War and Politics Books

I care about the environment but I usually can't get through the books. What I like about Tracking the Charlatans is that it gave me a lot of information about the big environmental issues and the people who speak and write about them without making me feel like its assigned reading.

Mr. Flattau tears into the anti-environmentalists from page one and never lets up. He is to be commended for his non-mainstream appraisal of just why the issues of global warming and planetary degradation are still being denied by high-profile commentators and naysayers in the media. His love of aliteration in his writing style sometimes grates on the reader's nerves, but that aside, Tracking the Charlatans is a well written and worth while read for anyone interested in the politics of environmentalism and the survival of our world.

I've known Ed Flattau and his wife for over 20 years. This guy leaves no stones unturned, minces no words and doesn't care where the chips fall. As a reporter, he's after the truth and does not compromise his integrity to uncover it.

An excellent book for all ages--should be mandatory in the schools!

Edward Flattau provides a masterful compilation of valid environmental statisitics as well as a down-to-earth analysis of todays environmental problems. This book gave me tons of amunition for todays ongoing environmental wars, a must read for any environmentalist or concerned citizen.

I'm so glad we have the reader reviews on Amazon. The Publishers Weekly evaluations are often very biased and dismissive. "Though another book criticizing the Bush presidency is of questionable necessity" - really? We've reached the limit on books examining and critiquing the performance of the President of the United States? Thanks, PW! I'll stop worrying about the health of our democracy and go straight to bed.

Benjamin Franklin, when asked what type of government we had created, is said to have replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." "Unchecked and Unbalanced" shows why America is in danger of being transformed into a monarchy by the Bush Administration, reporting how this new theory of unchecked presidential power developed and why it is wrong. The authors also contend that the theory is not a response to 9/11, but long nurtured by Cheney and his assistant David Addington from at least the days of the Iran-Contra investigation, and even followed (to a much lesser extent) by Bill Clinton.

Executive branch lawyers now describe an ongoing (not just emergency) power to set aside legal checks imposed by Congress and to even act when Congress is silent. This authority extends to treaties as well, and at least one Office of Legal Council (OLC) leader claims coverage of judicial decisions as well.

Lincoln acted early on at the start of the Civil war without Congressional authorization, and even ignored an order by the Chief Justice. The difference between Lincoln and Bush is that Lincoln did not do so on an on-going basis, sought subsequent approval, and did not act in secret.

"Unchecked and Unbalanced" provides rationale for concluding that OLC's conclusions are wrong; it also asserts that the OLC claims were developed without adherence to professional obligations - eg. they failed to identify, let alone respond to, weaknesses in their legal arguments, and failed to mention key Supreme Court cases.

Finally, to protect our republic, the authors recommend Congress hold hearings and act, and that the Supreme Court follow suit. Unfortunately this is made difficult by executive branch supervision of intelligence gathering and distribution.

The authors documents how the Bush Administration, in an effort to fight terrorism, has side-stepped the constitution, circumvented the Geneva Convention, and broken countless other laws. The authors describe how the net result is an erosion of the moral character of America, which, in the long run, is counterproductive in the war on terror.

Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr. is senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and a partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He was chief counsel to the Church Committee. Aziz Z. Huq is associate counsel at the Brennan Center and previously clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a book you will not be able to put down, in which they demonstrate and document how the Bush administration has gone further than Nixon or Reagan ever dreamed to create a monarchical presidency with the acquiescence of a complicit Congress and a cowed judiciary.

Now I know how we won the war.

You must read this to understand the way we won World War II.

Americans tend to suffer from a triumphalist sense of history: we won, so we did everything right. Davidson provides a needed corrective in showing how a bureaucratically savvy Admiral King outmaneuvered the passive General Marshall to build a navy far bigger than we needed and delayed the build-up of the army. Davidson's account is too objective and focused to take a stand on the implications of this Pentagon battle, but it seems very likely that World War II lasted longer than it might have done otherwise. Since the last year of the war saw huge territorial gains for Stalin and the deaths of a large proprtion of the victims of the holocaust, this book is a crucial reminder for all military staffers and budget planners that decisions made in the conference rooms translates into losses of blood and treasure whether one is victorious or not.

