation without representation". He said that since his views were not represented by the policies of the US Govt even though he paid taxes, he had every right to protest.

That was Mr Eqbal Ahmad, a foremost authority on international conflicts, alongside, I would say, Noam Chomsky. Do not miss this book. It is worth a thousand times its cover price. After reading this book, I can assure, you will be only egged on to read his other detailed books.

Now, if this only came with crayons and pictures to color in, it might attract the attention of those who really need a crash course in terrorism. To the point, devine intervention happens to other people, but the self-righteousness of powerful America is what makes it so hypocritical. Unfortunately, I expect this primer to be as relevant for decades to come, so let's hope it doesn't go out of print.

Wonderful prescient, but all too brief. Serves as a good introduction to the ideas of the dear departed Ahmad who would be a valuable contributor to the worldwide debate on what exactly consititutes terrorism. The way he shows that the term "terrorism" is construed to eliminate any links to state-sponsored violence and torture demands our attention and respect. This is a courageous and intelligent book.

From the perspective of someone from South Asia (Ahamd was from Pakistan), this book looks deeper at this thing called terrorism.

There are several aspects to the official approach to terrorism. First, terrorists change. Yesterday's terrorist is today's freedom fighter, and vice versa. Second, there seems to be no such thing as an "official" definition of terrorism. Explanations are designed to arouse our emotions, instead of stimulating our intelligence. Third, government officials may not be able to define terrorism, but they know that it must be stamped out worldwide.

Fourth, it's supposedly possible to tell the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. Fifth, the official approach ignores the causes of terrorism. Cause? What cause? Sixth, the moral revulsion against terrorism needs to be selective. Terror from disapproved groups needs to be strongly condemned, but terror from allies or approved groups can be ignored.

Why do groups commit terrorist acts? Getting their grievances heard through regular channels hasn't worked, so, to them, terrorism is the only way to be heard. Terrorism is an expression of anger and helplessness, and also a sense of betrayal. Through the spread of modern technology and communications, terror has become globalized. Everyone is a target.

The author recommends several approaches for America. Stop with the double standards. Don't condone some terrorism, and condemn others. In the present situation, such an approach will not work. Also, America should actually consider the causes of terrorism. It's a political problem; seek a political solution. The author also recommends reinforcing the framework of international law. Try going through the International Court of Justice.

This is an excellent book. It's short, and written from a non-American perspective. It does a fine job looking at the background behind terrorism, and it's well worth reading.

This book affirms that American foreign allies are classified on whether their own goals converge or diverge from our own.

During the 1970's and 1980's we had partnered with Saddam, deciding that he was a 'brutal dictator' only when his objectives no longer echoed American public policy priorities.

Similarly, the people whom the State department now identifies as being 'dangerous' were at one point benign or even considered beneficial---because they had then supported our world view. It is critical and sobering to wonder who is organizing outside of today's policymaker scrutiny.

Regardless of the administration, such relationships of convenience are THE rule in international relations. America talks a good deal about wanting to respect human rights, but the real world often facilitates less stringency.

I completely enjoyed reading this book. The author does an excellent job of writing about real events and what he learned from each one. As a fellow firefighter, I have to say that I've been through a lot of the same experiences and have come to some of the same conclusions. You may find some of the philosophical discussions distracting, but they are presented well and are integral to the book. I would recommend this book for any firefighter or firefighter family!

This is a good book on Volunteer Firefighters. My husband chuckled everytime he read an anecdote that reminded him of his volunteer fire department over the last 25 years.

This is a great book, I live about 15 miles from his volunteer Fire house, and I am a volunteer fire fighter myself. I just became a volunteer about 2 months ago, and so far my fire house and his seem very a like. This book, lets the world know what goes on in a small town volunteer fire departments like my own. Perfect book, describes everything in great detail, and is a great read, I could not put it down.

I highly recommend Dr. Frank's book as it shows us so adroitly how each of us can gain wisdom and love for our fellow man through service to our community. It is also a great tribute to the firefighters and EMTs across the country who keep us safe every day and night (with no holidays off). I would expect that the average firefighter, if there is such a thing, is not likely to write a book about his experiences. Dr. Frank, an outsider like ourselves when he joins their ranks, carries us into their world and helps us see what these amazing people do and why they do it.

As an attorney who first became a volunteer firefighter at the tender age of 45, I found this book to be a great read. I have used it as a way to try to explain to others (my family, mostly) why someone my age would become a volunteer. I found the book to be well written, enlightening, and best of all, funny. I highly recommend it.

Together: A Novel of Shared Vision
I found the book to be uplifting and inspiring. I know alot about guide dogs and their ability to assist those who are not sighted, but it is wonderful to read a story that gives so much background and talks about the difficulties both dog and new master have in adjusting to one another.
A nice book to read when one is feeling a little down!

Wonderful touching book. Would highly recommend it to anyone. Gave me an insight into the world of guide dogs and their trainers and owners.

The book drew my attention because I retired after years as a National Park Ranger and more years as a wilderness specialist, concluding my career working for access to wilderness and the back country for persons with disabilities. We were also "puppy raisers" for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Our best friend has also traveled with us, around the U.S. and abroad, with her dog guide. The story does an excellent service in giving those who have NOT had experience with disability or service animals, exposure to the fantastic love, intelligence, and unlimited promise, of these "best friends". For those learning to adopt to a disability, it also offers not just sentimental "hope", but a very real introduction to how the world will change, NOT end, for those who must adapt. Sullivan and White also show that dog may really be "God" spelled backward. I recommend the book. Having spent years in search and rescue, the two important "drama points" of the book regarding mountaineering also serve as proof that even "experienced" people do some dumb things they should NOT when dealing with the mountain. So even those "able bodied" folks heading for the hills can take away a lesson in what NOT to do.

This book had some good tips for dog training and was easy and fun to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was especially interested in not only the technology that is available to the blind, but also the different activities they are still able to do. Being "inside" the dog's mind was an interesting perspective. I could almost feel the anguish that both the man and the dog went through, as well as the triumph. I stayed up until 1:30 AM to finish it. I am going to read it again before I pass it on to the next reader.