War and Politics Books

It's encouraging that this is the #1 book on the topic of 9/11 in Amazon. It deserves to be. Not content with depicting the terrible events of 9/11, Wright brilliantly and logically draws out the origins of the nihilist religious movement that formed the ideological motor of 9/11. The roots of 9/11 are twofold: in the writings of Egyptian expatriate Sayyid Qutb, who ironically wrote his most inflammatory works while an academic guest in Colorado (some of Qutb's works form the Mein Kampf of Islamic extremism); and the toxic Wahhabi Muslim sect in Saudi Arabia. When you finish the chapters on these topics, you will thoroughly understand the repellent underpinnings of Saudi-specific culture, which in fact have very little to do with the humane face of Islam.

Obviously, the central figure in this book is Osama Bin Laden, and you will also find yourself knowing more than perhaps you really wanted to know about this unusually prolific mass-murderer. In Qutb's and Bin Laden's world, the deaths of innocent Muslims are of no more value than blowing your nose in a Kleenex.

The ultimate issue exposed beyond debate in this book is the calamitous incompetence of the CIA, coupled with the hidebound bureaucratic stupidity pervading all levels of the FBI, with its institutional rigidity and lack of acceptance of technology. The lion's share of the blame for the failure of the United States to forestall the attacks really has to be laid at the doors of President Bill Clinton and his CIA directors, who were responsible for the policies disallowing the CIA from sharing any intelligence information whatever with law enforcement authorities inside the US. Secondary blame has to be laid at the door of the Bush Administration, who had ample warning of impending attacks and had absolutely no interest in proceeding even with the lamentably weak anti-terrorism policies of the Clinton administration.

But, ultimately, as I've noted, the CIA is really to blame as an institution for allowing the 9/11 attacks to succeed. It leaves an indelible impression of decadence and decline in America, and that particular institution should be disbanded and those CIA functionaries who did not share vital information with the FBI really should be thrown in prison for the rest of their lives, starting with ex-Director Tenet. There is no excuse for such meretricious incompetence. Absolutely none. My fondest hope is that one or two of the people mentioned in the book as having committed these acts of arrogant stupidity will read these words or those of others on this page. These CIA people have as much blood on their hands as Bin Laden, as far as I'm concerned.

Can you tell I'm really, really angry with these people? You will be too, by the time you finish reading this book. The final chapter, "The Big Wedding," painstakingly describes the attack on the USS Cole and its aftermath, and clearly draws a direct line between that attack and the one that single-handedly (and ironically) ensured George Bush a second term. The book climaxes with a strikingly brief but utterly visual and devastating real-time narrative of the attacks as the ex-FBI man John O'Neill (another central figure in the book, who reminds me strongly of Tony Soprano if Soprano was a big-time FBI man) experienced them. This book will be read and discussed a century and more from now. It is an essential work of our time.

Looming Tower should be required reading for all Americans. It is by far the best book about Al Qaeda and its antecedents. While it is extremely comprehensive, it is never boring. I find it extraordinary how Wright was able to develop such a book so soon after 9/11. It reads more like a book written 20 years after the fact rather than just 5 years.

Wright is particularly good at "developing the characters of his story." In this it reads more like a great novel, rather than a typical non-fiction book. Wright creates fascinating portraits of Sayyid Qtub (the intellectual founder of modern Jihadism), Abdullah Azzam (the cleric who gave a fatwa calling on all Muslims to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, Ayman Al Zawahiri (the intellectual and organizational founder of Al Qaeda) and finally Osama Bin Laden (the financier and symbolic leader of Jihad), Jamal Al-Fadl (the defector who first told the incredulous FBI of the existence of the Al Qaeda), Ali Mohammed (who infiltrated the US Special Forces, copied their manuals and started the How to wage jihad encyclopedia).

Particularly interesting is how all of these radical leaders came from the upper-crust of Arab societies. One might expect that their anger and violent rhetoric came from very poor people, but that is not the case.

Also interesting is how Al Qaeda's strategy and organization gradually evolved out of a serious of historical accidents - the visit of Qtub to the USA; the imprisonment of Zawahiri after Sadat's assassination; the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Zawahiri's work in a Kuwaiti hospital with radical Jihadi doctors; the near destruction of infant Al Qaeda in one small skirmish with the Soviet army; squabbles within Al Qaeda after the Soviets withdrew resulting in the assassination of Assam; the inability of the Arabs to return to their country after the war due to government hostility against the very people they recruited; the coup in Sudan which gave Al Qaeada a base just when they were losing their old one in Afghanistan; the USA passing up Sudan's offer to extradite bin Laden due to lack of evidence to prosecute him.

Wright also dismantles the myth that Al Qaeda brought down the Soviet Union by destroying their army in Afghanistan. This is a foundational myth for Al Qaeda and key to understand their seemingly irrational desire to attack the USA. Wright shows that only a few hundred Arab troops were actually in combat, and they did so mostly after the Soviets started withdrawing. Arab troops did not come in large numbers until after the Soviets completely withdrew, and they spent most of their time fighting against Afghan Muslims and each other. Even by the end of the war, the organization was just one of dozens of almost irrelevant radical organizations.

Wright somehow manages to maintain an objective perspective despite the murderous rhetoric, thoughts and action of his subjects.

wright prepared an excellent book. it's written as engagingly as a novel, but it is choke full of detail which has been corroborated. this was a fantastic page-turner. it did not provide the kind of detail that i sought regarding the actual attacks of 9/11, how individuals were trained and supported, etc. - it provided a comprehensive background on what was going on and who was involved. looking at the pages of interviews, pages of references, i am convinced of the thoroughness of the author and i appreciate why this book was the winner of the pulitzer prize. outstanding work!!!

A must read for any informed U.S. citizen. We all need to recommend it to our legislators for their reading..