This is a tale of the bureaucratic battles surrounding the size and manning of the fleet leading into and during World War II -- battles the Navy won. It's dry in parts, filled with numbers and a repetitiveness from one "special study" to the next. One feels the bureaucracy. Still, it's an outstanding book.
It gives a sense of the difficulty of planning at the macro-level. How DOES one determine the right level of forces (the number and mix of warships, auxiliary ships, bases, and training and repair facilities, for example) for the Navy, and similar questions relative to the Army, Army Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps? How DOES one determine the manpower, industrial, and materiel capacity of the nation, intrinsic as well as import? How DOES one determine how to mobilize that capacity in a coherent way to optimize output? How DOES one then pull all of this together (diverse needs, capacity, and mobilization requirements), marry it up with coalition-based strategic war plans, and determine the right mix and schedule of force structure and production priorities to fight the largest war in history? What an awesome task!
Davidson shows that there was no small amount of confusion and groping in the dark as the services grappled with this, and that the process was heavily punctuated with inter-service rivalry, which was probably a necessary ingredient even at the Joint Staff level. The service chiefs did, after all, represent their services. He also shows how the nation's resources, while vast, were not unlimited; moreover, that we were tasking them to their limits. Even as late as 1943 we hadn't figured it out; that is, the JCS hadn't come to agreement. Competition between the services was the name of the game (a deliberate policy of General George C. Marshall). Competition also existed between the military and non-military sectors for manpower (for example, uniformed versus industrial manpower) and materiel (for example, the Navy versus the Merchant Marine). Congress had authorized higher military manpower levels than the nation could deliver (at least in some agencies' view), but it wouldn't substitute its judgment for that of the service chiefs.
I had not realized just how large our Navy was during the war. While they did trim their planned ship construction a bit, they always had the upper hand in the battle for resources. Their argument centered on the idea that the biggest, best equipped Army in the world was of little use if it couldn't deploy overseas. In fact, the Army itself realized it was limited in size, among other reasons, by the overseas deployment capacity of the Navy. For example, there were no new Army divisions activated after 1943, and Army recruitment in 1944 and 1945 was aimed at sustaining the force, not increasing it. On the other hand, the Navy, while it curtailed its shipbuilding some, still had a robust construction program through the end of the war and even into 1946. Another reason proffered by the Navy: rather than build to the minimum necessary to win the war, which could lead to longer duration and higher casualties and cost (a criticism advanced by some against the 90-division Army), the Navy focused on "rapid prosecution", which would lead to more and stronger offensives and thus to fewer casualties and less cost. These were the conclusions also of the Joint Strategic Survey Committee and the Joint Staff Planning Committee. Of course, because those committees had no staffs of their own, they had to rely on the service staffs for technical support.
There is a tremendous amount of detail in this book (albeit it could use a few organization charts to enable the reader to better follow the story). Much of our victory in World War II is attributable to our battles in foreign lands and seas. As Davidson shows, however, much of our victory is also attributable to the battles waged in the Pentagon and Congress. This is a most informative book and a "must read" for any student of World War II or of the US military in general.

This classic, WAR & PEACE, attempts to awaken the reader to the realities of media that lie hidden in his own mind. These realities are composed of the everything in the current "electric world," of signs, of real words and nonsense sounds, of pictures, of stuff, of technologies, of clothes, of weapons, of food, and of chemicals, all of which McLuhan calls media and the extensions of man. Can the reader who knows nothing of the pre-electric world be awakened to perceive it? A difficult question since there are all kinds of readers from the primitive to the scientist to the computer programmer.

Indeed, McLuhan and Fiore take the reader on a impossible journey into the guts and gear works of the human brain. Did the Authors bridge any gaps or just create new, unknown ones? Everything about this book is difficult. This includes the often obscure passages on every other page from Joyce's FINNEGANS WAKE.

The Authors advance the notion that all behavior, war and violence, stems from man's search for his identity. "So that today war, as it were, has become the little Red Schoolhouse of the global village."(P. 125) War has become the educator and education becomes war. "No one has studied what degree of innovation is required to shatter the self image of a man or a society." And how can man understand himself when he is always engaged in "rearview mirrorism?" Man looks backward because he can't see forward.

In addition, all the media surrounding man is merely raw material for man's info processor, his brain. Thus man is hooked on his current media like a drug addict is hooked on that which alters his sensual input. Man, himself, is but a collection of information. Immersed in this sea of info, like a fish in water, how can man sort out those bits that beg for priority? By understanding the info that composes himself, can man escape his own senses, those that compose and shape his every move? One doubts it!

