Policy Books

This is an outstanding book for understanding why the US military has such problems with confronting insurgency. Counterinsurgency is never easy, but the US has proved monumentally incompetent across generations of command. The book's thesis is that bad counterinsurgency doctrine made a successful intervention in Vietnam impossible, and that the conflict was lost as soon as it began.

The most crucial misconception is that there is no such thing as an organic, self developed insurgency. Insurgency was seen as the policy of a foreign nation seeking to intervene within a country, likely as a prelude to invasion. Insurgencies were dependent on foreign support for supplies, bases and command. Combatting an insurgency required severing the link between the foreign support and the insurgents.

Related to this was a belief that light military pressure, or even just the presence of US forces could compel the withdrawl of insurgent support, because such a presence would signify US resolve to oppose an invasion or intervention.

The application of this logic led to a dynamic where the US pressured North Vietnam in retaliation for VC attacks. North Vietnam interpreted that pressure not as a response to it's own policies but as a direct attack upon it's existence. Consequently it increased rather then decreased supplies and support for the VC, ultimately sending not just supplies but regular troops. In essence the US created exactly the scenario it's policies were intended to prevent.

That this is happening again in Iraq and Iran suggests too few people in command read this book.

I had the great privilege of taking many of Dr. Cable's classes while I was at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Dr. Cable is a true gift to the historical field. His courses were difficult, but his amazing story-telling ability shines both in class and in both of his books (conflict of myths and unholy grail). While reading his books, I can actually still hear his delivery and cadence. As we go further into a time when local squabbles and terrorists will engage the attention of our foreign policy, his writings and experiences are all the more appropriate.

Dr. Larry Cable's experience and intellectual appraisal for the counterinsurgency role of the U.S. armed forces in Southeast Asia are placed into perspective. While not completely supporting all U.S. activities regarding the reduction of irregular forces, Cable examines the reality on the ground that was the wake-up call for American military leaders in Vietnam. An extremely effective and important book that should be read as much for the intellectual value as the historical value.

This book analyzes how the US came to adopt the policy of using conventional tactics to fight the insurgency in Vietnam. It provides a great analysis of the American way of conducting war and gives examples of attempts to fight the war in other means. Author has/had first hand knowledge of what was going on behind the scenes in the 60's. This book is required reading at many military schools which realize our past failures and are trying to teach current military personnel how to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

This book details the rise of the adult literacy field--more money, more legislative interest, more advocacy, since A Nation At Risk. Demetrion sparks interest through inclusion of ongoing list serv debates from the National Institute for Literacy list servs. Those involved in this field (as I am) care passionately about giving a boost to low literate adults through classes and methods that increase their skills. Coming as it does during the culture wars, much of the debate is political--from the goals for adult literacy, to curriculum, to ultimate purposes: democratic access to printed documents and laws, or utilitarian focus on job skills. This book should appeal especially to those who look at the world through a political lens.

Demetrion offers us a genealogy of and emerging, conflicted and underfunded literacy field over the past 30 plus years. It is a Genealogy, rather than a history because Demetrion doesn't just offer a chronological list of events, but rather describes the contest between conflicting forces that shaped those events. Demetrion also relates conflicts of assessemnt and accountability, and an attempt by the "Equipped for the Future" project to create a middle ground view on assessemnt and pedagogy for the field. Finally Demetrion offers a possible vision for the field grounded in American democratic founding principles.

The book is a must for literacy students, workers, and anyone interested in becoming familiar with the field. It is not an easy book, requiring time and effort. But it is purposeful, well organized, thought provoking and a satisfying read. It is also instructive about pedagogy, assessment and it has a very strong Dewey inclination.

The book was interesting and very helpful. He went into enough detail so that I understood the background and history so that his conclusions made a lot of sense.

This historical review of adult education over the last 20 years provides a convincing argument for a stronger commitment to democracy in society-at-large. The audience is adult educators, educational policy makers, legislators, college students, and librarians.
Adult literacy has become hostage to a workforce model. Librarians who work with literacy providers may wonder why literacy is not a central policy focus. In George Demetrion's clear and insightful book, Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education: In Quest of a U.S. Democratic Politics of Literacy, the workforce readiness model prevalent in the U.S. is explained. I have found this approach inimical, for the most part, to the librarians' commitment to human capabilities. Demetrion helps us all to learn that there are alternative models and gives us the intellectual tools to implement them-- if we have the will.
I will be using this text as recommended for my classes on adult lifelong learning.