I have read extensively about Islamic terrorism and Al Qaeda and The Looming Tower is by far the most compelling and comprehensive book on this subject. It clearly lays out the social, philosophical and theological progression and foundations that led to 9/11. Though you may not agree, by the end of the book you clearly understand the radical extemist's rationale and the historic time line of the people and events that led to 9/11. Though it provides history, The Looming Tower reads like a novel which I could not put down. It is the seminal book on this subject.

Chasing Ghosts is a gripping, on-the-ground, cold bucket of water in the face view of the Iraq war. It tracks Rieckhoff's path from Manhattan on 9/11 to patrolling the streets of Baghdad to re-adjusting to life at home. His writing is lucid and sophisticated, raw and unbridled. Its a story of true patriotism, the active defense of American ideals through military sacrifice followed by the courage to challenge the mis-management - from flawed foreign policy to equipment shortages to inciting, empty rhetoric by the administration - of that sacrifice, which he experienced firsthand. He captures the sacrifice and heroism of not just his brothers in arms, but also the Iraqis helping the American effort or merely trying to survive the maelstrom. This is a great read.

Paul Rieckhoff is a very dedicated individual. He tells it like he sees it and he continues to help the badly treated American vets through IAVA. He graduated from Amherst, one of the top schools in America, and left a high paying Wall Street career to serve America. He doesn't "sell out" in his honest account of being in Iraq so of course he gets criticized for truthfully telling what he saw. It certainly isn't what we want to learn when we find out how fowled up and mishandled things are over there. I like the book and recommend it.

A fascinating and thought provoking account of an army officer's life at the "Sharp End" in Iraq.

Ever since the invasion of Iraq I've read everything about the occupation that I could get my hands on. Few of the books have been top drawer, and accounts by military vets have often been uniquely unsatisfying.
But this book is superb: snappy, compelling, evocative, informative. And best of all, extraordinarily well written.
It's a shame that this fine book should have fallen out of print.

To begin to understand The War In Iraq, I wanted to read a primary source - someone whose boots were on the ground outside of The Green Zone; someone who dealt with The Iraqi people daily - as civilians, as allies, and as the enemy. In an engaging and direct narrative, Paul Rieckhoff presents his experience as infantry officer. The intricacies of his duties go beyond combat to functions of a non-military nature. The challenges Paul encountered in Iraq because of the destroyed infrastructure often redefined the role of his command.

The book drew me in and held me to the last page. Rieckhoff's attention to detail frames the narrative - e.g. his journal entry on the flight to Iraq; his manner of acquiring & customizing transportation for his platoon; the descriptions of combat and interaction with other units as the infantry does the real work; his homecoming - including a drive with girlfriend that shows the story often untold about heroes returning from combat.

Don't listen to the talking heads on TV. Read the account of someone who was there in service to our nation. Highly recommended.

the title comes from a comment on The Iliad. a well written book. lots of details on the battle. also gives a broad view of the entire socio-political background. not for the faint of heart.

I picked this up to read on a month long travel trip. I ended up reading it in one sitting! Consequently, Im very glad I had also purchased a few other titles on the same topic. I really good read, disturbing and terrifying at times with a great deal of insight, but a great read.

His account of the fighting in and around Fallujah was very informative. He description of the bravery and determination exhibited by the Marines was very memorable. Yet by ignoring the political ramifications of fighting a trumped up war created by the Bush administration and the large number of civilian casualties that have been subtained, he intentionally created a very distorted overall picture of the conflict. Also, his comparison of the fighting in Iraq with the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War was extremely inaccurate. By blindly accepting the offical version of events, Bing did an injustice to his readers. Amazingly, he pretty much ignored the total incompetence of President Bush, Rice, Rumsfeld, and the political leaders who served there. As a Vietnam Combat veteran myself, I was very disappointed that he didn't recognize the harsh fact that one man's terrorist in another man's freedom fighter. Or rather, the glaring fact that we can't militarily win a war of occupation, unless we literally accept the fact that we are corporate occupiers and not political liberators.

It will be many years yet before we get a good general history of the Iraq War - history is still playing out. Too many of the recent books on the Iraq conflict are shrill jeremiads or ideologically-biased axe-grinding (whether pro or con). So it's perhaps not surprising that battle memoirs would be the first really good pieces of literature to come out of this war.

The Battle of Fallujah was the biggest urban battle the military has conducted since the Battle of Hue City, and it presents unique challenges to a writer attempting to chronicle it. There are no large set-piece battles to focus on: the insurgents are guerilla fighters, often untrained (and therefore unpredictable), and practice small-unit hit-and-run tactics. Instead West tries to follow the "flow" of the battle as the Marines and Army move from North to South through the city of Fallujah.

Much of the combat is up close and personal (the "House from Hell" chapter is truly scarifying), often involving desperate actions by squads who have to assault one fortified house after another. It's a testament to West's skill that these battles don't become confusing to the reader (however much so they must have been to the soldiers themselves); West intersperses the larger decisions of the officers and politicians, and how these decisions affect the grunt in the field.

Bing West, a retired military man himself, understands how to convey both strategy and small-unit tactics. This is a weakness of many other battle histories, which sometimes tend too much to the officers while neglecting the grunts; or focusing too much on the kinetic tactical stuff while ignoring the bigger picture. "No True Glory" strikes a good balance, and West is superb at keeping the reader "centered" in the battle at all times.

This book will stand the test of time, I think, and may well become the definitive account of the battle of Fallujah.

This is a sad story that includes descriptive descriptions of West's experiences in war. It is well written though at times a slow read. If you enjoy war novels, particularly non-fiction war novels, then you may like this book. It reminds me a little of "With the Old Breed on Pelilu and Okinawa." If you were tolerable of the gory details of that book, then you will likely not mind this one. This book may evoke bad memories and anxiety in people who have experienced war, and will most likely insult people who are opposed to this war. This book may provide insight and closure to the family members of the people mentioned inside its pages. I think it is a testimony to the fact that war is terrible. The pictures inside are not for children or anyone who is especially sensitive to seeing human suffering.