Once again, McLuhan and Fiore team up to provide us with an excellent summation of all of the drastic effects of the transition to electric circutry as the prime form of media. I recommend reading The Medium is the Massage first.

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan does a double take on the Massage by doubling his informative view of the media world splicing effect after effect after effect. Beginning locally in the village of small tribal cultures of oratory dominance demonstrating the break of the sensorium which created a tactile society. Moving through history as if fragmented in its own way recapitulating the effects of media which broke up the senses and amputated the limbs of our physical and psychical systems. Although written in 1968, McLuhan moves right into the present times understanding first, electricity as extension of the nervous system and lucidly stating that LSD, the psychedelics of the past are equal in effects to the modern day computer as a recomposure of our being. From our computer realities, one can easily define theirs as an integrated inter-net, linking one another through digital media that is light speed. McLuhan understood the implications of Einsteinian-ENIAC models of the world and distupted the passive television view with this commercial interuption to wake up the senses. Reccomended for McLuhan lovers and those who are still watching TV on a regular basis.

If McLuhan hadn't been dead for almost twenty years, he could have written this book yesterday. He speaks to this moment in time. "We are all robots when uncritically involved with our technologies." He makes the point that we have met the enemy and they is us. He asserts that man has evolved beyond Darwin's limited concept of biological evolution, and we have evolved ourselves with our technology. The computer being an extension of our nervous system, which now senses the whole world. The pain of modern existence is to be found in the strain of this evolution, and therefor, to be for-warned is to be for-armed. "Unlike the animals, man has no nature but his own history. Electronically, this total history is now potentially present in a kind of simultaneous transparency that carries us into a world of what Joyce calls 'heliotropic noughttime.' We have been rapt in 'the artifice of eternity' by placing our nervous system around the entire globe." Tired of wondering why you think life sucks? There is some healing balm hear to be found.

This is a valuable resource on the topic plainly spelled out in the title. A reader can easily set aside the author's analysis and DIY using the compiled verses from the Qur'an. It makes a good addition to the works of Mike Scheuer, formerly of the CIA (including IMPERIAL HUBRIS -- see my review), and it's much better than any number of current right-wing "christian" rants that demonize Islam as a whole and call for all-out war on Islam in such a way as to reinforce every suspicion of ordinary Muslims about "Christian" Crusader states.

A most valuable Volume Two would be WAR, TERROR AND PEACE IN THE BIBLE AND IN CHRISTIANITY, along with a catalogue of the long history of "Christian" wars, their tactics, strategies and justifications. Although Jesus plainly said "love your enemy" and "turn the other cheek," Old Testament passages supporting either "kill them all in the name of God," or "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" seem to be much more commonly used by "christians" when it comes to the question of war.

It seems sadly apparent that both "Christianity" and Islam are, IN REALITY as opposed to in principle, violent and aggressive religions. Leaders of nations and ordinary followers of both have a tendency to project all evil onto the Other and justify their every action as virtuous. "God/Allah is on our side."

As Kurt Vonnegut said, "and so it goes."

Here is a beautifully conceived and packaged book about Muslim warfare that stands-out among the dozens of books that are being churned-out each year on this topic. Schwartz-Barcott, a sociologist and former Marine Corps officer, packs at least three books into one: (1) a careful inventory and an objective analysis of all of the verses in the Koran that deal with peace, terror, and war, (2) an original analysis of more than 200 of the most famous Muslim battles and wars (including those that Muhammad led and those that the U.S. are waging in Iraq and Afghanistan right now) ), and (3) examinations of the motivations and behaviors of dozens of contemporary terrorists, including Osama bin Laden and an American Islamist named Aukai Collins.