Topical essay collections are often a hit or miss proposition since the essays can appear dated by the time they are re-published in collection form. Yet somehow, writing about the Middle East never seems irrelevant no matter how much time has passed. This is true of Saul Singer's new book. Singer, Jerusalem Post editorial writer and columnist has collected much of his writings for the Post between the year 1998 and the summer of 2003, particularly those concerning the war on terrorism being fought and faced by both the United States and Israel. Singer contends this is the same war and I agree with him. The essays, most of which are unsigned editorials Singer penned for the Post and a number of which are from his weekly column "Interesting Times", are arranged largely, though not totally chronologically and each one is proceeded by an introduction written by Singer this summer, before the book was published. These introductions create a cohesiveness of the essays by tying them to current conditions. For example, on many occasions, post 9/11, the Post was critical of what it saw as American equivocation on Palestinian terrorism. In a number of his introductions to editorials of this nature, Singer acknowledges where his assumptions turned out to be pre-mature or mistaken.

Taken together the book is a striking history of the major issue of Islamic fascism facing Israel and the world since Sept. 2000. Looking back at these events reminded me of many things I had forgotten. It is always useful to go back and examine events one lived through since the perspective is very different when one has knowledge of the future.

From my perspective Singer, an American who made aliyah a number of years ago, is a centrist, which is to say he would give up land to create a Palestinian state if he thought such a state would live peacefully with Israel. But like much of today's "neo-cons", Singer believes that Israel must win the war in which it is engaged just as the United States must. He is scornful of Israel and American "elite" which try to appease the terrorists. It should also be noted that Singer is a firm believer in the free market and many of his editorials have called for serious economic reform of the Israeli economy, which is still essentially socialist.

All in all this book is a must read for anyone interested in a sensible review of the events affecting the peace of Israel and the United States over the past three years. And the Jerusalem Post is a must read for anyone looking for sensible commentary on the current world scene.

Covering the Palestinian/Arab war against Israel from 1997 to the present day, a writer for the Jerusalem Post presents here a series of essays that should be mandatory reading for anyone with the remotest interest in the Middle East.

The book covers a whole series of issues relating to the so called "peace process" which cannot all be addressed within the space of a review. One of the principal issues covered in this work is the ongoing construction of the so called "security wall/fence" along the boundaries of Judea/Samaria (West Bank) etc.. The "security wall/fence" being cited in the book as really being "constructed" by the Palestinians and not by the Israelis, with an elaboration being made that the structure only came into being following the many thousands of Palestinian terrorist attacks upon Israelis. Further amplification being made that if the Palestinian leadership fulfilled their requirement under the so called "road map" in disarming and disbanding the Palestinian terrorist groups then the "security wall/fence" would be irrelevant in any case.

Further to the "peace process" itself the book describes the European Union as largely taking the Palestinian side in the conflict and that a refusal to label the Palestinians as the "aggressors" has made the conflict virtually impossible to end by providing an "inbuilt incentive" for Palestinians to restart hostilities as soon as any "talks" break down. This is discussed in some detail. Reference is made to the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, or anyone else in authority, having given no indication whatsoever of being prepared/willing to confront Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups. The latter shown to be allowed to operate freely by the Palestinian leadership within all the Palestinian autonomous areas.

Page 136 discusses the attitude depicted within these Palestinian groups where they claim a right to "retaliate" after Israel kills what is termed as one of their "terrorist masterminds" responsible for attacking Israelis etc.. The book discusses the matter at length and describes the underlying attitude of the Palestinian terrorist groups as being of "schoolyard logic" which cries "it all started when he hit me back".

The book makes a number of comparisons between Israel's "war against terrorism" and the parallel "war against terrorism" of the US. Both are described as facing the same enemy with the same strategy. The US & Israel both also depicted in the book as being at the receiving end of what the same "jihad" & an expansionist war by militant Islam that cannot tolerate any form of non-Islamic power.