I read this book last semester for a Criminal Justice class and it is amazing. It opened my eyes to exactly how wrong the war on drugs is. This book is my #1 recommended book. If more people would read it I think we'd finally be able to find our way out of this fruitless war.

Q: What is the difference between the Prohibition and America's war on drugs? Mike Gray's overall answer is "very little," but the one glaring difference is that when Prohibition failed, the country repealed the Constitutional Amendment which had created it. Alcohol use remained at about the same level before, during and after the Prohibition years, but the murder, official corruption and gang battles that accompanied official proscription came and went. DRUG CRAZY analyzes the upshot of that distinction and its enormous worldwide effects. The U.S. led anti-drug effort has cost us hundreds of billions of dollars in enforcement efforts alone, not to mention the cost of prisons, imprisonment and court proceedings and has succeeded in creating an international drug consortium with an annual income higher than the U.S. defense budget. Thousands of innocent bystanders have died in sprays of automatic fire and bomb blasts. It has made pot easier to get than alcohol for most American teens and brought Colombian, Bolivian and Mexican democracy to the brink of collapse. Damningly, Gray reports that every refereed study since the 1890s has suggested that marijuana is harmless and that the opiates and cocaine are no more dangerous than alcohol (perhaps less). Even the infamous "crack babies" we heard about for a few years turned out to be an unsubstantiated myth. In every country where legalization and controlled prescriptive availability of harder drugs has been tried, addiction rates remained stable or fell, crime decreased and most addicts proceeded to live normal workaday lives. The U.S. has forced other countries to quit such programs through fiscal pressure and outright lies, insisting that all adopt our abolitionist stance. We have managed to export violence, crack cocaine, corruption and other benefits to numerous other nations along with our failed policy. At the same time, and to make matters worse, the nature of enforcement has become a defacto racist effort. Cocaine in Wall Street boardrooms is harder to see than crack runners on Main Street and while whites are the disproportionate users of illegal drugs, blacks are the disproportionate arrestees. In this country, one in four black males is either in prison, under probation or on parole, mostly as a result of drug or drug related crimes. Small wonder, as the author points out, that blacks think O.J. Simpson was framed: it is their daily experience. Police routinely lie in court to make drug charges stick. (Since private deals between consenting parties are very hard to actually witness, when police claim that a perpetrator dropped a bag or in some other way made evidence visible it is understood by judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and defendants that it is "acceptable" false testimony to cover an illegal search. So perjury is permitted in the name of enforcement.) Amazingly, the whole morass of current drug problems and policies could be eliminated with the stroke of a pen. Minus prohibition the drug cartels would be defunded. If prices fell, many farmers would find other crops more appealing. If currently illegal substances were distributed by prescription or through state-licensed stores, kids would be infrequently exposed. (How many pushers are selling beer in front of your local elementary school these days?) Mike Gray has brought his story telling skill (The China Syndrome and other screenplays) and his investigative/documentary bent (American Revolution and The Murder of Fred Hampton) to bear on an urgent national and international problem. His recommendations and observations are difficult to refute and his is a well considered voice in a growing debate which affects us all. Even now, the genie released when California and Arizona approved medical marijuana use is being clumsily stuffed back in the bottle by Federal mandate, disenfranchising voters and creating a rising uproar. As former U.S. Attorney General Elliott Richardson observes: "Anyone who thinks the war on drugs is succeeding should read this book. It shifts the burden of proof from the critics of existing policy to its defenders."

This is one of the best books I've read on the drug war to date (and I've read a bunch). The book carefully went through the origins, history, and effects of the drug war in a captivating and easy to follow manner. When finished, the reader will be left with an iron-clad indictment of the drug war which has covered all angles. This really is one of the most comprehensive and well written books on the drug war, and I highly recommend it.

When it became clear that the medicines called opiates were highly addictive and caused health problems, they were dealt with as nicotine and alcohol are dealt with today. There were honest and realistic public service messages warning of the dangers of opiates, and there was medical help that greatly limited the damage they did to the individual and which had a chance of eliminating his or her addiction. These methods worked, and where they are applied they work today. Then in the second decade of the twentieth century the country took a nose-dive into authoritarian attitudes and corruption, and people got the strange idea that you could eliminate a practice you didn't like simply by passing a law against it. Alcohol, and the opiates were completely banned, as was marijuana which was now designated a "drug" because of its association with minority groups. Alcohol use, which had always hovered between widespread and universal, had been declining but now became more common than ever before. Worse, the alcoholic drinks that were taken became much harder and not being regulated they might contain enough alcohol to be dangerous. Worse still, an untold number of criminals were created, crime of all kinds increased radically, organized crime came to control whole districts and corruption reached heights never seen before. "Public service messages" regarding what were now illegal "drugs" became simple expressions of hatred having very little to do with the "drugs" they were about, and everyone actually familiar with those "drugs" knew it. Medical treatment by doctors who were actually trying to help their paitents was declared illegal, and a number of doctors went to prison. The lives of opiate addicts had usually been no worse than the lives of nicotine addicts, but now those lives became impossible. Addicts could no longer hold jobs raise children or do anything else but concentrate on their addiction. Current "rehabilitation" for opiate addicts is an expression of hatred for those addicts and makes no attempt to help them. It mostly consists of telling them they are evil it they don't break their habits, and for those addicted to opiates or nicotine, breaking the habit altogether is usually not possible. Opiate use had always been an insignificant phenomenon nationwide, and in the early part of the century when it was being dealt with intelligently, it was declining. But then the hate laws were passed, and now a measurable percentage of the population is addicted and condemed to ruined, useless lives, organized crime is more powerful now than at any time in history, and whole countries like Columbia are completely dominated by corruption-- as are large sections of others like the United States and Mexico. None of this needed to happen. The things we call "drugs" were handled intelligently at the beginning of the twentieth century or were never a problem in the first place. If realistic laws were passed, the worst of the damage would be fixed very quickly since it is directly caused by bad laws. The rest of the damage would take a decade to undo, but if we begin treating the opiates as we treat nicotine and alcohol we will gradually undo it.
I think that is a pretty good thumbnail of what Mike Grey had to say, and he is completely right. Everyone in the country should read this book. Our real addiction is to hatred.