In the process of presenting these

The reader must first realize that this book is an analysis of what the Qur'an says about war and peace and how well Muslim armies have followed its tenants. Although it contains numerous accounts of Muslim armies in battle, it is not a military history book. All in all, the author did an excellent job of analyzing his topic. The book effectively proves a thesis that is not that surprising. Throughout history, Muslim military leaders have used the Qur'an as a convenient authority to justify their actions. Muslim leaders appear to be no different than their Christian counterparts who used, or misused, the bible to justify unnecessary bloodshed. Dr. Schwartz-Barcott, does an outstanding job of demonstrating this point. Chapter 2 provides numerous passages from the Qur'an that dictate how a Muslim should fight a war. Chapters 3 through 5 provide an excellent overview of Mohammed's military campaigns as well as numerous other Muslim battles throughout history. On several occasions, the author refers back to Chapter 2 as a means of illustrating certain points.
The reader should be aware, however, that it is not an easy book. Although some chapters are an easy read, other chapters are slow moving and tough to get through. Nevertheless, any reader who perseveres will walk away smarter than before. Chapter 7 provides some useful insight into the existing mis-perceptions about the Qur'an and how to deal with people who hold onto these mis-perceptions.
Bottom line: this book is an intellectual analysis of the author's thesis that Muslim leaders have historically misused the Qur'an to justify their actions. From an analytical point of view, the author clearly proves his point. This is not an entertaining book and some parts are difficult to read. Nevertheless, it is chock full of useful insights and information on Islamic military history.

The Qur'an or Koran is the holy book of Islam. It combines religious aspects, with law and rules by which you should live your daily life. It is the defining book of the people it seems we will be fighting for the next few years. Muslims consider the Koran to be EXACTLY the very Word of God.

This book is aimed at those who need to understand the psychological nature of our oponnents. Hopefully this will include military leaders (The book is published by the Army War College.), political leaders, and - although I suppose it is too much to ask - reporters.

As with the Jewish and Christian Bibles, the Qur'an is long enough to have enough quotes to justify almost anything. Dr. Schwartz-Barcott has done a supurb job of analyzing the situation in which we find ourselves.

A listing of the table of contents is probably the best summary of the book:

Approaching the Qur'an and its Proponents
The Qur'an's Passages on Peace, Terror, and War
Muhammad as a Military Commander
The Qur'an and Muslim Wars, 632-1984 A.D.
Some Recent and Current "Muslim" Wars
Interpretations of the Qur'an and of Muslim Warfare
Insights: How the Qur'an Can Help in Peace and In War with its Proponents.

This was a good deal at the time, and by shipping it with more priority, was able to obtain it in the amount of time I needed.

Until I read this book I never realized there were British (and American) women who had married Germans prior to the outbreak of WWII and actually lived in that "enemy" country while we were at war with them. The author suffered along with the German cicil population as the allies methodically bombarded Nazi Germany into submission. The constant fear of daily aerial bombings,hunger, and the fear of the Gestapo make this an epic story of survival.Better than fiction!

Victor Klemperer's "I Will Bear Witness". Christabel informs and entertains us, her writing is engaging and a world beyond the simple "diary entry" accounts. She is very perceptive, and her impressions from inside Nazi Germany, as a non-German, help us to better understand the people who brought Nazism to the world. Her writing style puts you right there in the minds and hearts of simple villagers, Nazi officials and those opposed to them. It also brings us a fresh perspective, one perhaps not encountered in other books on the subject. I have read numerous books, diaries and accounts of life in Nazi Germany (and Europe in general) and can highly recommend this one.

Fascinating account of life in Nazi Germany as told by an Englishwoman who had married a German aristocrat in 1934. Not as profound as Victor Klemperer's "I Will Bear Witness" but still one of the best of its genre. I liked it even more than Iris Origo's "War in Val D'Orcia" which I also highly recommend.

Bielenberg writes beautifully, and although the narrative can be a little confusing at times, certain passages of "When I was a German" read to me like bits of "found poetry." Unfortunately a few typographical errors mar this edition; an historical document this important deserves better.

There was a British television series produced in 1988 based on this book, called "Christabel" and shown in the United States on Masterpiece Theater. Bielenberg also testifies in various episodes of the "World at War" television series, which I am now looking forward to seeing again.

This book is a great browser and fact finder for not only the big world and national events of 1947-1975, but also includes annual references to best selling recording, obituaries, radio and TV shows, sports events, inventions, and cultural crazes! Bring it to your next poolside outing, and you'll find folks of all ages will enjoy this amusing and interesting guide!

Great to use for class reunions to bring back the memories. Needs to be republished and pushed to public to use for class reunions.

Every chapter is a different year starting from 1948 to 1975, inclusive. To quote Ed McMahon, "...everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask..." It is, by far, the most comprehensive text about the boomer years highlighting fashion, music, science, haute culture, fads, news highlight. In addition, it has one of the most comprehensive indeces of any reference book. A "must"!

This yearbook is an excellent resource in planning a high school reunion and helping build a school alumni association.