Having said that, at the beginning of the book the writer describes his first visit to the US following the September 11th terrorist attacks and goes to some length to describe his shock at a fundamental difference in the society of both nations. The book recounts astonishment at the number of US civilians at outdoor cafes and shopping malls without the presence of any noticeable security guards checking people at the entrances etc.. Something described as a far cry from Israel's stringent, ever present security measures, which are depicted as an almost unnoticed part of everyday life in the Jewish state. The shock at the lack of such measures in the US being illustrated as an "almost reckless form of freedom". The book not decrying the situation in the US but just using this as an example of how terrorism has affected two nations in a different manner at the present time, as if the respective peoples currently live in "different worlds".

This is an extremely interesting, composed, well written, incisive study into the common threats facing the US, Israel and the West, as well as an informed insight into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Highly recommended. Thank you.

This book is a collection of many of Saul Singer's columns and editorials for the Jerusalem Post.

One might think that there would be little for him to say. After all, Israel is a small nation. What it does probably isn't very important. Even if it were to do something drastically different, such as giving away most of its land, or starting a war with a neighbor, or forming a military alliance with Syria, one might wonder why that would be interesting. Worse, Israel's options are heavily constrained: it is unlikely to do much of anything at all.

Nevertheless, there's still quite a bit of value in these articles. For one thing, while Israel's options may be limited, it's still worth trying to keep track of what is happening in the region and in the world. A second point is that much of what is written about Israel is intentionally inaccurate, misleading, or simply thoughtless. It's good to have someone around to provide some accuracy and clarity. Finally, many of the problems we see in the Levant have larger implications, and this makes what Singer writes important for everyone.

One theme of Singer's is the folly of "evenhandedness." That is, the European Union tends to support the Arabs in their war against Israel. The United States purports to be a fair and honest broker that can bring peace to both sides. Singer points out more than once that this doesn't work. A neutral approach towards ending fights favors bullies. After all, if the aggressor and the victim are to be treated equally, why not be an aggressor? And this is in fact one of the reasons that we don't have serious progress towards peace between Israel and the Arabs.

I liked the variety of subjects that Singer addressed and found his views thoughtful and interesting. I recommend his book.

I read many of the pages of this book in the Jerusalem Post where Saul Singer has both a weekly column, and often writes the editorial page. He is very insightful on the whole subject of the Terrorist war now being waged against Israel. And he understands very well the kinds of media - bias Israel continually faces. He is a very sane and balanced writer, a rationalist who builds his arguments carefully. He is also it can be seen a decent person motivated not by hatred of the ' enemy' but by a strong desire to find a way toward peace in a better Middle East. American born he too has a good insight into the political realities of the world's single superpower and of the US- Israel relationship. There is much to be learned from reading this excellent collection. And for the honest and open- minded there is a deeper understanding of the Arab - Israel conflict than is generally presented in the world's media.

Meyer's book on C&C has caused a sensation in the UK. C&C is now the basis of UK government policy and opinion forming in the media [see this comment from the Independent on Sunday newspaper last 07 12 2003].

"The future of the planet now rests in the hands of three people: President George Bush, President Vladimir Putin - and the unlikely figure of one Aubrey Meyer, a former concert violinist from east London. President Bush has set out to kill the Kyoto Protocol. Despite growing support in the US for addressing climate change, he has spared no effort in stopping it coming into effect. He is putting the screws on President Putin. Under the protocol's rules, it now only needs Russia's ratification to come into force. The signals from Moscow are mixed, but Putin is thought to be waiting to see whether the US or the European governments, who support Kyoto, will come up with the best price.

"And Mr Meyer? He is the still relatively unknown originator of a body that is fast becoming the leading contender in the fight against global warming, after Kyoto. To that end, he has set up the Global Commons Institute. Michael Meacher, the former Environment minister, endorses the plan - dubbed "contraction and convergence" - on page 22. The Royal commission on Environmental Pollution, the World Council of Churches, and African governments have all adopted it. Under the plan, every person on the planet would have the right to emit the same amount of carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of global warming. Each nation would be set quotas, adding up to a figure the world's climate could tolerate. They would be expected to meet them, say by 2050, and could buy and sell parts of them.

"Kyoto must be brought into force: there is no alternative. Then nations should start negotiating bigger cuts in pollution on this equitable basis - worked out in an unprepossessing London flat."