Author Mike Gray tackles the failed drug war in this book and effectively shows how the present war has many similarities to alcohol prohibition in early part of the twentieth century. Gray begins his discussion of the subject of drugs by taking the reader back to 1925, in the city of Chicago, during the height of the nightmare of prohibition. Gangs ruled the streets. The air was filled with the smell of cheap booze and the sound of gunfire. Police were defenseless to the total chaos going on all around them. They simply could not stop the manufacture and consumption of alcohol. There was too much money to be made by selling this "forbidden fruit". There was no possible way that this "war" on alcohol could ever be won.

Does this sound familiar? It should, because the same thing is going on right now. The government's failed attempt to eliminate alcohol is now being attempted a second time with the war on drugs. These laws are discussed in the book with a history lesson on the various court rulings and congressional decisions that led to the present prohibitions on drugs. These laws have some of their roots in the U.S. Congress. According to the book, marijuana itself became illegal as the result of a lie told to congress by Fred Vinson, a man who would later become the U.S. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Vinson was sitting in a congressional hearing one day, just before congress was about to vote on whether or not marijuana should be made illegal. The American Medical Association knew of the benefits of marijuana in medical treatments, and was strongly against such a law. But when Vinson was questioned by congress, he lied and said that the AMA backed the proposed law 100 percent to make marijuana illegal. This was enough to help push the law through congress. Vinson's lie, coupled with the onslaught of government propaganda against marijuana, marked the beginning of America's second nightmare with prohibition.

The lying and deception by government cooled off a bit during the 1940 to 1960 period. But then, the lying and deception continued when President Nixon decided to revive the anti- drug crusade, in part to cover- up his own problems with Vietnam and Watergate. George Bush then escalated the damage even more by scaring the public into backing his anti- drug package and his "get tough" policies against drug dealers and drug users. Gray talks about these and other political maneuvers; why they happened and the true motives behind these so- called "moral" crusaders.

The present- day situation looks pretty bleak. Gray points out that the United States is now the largest jailer in the world with roughly half of all prisoners being non- violent drug offenders. We have also corrupted our police officers, with many of them actively taking part in the drug trade; cutting special deals, accepting bribes, etc, because of the allure of easy money. Respect for law enforcement is low, and violent criminals have been allowed early release to make way for non- violent drug offenders, thanks to mandatory minimum sentences.

This book is an easily manageable length: about 198 pages and fairly easy to read. There are a total of eleven chapters and two appendices. Appendix "A" details the changes in the U.S. murder rate, showing how it peaked during alcohol prohibition and during the present- day drug prohibition. It also shows graphs depicting the U.S. prison population and the Federal Drug budget. And to give the book some balance, Appendix "B" contains a listing of activist organizations, both pro- drug war and anti- drug war, along with a brief description of each and their respective websites.

As Mike Gray points out, the War on Drugs is one of America's greatest failures. Gray never specifically condemns the war. He wrote this book as a means to educate the reader on the motives behind drug prohibition and the reasons that politicians continue to fight a losing battle when they know that the war is not winnable. Gray never resorts to name calling or any form of moral persuasion. He really doesn't need to. He lets the facts speak for themselves, illustrating the endless problems created by a war of prohibition and why it is so important to stop this insanity once and for all.

Taken Into Custody is an excellent resource that should be required reading (with a test) before a marriage license is issued. The reason I give 4 out of 5 stars is because the author and reviewers have overlooked half the story.
When I was confronted with a petition for "no-fault" divorce in 1988 I thought it meant that grounds were no longer required if both parties agreed to the divorce. I quickly learned otherwise. Until reading this book I believed the motivation for turning marriage into an unenforceable agreement was corporate profit. Since two can live nearly as cheaply as one my analysis lead me to realize that upon divorce utility companies collect two payments. Appliance manufacturers sell extra washers, refrigerators, TVs etc. Revenues are created for extra housing, property taxes, insurance, transportation, silverware, light bulbs and all. In some cases the labor pool is increased driving down wages. I now realize that both de facto branches of government (Administrative and Commercial) profit handsomely. In addition to financial benefits women are lured into this scheme by forces with a history of perpetrating evil deeds to aid industry. Search Gloria Steinem CIA or visit
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As for children, Steven Hassan's book Combatting Cult Mind Control points out that offspring from broken homes are most easily recruited into cults and tend to remain in them the longest due to the false families cults create. He tiptoes right up to saying that military organizations are cults but seems too timid to take the last step. One need only visit a law library and skim Court Martial Reports to find numerous references to all of "my brothers and sisters" in the services. Former service personnel including Tony Brown of PBS's Tony Brown's Journal admit they had been brainwashed by the US Military. With a nearly uninterrupted series of wars since 1941 the US Military need all of the children longing for a family that they can find.
The American people weren't asking for "no-fault" divorce. It arose out of nowhere as a gift from a government concerned with our best interests.

This is a book that every father should read and all the children that suffered through a divorce, should read when they are adults.

First things first. Stephen Baskerville, I thank God for you and this masterpiece of truth you have written. Even after going through eight years of family court hell and beyond with my husband Steve(referenced on pg 150), I was shocked at what I read. I bought 13 copies so I could give our local judges one as well. This book should be mandatory reading in high schools across the country. It would save millions from losing everything they work their whole life for. Again, thank you for a brilliant honest assessment of Family Court, Inc. and all their hangers-on.