CONTRACTION & CONVERGENCE: The Global Solution to Climate Change by Aubrey Meyer

Review by Dr. Mayer Hillman, Senior Fellow Emeritus, Policy Studies Institute, London, UK

Climate change caused by the greenhouse gas emissions from our past and present profligate energy-intensive lifestyles already appears to be having tragic consequences. If the reduction of these emissions to a relatively safe level is more important than the pursuit of economic growth, then it is clear that a framework for action is needed within which the reduction can be achieved.

This concise book profoundly and lucidly spells out such a framework. Its author, Aubrey Meyer, founder and director of the Global Commons Institute (GCI), logically calls it `Contraction and Convergence'. It requires the reduction to be completed within a timetable determined by scientific evidence whilst at the same time programming it towards an end-state of per capita emissions `shared out between people globally, equitably and sustainably'. This, he says, will deliver a clean and green form of prosperity which does not seriously prejudice the future of the planet. He argues convincingly that it is the only way of avoiding ecological catastrophe.

In addition to a devastating critique of the failure of economics to treat with the subject of the welfare of all mankind and the global environment, he provides a fascinating history of the process by which a transition has been made in the space of ten years from what was at first ridiculed as a totally unrealistic and impractical solution to a centre stage proposition at the heart of current climate change negotiations.

The effectiveness of his argument is reflected in a growing consensus around the world that `Contraction and Convergence' may indeed be the only realistic route to ecological salvation. For instance, last summer, the Royal Commission on Environment and Pollution and Jan Pronk, the Netherlands Environment Minister and Chairman of the Hague Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, supported the case for an international agreement based on the principle. In his environment speech in the City of London in the autumn, Prime Minister Blair acknowledged that the massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions must be achieved on `an equitable basis'. A month later, in the Hague, President Chirac stated that `France proposes that we set as our ultimate objective the convergence of per capita emissions'. It is extraordinary that acknowledgement by these two world leaders and others of the relevance of the concept of equity to the subject, with its seismic implications for the future of economic growth, received almost no coverage in the media.

It is clear that radical changes are called for not only in the policies and practices of government, industry and the business community generally, but also in our own lifestyles. If these are to be conducted according to principles of conscience and survival, we cannot continue to play down the significance of climate change. The fact that greenhouse gas emissions remain in the atmosphere for several generations makes it urgent that we take our responsibilities on this portentous issue far more seriously.

I can think of no better investment of time and no more effective means of jolting people out of their complacency on the ramifications of global warming than to read this remarkable book.

February 2001

Published by Green Books on behalf of the Schumacher Society. ISBN 1 870098 94 3. £5.

Human-induced climate change is the greatest environmental threat today. Rising to this terrible challenge means overturning the global apartheid between rich and poor. For example, the United States, with a twentieth of the world's population, usurps a quarter of the global atmosphere to dump its pollution. Such inequity motivates this book's author: Aubrey Meyer, a musician who grew up in South Africa. In 1990, Meyer helped found the London-based Global Commons Institute to promote a simple and powerful concept that may yet break the deadlock of climate negotiations.

Simply put, everyone in the world has an equal right to emit greenhouse gas emissions. First, take the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change figure of 60 per cent cuts to stabilise global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by 2100. Second, calculate the level of pollution each nation should be allowed. The book's eye-catching computer graphics illustrate past emissions and future allocation of emissions by country, achieving per capita equality by 2030. Emissions thereafter fall to reach safe levels by 2100. Climate damage will still result, but disaster should be averted. Global emissions trading of per capita shares will ease transition costs to a zero-emissions lifestyle, Meyer argues.

This `contraction and convergence' (C&C) framework has gathered the support of a majority of the world's countries, including China and India. It may be the only approach that developing countries are willing to accept. That, in turn, may spur even the US to ratify the Kyoto protocol. However, Meyer warns that the `sub-global framework' of the protocol with its `guesswork' of market mechanisms and `inadequate' cuts `could prove worse than useless' because the public would be lulled into a false sense of security `that something is at last being done'. Meyer's argument is powerful, fuelled by compassion for the poor.

The crux of the matter is whether grassroots support for global equity will defeat the powerful elite interests that currently enjoy the status quo. As one US delegate put it: `We won the Cold War. Contraction & Convergence is Communism'!

Communism or not, accepting C&C would require that the developed world eschews dirty economic growth. If global weather-related damage continues its present trend of doubling every 7 years, then by around 2050 the costs of climate change could exceed the total value of everything that humanity produced over one year. Has global capitalism finally destroyed itself by its own success? Let's hope so.