Professor B is unfortunately spot on with his analysis of the divorce industry. I live in Australia and find our system closely mirrors that in the States.No wonder really. The rort extends to judges getting first class tickets to frequent conferences where they share stories and a good time. At taxpayer expense.

I too have been to the Star Chamber, having committed no crime. I have been jailed for declining to answer a question, which was unimportant.

Baskerville writes clearly and cogently about a corrupt system that is destroying our way of life. His book is a must read by anyone enduring the divorce process

G. Woolley

I am a natural born scientist. Facts, just give me the facts. Theories are only as good as the ones telling them. Rarely I come across a theorist that can make a believer out of, well, even me.


This book is chock full of facts, data, reviews, studies and even a little theory that all can be used, proven and sighted - except theory, which can only be respected until history has passed where it will become fact.


The very sad nature of this book, as true as it may be, is that each statistic is a human life. Every person reading this book has been touched by this in one way or another. You can tell them when your walking down the street. They have an "emptiness" behind their eyes. If they smile it's superficial, if they laugh it's usually cut short and followed by a startled look. When they gather together they feel safer then they've felt in a long time, but the fear is right over their shoulders and they know it.


To blatantly point out the horrors of this book and then our own government who is perpetrating them should resonate throughout our land like a tsunami. Starting slow and in the distance. Little ripples on the beach. Bigger and bigger until it has swallowed up our world.


The book is great and if you have read it or lived it one must ask:


What are you going to do about it and when are you going to do it?
You are in control of your own destiny.


FaFNY dot com

This is a very informative book and a must read for anyone interested in understanding why the Bush administration is so prone to launching wars in the oil-rich Middle East region. The author, a renowned economist, is very knowledgeable about the economics and domestic politics that support such warmongering efforts. He identifies the pro-Israel Neocon movement and its alliance with the lunatics of the religious Right as important forces in the push toward involving the U.S. in wars abroad. The military-industrial complex and the strategic importance of Middle East oil are represented by Vice President Dick Cheney in the Bush administration, and are also prime movers of war.

Probably the most original part of this book is its chronology of empires and how Western civilization started its ascendency after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This chapter (chap. 16) is worth buying the book in itself. The author's style is direct and pulls no punches. An excellent book.

As an amateur student of American foreign policy, I am appalled by the wave of anti-americanism it has generated over the last few years. The policy of systematically meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, especially in the Middle East, has been most counter-productive.

There is no doubt that unbridled interventionism, often done illegally and under murky influences, is the root cause of why there is so much anti-americanism around the world. And case in point is the gratuitous violence imposed on some Muslim countries, i.e. Iraq and Palestine. This is creating tons of resentment all over the Muslim world, turning many to hatred and some to terrorism.

Tremblay's book offers a way out of this circular dilemma: Apply to the Muslim world the same treatment given to the Communist world with the 1975 Helsinki Accords. As he puts it (p. 152-53), the Helsinki Accords, signed by 33 Eastern and Western European countries, the United States, and Canada, played a fundamental role in opening up the communist bloc to liberty, freedom and reforms. I doubt that bombs would have brought the same result.

Former President Mikhail Gorbachev has said that the Helsinki Accords opened the door to reforms that would not have taken place otherwise. Why can we not adopt a similar approach with the Muslim world, instead of jumping all the time on the war wagon? This is a well-written and well-researched book. It is highly recommended.

People who want a condensed introduction on how the Bush administration walked into a quagmire in Iraq should read "The New American Empire". I don't agree with all of Tremblay's arguments, but in my opinion he hits the nail on the head when he identifies the real reasons why Bush II invaded Iraq, i.e oil, Israel, military bases and domestic politics. By the way, the same scenario seems to be repeating itself with Iran, with the same deception about the real reasons for intimidating Iran.

So, even if you do not agree with everything the author has to say, this book is worth a ton of newspapers articles or hours of TV reporting. The chapters on `Oil' and on the `History of Empires' are worth buying this book.

Among the many books written on the Iraq war and the Bush administration's fixation with militarism, this book by economist Tremblay is one of the most readable and most informative.

The fact that George W. Bush was planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' in that country, even before he took power in January 2001, should make people pause and think. So should the Neocon blueprint for a complete American take-over of the Middle East ("Rebuilding America's Defenses"), drafted in Sept. 2001, by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Lewis Libby.

Now that Iraq is a mess, that thousands and thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted, the American people are entitled to know the real reasons why the Bush administration launched an illegal war of aggression against Iraq, with no provocation but with a lot of bad faith. All the official reasons have been proven false. After reading this book, one knows the real reasons behind one of the most foolish enterprises ever undertaken by a U.S. government abroad. I have learned a lot also from prof.
Tremblay's new blog: http://www.TheNewAmericanEmpire.com/blog.

The truth shall set you free!

Dr. Tremblay is right on target with his assessment of the direction the U.S. is heading, along with his critiques of the politicians we have in this country. It is amazing that more people don't "see through" the false facades these people present to the public, and that so many people believe the lies doled out to unsuspecting voters! I would recommend this book as a very timely read....particularly in view of the upcoming 2008 Presidential Elections

There are three "chunks" to this interesting book. The main one sells hard about why the US must become energy-independent from the oil people who also wish our destruction. Following on this are very good engineering discussions of energy, where it comes from, what will and will not work, why global warming is not an urgently immediate threat (but will be so as the rest of the world justifiably wishes to catch up to us in living standard), and how methanol and flex-fuel cars in particular is the right-now answer to getting unstrapped from the oil kingdoms. The third chunk consists of how the past century's history was determined by oil. All three chunks go together extremely well, oddly enough, even though it would be hard to find many agreeing with every single bit of what Robert Zubrin writes.

There is considerable humor in Energy Victory, and even that which borders on the sarcastic is still quite funny. After all, you will see pure "engineering humor." An example might be Zubrin's warning that if we wish to mine hydrogen for fuel cheaply from the sun, the temperature on approach is so hot that we should consider going at night! It is best to ignore the many external blogs about this book. You will find scores objections (some downright nasty) to Zubrin's claims about using hydrogen as a transportation fuel base, about producing methanol from any organic matter, and about sources & uses of various fuels. Most of these miss the point. "Energy Victory" gives what engineers for centuries call "rough estimates" of all the above claims. A rough estimate is not a wild guess, it is a ballpark statement of reality. E.g., his statement of 9 gigatonnes of carbon being added to the atmosphere is probably off, but not by deal-breaking amounts. His estimates should be taken seriously for what they are - first-order estimates that give an excellent indication of what needs to be DONE. Refinements will naturally follow.

This book serves personally as a reference, both for current use in climate change research, and for future use to see how the numbers really turned out. Buy the book, because the library will not enjoy your marking the thing up, nor will they like you to monopolize checking it out of your system!

I think this is a brilliantly argued book. I think he does well in establishing the link between petrodollars and Islamofascist terrorism. Of course, the problem created by our heavy reliance on imported oil goes beyond that in our huge balance of payments shortfall. Our reliance on imported oil also slowly drains away our defense and strategic power. Meanwhile, this generation's strategic "wise men" are all on the Saudi payroll.

Most importantly, Zubrin thoroughly debunks hydrogen as a vehicle fuel. I already knew that based on an investment I made in the 1990's. When the consulting engineers said that it would take 22 hydrogen tanker trucks to replace 1 gasoline tanker truck, it was time for me to bail out. According to Zubrin, it only gets worse: it takes more energy to produce hydrogen than the hydrogen reaction produces. The road to hydrogen leads nowhere.

Zubrin punctures a criticism of alcohol fuels that is currently being made. Ethanol made from corn is not causing food shortages. Most of the corn produced in America is used for animal feed and the alcohol extracted from the corn still leaves the corn mash available as animal feed. But alcohol fuel, especially methanol, can be made from practically any plant life. The argument against corn based ethanol is not that it causes food shortages but that it requires heavy federal subsidies when there are other less expensive alternatives available.

The key to his argument is the Flex Fuel vehicle which, with $150 worth alcohol compatible hoses and sensors, can run on various alcohol-gasoline mixtures: E85, M85. These are vehicles you can buy right now with well tested technology. You can buy the vehicles, but in most parts of the country, you can't buy the fuel. Zubrin argues that a federal law is needed to make all vehicles flex fuel vehicles. Zubrin made the argument to the Bush Administration, which declined to support him because they opposed additonal vehicle mandates.

Zubrin didn't make this argument, but I think if flex fuel became a requirement of all vehicles, then the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements and the Air Quality waivers could be phased out. I can't understand why, unless I'm unaware, the domestic auto companies haven't made that argument. It would make their life much easier and less expensive.

Zubrin does make the argument that the CAFE is irrelevant in any event because we will never be able to gain control of fuel prices through conservation. OPEC can set the spigot up and down at will.


Two final notes: Zubrin makes a good case for coal based methanol. Since we have large reserves of coal sitting in the ground because of the sulphur burning problem and acid rain, methanol extraction would allow us to use that resource without the enviornmental damage caused by burning coal. Zubrin also recounts the Brazilian experience with ethanol, which was a very bumpy road when oil prices fell in the 1990's. Getting free from OPEC may require imported oil tariffs because alcohol fuel mixtures are only competitive when the price of oil is about twice as high as the price per gallon of alcohol due to alcohol's mileage penalty. Of course, widespread production and distribution of e85 and m85 might become much more economical than current prices would suggest.

I think these ideas are worth pursuing.

This is an excellent book!! Buy this book! Zubrin has a convincing solution to most of the problems confronting America. and the world. He advocates a Federal mandate that all cars sold in the US should be flex fuel . He shows that this would solve the problems of energy dependence,terrorism, global warming, third world poverty, and illegal immigration.This is a very practical book written by a nuclear engineer with an elegant practical solution to most of our problems. If you don't believe me read this book and make up your own mind.

Zubrin's argument is beyond compelling, and quite effectively brushes aside all the objections to alcohol fuels you see bandied about.

In short, we must mandate all cars sold from now on in the US be flex-fueled (ethanol, methanol, gasoline) or biodiesel (diesel, biodiesel, or straight-vegetable oil). This will crush OPEC's monopoly power and unleash a billion farmers to become mini-oil tycoons. The potential to alleviate poverty in Africa alone makes this extremely worthwhile.

Sure there will be some undesirable side effects to producing so much methanol/ethanol, but the fact is we have no other choice. Corn/soybeans are not the answer. Sugarcane, coal syngas, and random biomass are. Brazil is 100% energy independent, and we can be too. Granted, they don't have a great record on protecting the Amazon, but this is not either/or, they just need to manage their land better and use efficient crops like sugarcane.

We cannot be supplicants to OPEC any longer, and this book shows how to break free.

Warning: the book becomes a bit of a polemic toward the end, but that does not diminish the power of the basic arguments. It's a very entertaining read in any case.

After his push to colonize that utterly useless world called Mars (the real wealth of the solar system is in the Asteroid Belt and icy moons, easily available and not at the bottom of a gravity well), Zubrin moves on to another political boondoggle, ethanol.

His arguments fail on nearly every point. The argument about unused farmland is especially irrelevant. Even if all of the arable land in the US were dedicated to alcohol production (including switchgrass, cellulosic ethanol, and methanol), the most we could ever hope to achieve is to replace about 15% of our gasoline usage (representing at most about 10% of our total oil imports dedicated to gasoline production). Let's see, starve the world to replace ~1/10 of one's oil imports? Don't think so.