There is little doubt now - even amongst mainstream political and scientific circles - that climate change poses humankind's greatest ever challenge. "I am not being alarmist," says Meyer. "[But in] the worst case scenario, the survival of all but a tiny minority of the human race comes into question."

This is not simply because of the increasing amounts of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases that humans are still pumping into the atmosphere, but because the earth's natural regulating systems are themselves in danger of being knocked out of kilter. In a recent model the UK-based Hadley Centre found that warming temperatures would kill tropical rainforests in Brazil - turning vast swathes of Amazonia into desert and grassland, and pouring still more carbon into the atmosphere. Several more 'positive feedbacks' threaten to have just as much of a catastrophic effect.

Yet the solutions which have been proposed so far, like the Kyoto Protocol, have failed to garner world-wide support. This book, which proposes the Contraction and Convergence model as an alternative way to bring down global emissions fairly, could hold the key.

It's really very simple. The Earth's biosphere only has the carrying capacity to absorb a certain amount of carbon per year - and humans have to cut their emissions to a safe level within it. That's 'contraction'. Within this carbon 'budget', every human being on the planet has an equal right to the use of the atmosphere, so countries which emit more than their per-capita fair share must reduce their emissions, whilst those which emit too little are allowed an increase. That's 'convergence'. In a world where 4% of the world's population in the US are able to emit 25% of its CO2, this brings the concept of equity - fairness, basically - to the fore.

For many, equity is a moral standpoint. But it also acts at the level of realpolitik - bringing into the climate process those heavily-populated countries like India and China which are planning to dramatically increase their fossil fuel consumption in the near future. Remember: even if the Kyoto cuts are implemented in full (which they won't be), world carbon emissions are set to increase anyway by some 30% mainly because of the developing world. Why should these countries deny themselves the benefits of electricity, heat and transport simply to support the profligate consumption of rich Europeans, Australians and Americans? In contrast, by recognising these countries' per capita emissions rights, and even allowing them to acquire a tradeable market value, Contraction and Convergence establishes an incentive for clean development.

If you want to know more, read this book. It's an invaluable and readable contribution to a complex - but incredibly important - issue.

Globalization is, obviously, a complicated, misunderstood, and nuanced process. And while THE CORPORATE PLANET is not the last word on that process, or on the dynamics by which corporations are emerging as key shapers of that process, it is also true that it tells stories far too often ignored by Quisslings, diplomats, and book reviewers. I write this because I stumbled across the Kirkus review printed on THE CORPORATE PLANET's page here, and it pissed me off. Particularly irritating is the use of the word "shrill," an adjective that seems reserved for books which contest the common optimism that tells us that radicalism is impractical and unnecessary, and that we need not attend too much to the really dangerous corners of the Big Picture. More statistics? Karliner already has LOTS of statistics here. And if his book is "unhelpful" when it comes to suggesting political alternatives, this may be in part because such alternatives are still unclear, and thus necessarily difficult to spell out in specific form. The corporation is the dominant political form of the modern age, and a principle engine of ecological destruction. In such circumstances, just what kind of an "alternative" does one appeal to? In fact, there are some good ideas here, and some good stories too, important stories well chosen. The emergence of the true transnational corporation is one of the most important development in recent human history. If you wish to know what all the shouting is about, you could do worse than start here.

Here are some excerpts from other reviews of The Corporate Planet

Thoughtful analysis of globalization's ecological and social impacts and of efforts by "corporate environmentalists" to control how problems and solutions are defined....With ecological sustainability, social justice, and democratic participation as his guiding principles, Karliner celebrates "grassroots globalization"--citizens demanding responsible environmental behavior from global corporations--becoming stronger and more articulate around the world.

-- Booklist

A fine effort....The book reads easily, without being breezy, moving from concrete illustrations of how giant global corporations are affecting the lives of ordinary people to more abstract discussion of underlying issues.

--The Ecologist

In The Corporate Planet, [Joshua Karliner] explains how transnational corporations like Dow clean up their image rather than their act.

--The Nation

A Magellan-like journey around the globe, giving readers a guided tour that identifies the protectors and poisoners of planet Earth.

--Monthly Review

A thoughtful examination of the new international balance of power in the global economy.