Most seriously, the energy balance is not there. It takes about 11 barrels of oil to produce the ethanol energy equivalent of 10. That's an energy return of about 1.1 to 1. Actually when one factors in storage and transport issues it's much lower, maybe down to 1 to 1 (breakeven) or even lower (net loss). If you have a company that you are trying to save from bankruptcy, do you pour your resources into a division that breaks even or loses money? Not if you hope to remain in business for long.

Pointing to the success of Brazil provides no solution for the US either. Brazil straddles the Equator and receives about 22% greater solar energy flux than the US does. That, along with a more efficient crop (sugar cane) and a year-round growing season, gives Brazil an energy return of about 5 to 1. One unintended consequence of this "success", however, is that rainforest destruction (remember the rainforest?) has accelerated at an alarming rate due to more and more acres of it being turned into fuel.

Ethanol and other bio-fuels, far from providing an energy "victory" for the US, will only lead to an energy "defeat", and starve the rest of the world in the process.

I truly enjoyed this book. It is somewhat parochial regarding the air force, but not awful about it. Some of the personal anecdotes were quite interesting, especially the description of the Saudi officers. I laughed out loud at the anecdote of "you are now leaving Saudi Arabia, please set your watches ahead 600 years".

This book assumes the reader has something of a military background, which isn't an issue to me but I can imagine some people struggling w/the story. If your interested in military history in the mideast, you can easily afford the day or two it will take to read this.

Boy, I certainly enjoyed this book. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat as you relive his experiences in Iraq and with GEN Schwarzkopf during the Gulf War.

With his unique first-hand experiences in Iraq and the Middle East and being fluent in Arabic, Col. Francona has certainly had a most exciting career. I'm sure he must still be an extremely valuable consultant to the Bush administration in Washington.

This is the best book I've read in quite some time!

He was right in the middle of the Iraq war with eyeball accounts of things that were happening. Great if you like behind the scenes info. Well written.

If you were an intelligence officer fluent in speaking Arabic and served in Iraq during its war with Iran and later as General Schwarzkopf's interpreter during Desert Shield and Desert Storm you would have a lot to tell that could not be found in American news reports--and Rick Francona does just that in Ally To Adversary.

This book takes you into Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, where you will come away with a better understanding of the political, military, and cultural mishmash of the region.

The book is full of revealing tidbits, such as:
--Government Control - In order to mail a letter outside of the country of Iraq, one must get government permission to buy postage stamps. A woman "sobbing quietly" told the author that she had a sister in the United States but could not correspond with her.
--Bunker Opulence - The Saudi king's bunker deep below the palace is itself an underground palace with kitchen, living areas and medical clinic, "opulent beyond description."
--Allies? - When the first Iraqi missiles hit Israeli soil, inside the coalition operations center every Saudi officer was on his feet applauding and cheering the attack.
--Monster Marines - The fighting ferocity of a small group of U.S. Marines surrounded and greatly outnumbered by Iraqi soldiers spread through the Iraqi army spawning wild perceptions about American marines. Among them: each marine had to have killed a member of his own family as a condition of entering the corps; and that marines practiced cannibalism on the bodies of their foes.

Find out why Iraq did not use chemical and biological weapons against the coalition forces.

At a time when many Americans want to understand Arab and Islamic influences and their effect on current events, Rick Francona's book is an excellent and enduring source.
As an Air Force intelligence officer, a Middle East veteran, and a fluent Arabic speaker, Rick had seen the Iraqis, first as an ally, and later as an adversary, as the title suggests. Early in the book he tells us about visiting Iraq during its long war with Iran. He visited areas of grinding combat around Al-Basrah and observed, as an ally, the army we would later face in the Persian Gulf War. His unique, first-hand observations would be invaluable later. He also entertains us with stories of life in Baghdad, once even escaping his Iraqi escort and conversing in Arabic with surprised ordinary Iraqis in the marketplace.
Later in the book, he gives us an insider's view as General Schwarzkopf's interpreter at the meeting at Safwan where Iraq was to receive surrender terms. Asked to translate instructions to the senior Iraqi representative, Rick tells us, "I translated the words into Arabic; the Iraqi interpreter, a brigadier who had spent several years living in Michigan, nodded to Sultan Hashim that my translation was correct." He ties many of his experiences together at a meeting later in the book when he finds himself facing an Iraqi major with whom he had worked during the Iran-Iraq war. "I was stunned to be now face-to-face with Majid Al-Hilawi, whom I had not seen since my last night in Baghdad at the end of the US-Iraq military relationship in 1988. I simply walked over to where Majid was sitting and offered my hand which he took warmly."
Rick Francona makes us feel like a personal witness to all these events. This is a great story from an observant eyewitness. It is all the more compelling because we saw the highlights on CNN and many of the observations will probably be relevant far into the future.

I bought this book for my father who is a WWII vet. He sat and laughed and laughed. He loved it. He even brought it with him to his WWII army reunion for the guys to read. I would highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed the experience of reading and viewing "Up Front". My parents had the book in our home and I remember having the same experience in the early 50's. I truely enjoyed the art work of Bill Mauldin. It was around that time that I became interested in World War II history and drawing and I think I was influenced in both areas by this book. Over the years and as a result of several moves the book disappeared. I was recently reminded of it's existence by a recent issue of World War II Magazine which had a article about Bill Mauldin, "Up Front" and showed several of the cartoons. I immediately purchased it on amazon.com. It bought back so many memories. The hard cover was the same as the book in our home so many years before. If you are a WWII buff you will definately enjoy Mauldin's insight into the lives of the infantry soldier in the front lines. It's a great book.

I received my item as described and delivered as scheduled.
I am very satisfied with my transaction.