--San Francisco Bay Guardian

Joshua Karliner's "The Corporate Planet" was published prior to the Seattle WTO protests. The book's expert analysis of the relationship between private corporations and the plundering of the earth's resources successfully contextualized the protests as few other books written at that time were able.

Since then of course, many have written about globalization and its effects. But I think Karliner's work continues to stand out from the pack and has in fact gained strength as events continue to unfold. The ascendancy of the pro-oil industry Bush administration and its strident anti-environmentalist agenda seems to confirm his thesis: namely, that corporations and their elected cronies (or unelected cronies, in Bush's case) often proclaim themselves to be environmentally friendly on the one hand while simultaneously rolling back environmental protections on the other.

When push comes to shove, the quest to accumulate profits wins over the environment. Karliner does an excellent job of showing how corporate PR or "greenwash" and corporate sustainable development initiatives provide smokescreens for doing business as usual. But when given the opportunity, Karliner documents how companies such as Chevron lobby hard to roll back protections when given a favorable political situation like the one that existed when Republicans gained control of Congress in the mid-1990s.

The author supports his theory by effectively using case studies to illustrate how these dynamics play out in the real world. Large corporations such as Mitsubishi use their economic power to bend governments and citizens to their will, in the process impoverishing communities and environments as local resources are stripped away for the benefit of distant investors.

Karliner proposes a number of remedies that can help turn the situation around. He reasons that greater democratic input and corporate acocuntability is badly needed if we want people and the environment to be given primacy over the rights of the privileged few to reap the rewards of globalization for themselves. While Karliner may not have detailed a specified course of action -- no single person could be expected to do that -- it seems obvious that he has successfully defined the parameters of the struggle.

Intelligently written and supplemented with numerous footnotes and statistics, I believe it is not too much to say that "The Corporate Planet" is a classic work. I strongly recommended it for those who want to learn more about globalization and the central role corporations are playing in the destruction of the environment.

Karliner has a rare eye for absurdity that makes this more than a mere indictment of corporations. His description of how Chevron pacified an indigenous tribe in Papua New Guinea--by creating a Disneyland recreation of their own culture to impress them--is something so terrifying that no novelist could conceive it. He describes how, years later, the tribe had changed their traditional war paint to mimic the Chevron logo. This isn't just a dry treatise on the perils of globalization. It's a book filled with color, stories, and fascinating details about this bizarre time in the world. From the smell of gasoline seeping up through the richest homes in Playa Del Rey, California, to the history of Standard Oil, to the fight over the forests in the Northwest, to the structure of Japanese corporations--Karliner's book is an overlooked masterpiece that details so many unexpected facets of the global economy.

This is the most enlightening book I've read as a lawmaker. Dr. Ganor pens an easy-to-understand account, not only of the obvious problems with terrorism, but those involving America's future decisions on how to lead without sacrificing US civil liberties.

EXCELLENT!

REP. BURKE DAY
Chairman
Public Safety & Homeland Security
Ga House of Representatives

This is the most thorough, cogent, and intelligently written work on terrorism and the ways to defeat it to grace the open literature in recent times. Unlike the more common offerings in this field, Ganor's work goes to great lengths to avoid or at least identify potential bias and to present opposing views. Nor does the author shy away from tough issues. Deterrence is one such topic. While noting that deterrence can be a matter of image (p. 63), he also recognizes the difference between deterring nations or terrorist organizations vs. deterring individuals or networks (p.64). He analyzes measures intended to deter terrorists, concluding that, ultimately, the attacker becomes used to a given measure and learns to live with it or overcome it (p.74). Yet he also addresses the complexities inherent in making public the thresholds set for deterrents (p.94).

Another example is his thoughtful note that public warnings should only be issued when accompanied by concrete guidelines to follow that are directly related to the warning (p. 260) -- a welcome contrast to the post-9/11 proliferation of nonspecific warnings that often give the appearance of emerging to offset future claims of failing to alert the public.

For clarity, analysis, and insight, Ganor's book is without peer.

Dr. Ganor is an expert on counter-terrorism from the country with the most experience in that area -- Israel. He has spent his life sturying counter-terrorism. This book is based on his doctoral discertation 'Israel's Counter-Terrorism Strategy.' It has been expanded to cover the world rather than just Israel.

Most of the book is presented in the form of dilemmas. For instance, is terrorism a crime such as murder where the individual who did it should be hunted down, tried, imprisoned, etc.? Or is it a form of warfare where the individual perpetrator is less important than the organization be it govermental or otherwise behind him? The answer to this question determines what investigative techniques can be used, what incarceration rules should be followed, how extradition agreements are applied (murderers can be extradited, political activists are not ).

All of these examples are just in the first chapter. There are ten chapters, each of which cover one area of dilemmas. Chapter 8, for instance covers the media. The terrorists understand and play for media attention. On the other (and darker) side, coverage of terrorists increases viewership or numbers of newspapers sold.

This book is the most complete, most thought-out comprehensive discussion on counter-terrorism that I have seen. Note my emphasis on counter-terrorism. This is a book on how to fight terrorism, it is not a book on terrorism per se.

Highly recommended. I hope our leaders read this.

Saw Mr. Ganor on C-Span - May 2005. His absolute (total mastery) of the suject of the (radical) Muslim terrorist movement mindset, and his analysis how to end this (complex, difficult, and long-range problem) ... is nothing short of brilliant !

Professor Walker's book is a solidly researched, comprehensive history of the environmental movement in the Bay Area. Written in a clear, accessible style, the book covers a century of landsaving, from the early days of the Sierra Club to the exciting years from 1965-75 when most of our environmental protection laws were passed, to the recent use of land trusts , conservation easements, and urban growth boundaries to safeguard the Bay Area's precious green heritage. This book will stand, along with John Hart's "Legacy" and Amy Meyer's "New Guardians for the Golden Gate" as the canonical texts in the environmental history of California for years to come.

THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY: THE GREENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA should be a 'most' for any San Francisco Bay Area or comprehensive California library, whether it be a college-level or public lending collection. Students of California history and geography alike will appreciate this story of how the Bay Area's greenbelt was planned into an urban environment - and how each piece of it was fought for. From environmental battles which spread out to affect urban policies across the country to the involvement of businesses and individuals like, THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY is packed with insights on how early conservation affects today's urban environment, making it a fine pick for any collection interested in urban planning, ecology, or Bay Area history alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book really helped me understand the world I was born into--Berkeley in the late 1950s. As Richard Walker points out, that world reflected the work of countless Bay Area activists reaching back to John Muir. Many were civic-minded and dedicated women, and some started or built environmental organizations with national impact. This book describes it all: the people, the organizations, the issues, the victories (always temporary), the challenges, and the movement's shortcomings and unintended consequences.

Always attuned to class issues, Walker acknowledges that these movements were mostly led by upper-class folks and ultimately turned parts of the Bay Area (e.g., Marin) into lightly populated enclaves for the well off. Working families in the Bay Area have had great access to public parks and the coast, but activists so far have done little to impede the siting of toxic nastiness in low-income neighborhoods. Walker questions the link between efforts to slow or stop growth and the Bay Area's high housing prices, but he notes that the growth that has occurred--in the eastern part of Contra Costa County and the San Joaquin Valley, for example--isn't very smart and may be linked to the inner Bay Area's aversion to virtually any growth at all. At the end of the day, though, it's hard to resist Walker's conclusion that Bay Area residents have plenty to be thankful for. Highly recommended.

While this book was a bit academic and long on details, I found it a pleasant and easy read. I am a Bay Area resident and a NYC transplant and have marveled at the accessibility of the Bay Area's natural beauty and recreation.

I love the SF Bay Area for its beauty and outdoors and I wanted to know how it happened and who to thank. Now I know.

Another book worth considering, which is much more specific to the creation of one area is New Guardians for the Golden Gate: How America Got a Great National Park

Peter Dalglish is a visionary...there are no two ways about it. He has seen and experienced more in his lifetime than many of us ever will, and his story is one which every young person should read.

He has touched the lives of children from war-torn North Africa to the corrupt shanty towns of Bangkok--and in each he has made a fundamental difference in those children's lives. His contribution to social development is as far-reaching as any of the great figures in international affairs that may spring to mind, except he has achieved it on a small-scale, personal level.

I believe Mr. Dalglish has touched on a point that we should all take to heart: that those of us who have been fortunate enough to have the resources we do, have an OBLIGATION to give more to the lives of these impoverished children.