The copy of this Book, that I grew up with was my Father's 1945 Paperback Edition. As a Kid, I was drawn in to these amazing Cartoons by Bill. When I was about 13, I read the Text to this Great Book, and was Blown Away by it! In my view, Bill Mauldin has written the Most Honest Account of World War II that you are gonna find. From a Dogface's Point-Of-View, this Book is a History Lesson for all of us.

War is indeed a Tragic Thing, and it is still Real in 2008. But to be Honest about it AND to be able still Laugh, This is what makes: "Up Front", such a special Book for me. It reminds me of my Pop, who served in Patton's Third Armored from 1943-1945. My Dad loved a Good Paperback, and through his Bookshelf, I was able to Discover some Fantastic Stuff, but from Mark Twain to Steinbeck, this is my Favorite from his Collection.

The Muddy Faces of Willie and Joe are the faces of Millions of American Veterans of World War II. These were our Father's and Grandfather's, this is the Story of those GI's....From their Muddy Foxholes...FIVE STARS !!!

Of course, this is not a novel. It's a collection of cartoons as they appeared in the Armed Services newspaper Stars and Stripes. The cartoon began to appear in 1944 as the invasion of Europe was underway and millions of Allied troops were fighting their way through Italy and France and into the heart of the third reich.
After a few false starts, Mauldin settled on two characters, Willie and Joe-infantry men. Willie and Joe (who were barely distinguishable from each other) were concerned with all the things that veterans said concerned them during the war. Lousy food was as much of a concern as enemy artillery, fear of cold, wet feet as annoying as the fear of death.
The cartoons, and Mauldin's self-effacing recollections together form a kind of narrative that is at once immensely personal and deeply historical. Mauldin was a pioneer. It was ten years before Cornelius Ryan The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Dayturned personal narratives into history and almost forty before Ken Burns came along.The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Mauldin was, in effect, the only war reporter who was relatively uncensored. Since his cartoons carried no strategic information, his only worry was the military's possible perception that he might be lowering troop morale with his swipes at the brass and the rear-echelon. Fortunately, some American sensibility that 'it's good to laugh at the boss even if the boss is us' prevailed.

Up Front was one of the few books that my parents kept by their bedside. This is the book that helped the post-war generation remember the war as it was fought by the men who did the hard work. A quiet masterpiece.

Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG: A Novel

From the tedium of Camp Lejeune to the hell of An-Nasiriyah Professor Andrew Lubin writes an engaging story of a father's love and concerns for a son heading into mortal combat. You don't need to be affiliated with the Marines to appreciate how brave our soldiers were in one of the first major battles to take place during the invasion of Iraq. Personally, as an ex-Marine myself,I was fascinated at the precision,dedication,knowledge,skill and bravery of the mostly young, and untried, Marines of Charlie Battery under fire. I was even more impressed with the collective calm of the units' senior NCO's and officers in bringing about eventual victory. This book is a must read for military historians and anyone else interested at an in-depth look at why, and how, our United States Marine Corps is a force to be feared throughout the world. Good job, professor! Gary Carter - Author of the military/political thriller "For the Good of the Many" - MWSA Silver Star award winner 2007

This has got to be one of the best of the Iraq war books on the market today. Writing from the viewpoint of the parent of a deployed Marine, Mr. Lubin follows his son and his artillery battery as they sail off to Iraq, fight at An-Nasiriyah, and then thankfully, all come home. This is a well-written book; it has an easy and natural flow as the author works blends interviews with the parents and girlfriends with the stories of the Marines themselves. Highly reccomended ? You bet it is; every parent of a deployed Marine and Soldier should read this book!

"Charlie Battery" is one of the best books on the war in Iraq on the market today. Author Andrew Lubin is a father writing about his son's being called to war on New Years Eve 2002, and then follows his son and the fellow Marines in Charlie Battery as they sail to Kuwait, live and train in Camp Shoup, and then fight and win at An-Nasiriyah. Lubin's descriptive and powerful prose made me feel as emotionally involved and stressed Charlie Battery parents as their sons go off to fight. "Charlie Battery" is the 2007 Gold Medal Winner of the Military Writers Society of America Military Non-Fiction category - the book is that good !"

Charlie Battery was a book I just could not put down once I opened it. I recently re-read it and enjoyed it even more now that I've got a little more experience and understanding for the military.

Zach Blutner

Andrew Lubin has created a mesh of home and war in this book. His sprinkling of Marine historical and cultural tales does the heritage & tradition of this valiant institution its due respect. The vignettes of parents, wives and girlfriends helped me to understand that I was not the only "crazy" Marine parent in the USA during that time period, as I read I knew there are other "pod people" out there. The experience of sending a child to war is unique, filled with emotion and, in light of the embedded reports of this conflict, a true roller coaster. Dr. Lubin has mastered the descriptions and captured my heart through his love of HIS Marines, by making his Charlie Battery ours through his use of wording and insightful views into their own personal world of ups and downs throughout.
Especially poignant to the story is the juxtaposition chosen by the Marines Corps to take these young men and place them into an artillery assignment--train them continuously in their usual role of war from a distance... Then, depressurize them from the experience of An Nasiriyah through a tour of the crescent triangle during the Easter season, culminating in an assignment of such a close personal nature as pat-searches of the local civilians moving through a bridge check-point. The care and feeding of these Marines by their Officers and SNCOs prepared them for this journey, which ultimately became a coming of age story. It is honest, and time will hopefully allow it to join the ranks of the historical lessons young Marines are taught during their boot camp experience.
Excellent story...filled with special insight and description by Dr. Lubin...I recommend it to everyone, especially my Marine Mom pals! Thanx so much, Dr. Lubin, for this precious journey, the honorable service of the characters, and your unconditional love of your son--to say nothing of the bravery and courage throughout this volatile time in history of our defenders of freedom, the United States Marine Corps.
Cathy, a Very Proud [ARTY] Marine Corps Mom, Texas