I commend Mr. Dalglish and think his book a fantastic reflection of a distinguished career of service.

This book is touching and encouraging on all levels. It teaches the true meaning of many things, touching on the soul and heart. Definetly a must read.

Peter Dalgish's book is one of the fantastic I have ever read. It is an emotional and touching story, no matter how sad or heart wrenching. But it also lets us believe in freedom and truth. Read this books!

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did; I was interested to read it after hearing Peter Dalgleish speak. He is a charismatic, brilliant speaker and this book is equally riveting. A lawyer by training, Dalgleish was heading for the big salary, the luxury life. The book charts how he turned himself around and ended up using his characteristic drive and energy to help some of the world's poorest children. It will make you question the values of western society and it will make you realise that with energy and a determination, many things are indeed possible.

OK, I'm the author and I'm biased. But the other Social Security books out there still seem to be either very poor-quality consumer guides (out of date, inaccurate, or jargon), or the "Social Security is a rip-off and it will crash in a few years" type. My guiding principles in creating this book: --accuracy (gained from many years working at SSA), --plain English, and --lots of concrete examples. There are a few areas where the book has become obsolete: --All the payment figures have increased with inflation. --The 1.45% payroll tax on Medicare no longer has an an earnings cap--it applies to all earnings, no matter how high. --The amount of Social Security benefits included in your taxable income has increased from 50% to 85% for high- income retirees. Otherwise the book is still current. (OK, it's time for a new edition, which I'll complete one of these days!) I invite readers to contact me with individual questions or comments. Happy reading!

This book provides a very thorough, yet practical explanation of social security in an easy to read format. This is a great guide for almost anyone wanting a better understanding of not only how the program works, but how it will work for them as an individual participant.
However--as the author mentions--it should not be viewed as a technical reference for financial professionals.

I'm a retired Soc. Sec. claims rep and I rate this book as the best explanation of Social Security benefits I've ever seen. The writer's style is great and he has a nice, friendly approach. It's not an easy subject, but he explains things in a simple, understandable fashion.

Mr. Landis has succeeded in making a very complicated subject comprehensible to the average reader. All my questions about how the system works were answered. I appreciated the fact that Mr. Landis was employed by the Social Security Administration for many years and was able to give an insider's account of procedures and benefits. Many thanks for this very helpful book!

This book is pack full of information. I enjoyed it very much. It explains alot of the behaviors and helps to not take anything personally. Overall it is very long but worth the read and to keep for reference. I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to Dr. Levy and Dr. Orlans for producing an outstanding user-friendly book. This is an essential tool for anyone who is a foster or adoptive parent and for professionals working with children and families involved in the Child Welfare system. The book begins by describing the core concepts of child development and attachment, the three pillars of assessment, attachment patterns, and traits and symptoms of a compromised attachment. The book then goes on to describe how parents can become "healing parents" by getting to know themselves in order to create a healing environment where wounded children can learn to trust. The book provides the basic practices of Corrective Attachment Parenting and how the practical skills and strategies caregivers use can lead to positive change in your child and family. I highly recommend this book to the families I am working with.

As an adoptive parent, adoption professional, trainer and author, I found Healing Parents to be one of the most practical and insightful books curently available to deal with traumatized children. The book's readability and practical use will benefit both professionals and parents dealing with the hearts and minds of traumatized children. I now recommend it in all my workshops.

Jayne Schooler
International adoption educator

Written by therapists, teachers, consultants and researchers Michael Orlans and Terry M. Levy, Healing Parents: Helping Wounded Children Learn to Trust & Love is a guide written to give parents and caregivers the information, tools, support, and positive outlook they need to help emotionally wounded children heal and improve themselves behaviorally, socially, and morally. Chapters discuss the core phenomena of attachment - the deep connection that children and parents or caregivers establish early in life - the importance of knowing both one's child and oneself, basic principles of corrective attachment parenting, attachment issues in an adoptive or foster care family, and much more. "You cannot change others - not your spouse, children, parents, other family members, friends, coworkers or employer. You can influence others and create opportunities for others to change, via your attitudes, actions, and reactions. By creating a healing environment you can have a positive impact on your child, resulting in learning, growth, and motivation to succeed." Highly recommended especially for parents or caretakers of any type raising a child who has suffered trauma or deprivation.