As a mixed-ethnicity Bosnian who lived through this war, I must say the editors of this book were extremely well informed.
They present a set of writing from both local and foreign contributors painting a vivid picture of the true events in Bosnia and the surrounding area, as well as international reactions and the complete peace process.
The book was completed in December 1993, and came out on the market in March 1994, so it does not include the events from 1994 and later, which are also critical to understanding the war and its outcome, but I still strongly recommend it, because it is one of the best books on Bosnia of 1990-1993.

As a mixed-ethnicity Bosnian who lived through this war, I must say the editors of this book were extremely well informed.
They present a set of writings from both local and foreign contributors painting a vivid picture of the true events in Bosnia and the surrounding area, as well as international reactions and the complete peace process.
The book was completed in December 1993, and came out on the market in March 1994, so it does not include the events from 1994 and later, which are also critical to understanding the war and its outcome, but I still strongly recommend it, because it is one of the best books on Bosnia of 1990-1993.

An important collection of essays, interviews and literary texts, providing a richly varied introduction to Bosnia's multi-national and multi-cultural society, while chronicling and analysing its internationally sanctioned destruction. An ideal starting point.

A brilliant and essential collection of high-quality essays ranging from personal accounts to attempts at academic (but never dry) analysis of the components of the evil that preyed on Yugoslavia and destroyed Bosnia. A bitter criticism of the West's failure to play an equitable role informs all the essays. A remarkable achievement for the editors.

This is a well-written story of an Army Special Forces trooper in Afghanistan, and it's effect on him and those of us at home. Long on humanism, and short on gore, it's interesting to see how Captain Diggs Brown reacts to his year in the 'Stan. His including many of the emails and letters he sent and recieved with both friends and strangers back home makes this a heart-warming story of our rebuilding of this shattered country.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends YOUR NEIGHBOR WENT TO WAR as a collection of emails, letters, photos & essays about this good American's tour of duty in Afghanistan, from thoughts about his deployment as a reservist to flying into enemy territory; from corresponding with the children back home to visiting a little village to teach English. Then Captain Diggs has a birthday out on desert patrol with the Taliban making life dangerous, & many more months to go before he heads for Home Sweet Home.

YOUR NEIGHBOR WENT TO WAR is an inspirational glimpse of what our soldiers are doing on our behalf, & how our voices make the duty easier. It is a unique & much-needed album of insights & outpourings from strangers & friends.

CPT Brown provides a unique and compelling look at the war on terror in Afghanistan. He allows the reader to see this war through his eyes. Through the many thoughtful e-mails he sent during his deployment, you will witness the positive affect of our presence on the citizens of Afghanistan and on our soldiers. If you've ever indicated that you support our troops, this book is for you.

CPT Diggs Brown has done a great service to our nation, both as an individual serving his country and as an author sharing the "good news" of success in the war on terrorism. This is especially important when most of the print and television media are presenting only the casualty lists.
In July 2002, his unit was informed to prepare for deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Diggs shares what it was like to leave all the "comforts of home," leave his successful civilian job for an entire year, and switch from "weekend warrior" to full-time soldier in a combat zone as a Special Forces officer in the Army National Guard.
He tells his story by sharing the many EMAILs and letter back and forth. He describes his many activities, while the main unit is working to train the New Afghan National Army, CPT Diggs and his fellow soldiers,and the unit chaplain, and the unit medics, all are also working equally hard to help the children and families living around the bases where they are stationed, teaching English, repairing schools, providing aid to orphanages, etc. His activities are in keeping with traditional Special Forces values, attempting to "win the hearts and minds" of the Afghan people he is helping to liberate. CPT Diggs is an excellent example of the Special Forces Latin motto...."de opresso liber", or "To liberate the oppressed."

The book/DVD set is a superb documentation on the CBS News live coverage of What We Saw as the events unfold and the aftermath on this horrible day of Sept 11, 2001. A wonderful DVD (2 hours of original news reports/interviews). Kudos to CBS News for putting together a great package. The best documentation I've seen on this tragic event.

Also recommended Books: 1)World Trade Center:The Giants That Defied The Sky 2)September 11th, 2001:A Collection of Newspaper Front Pages...The Poynter Institute

I shredded Reuters earlier 9/11 book, but this one seems refreshingly clear of soapbox lectures and political propagandizing. This is the book Reuters SHOULD HAVE released earlier. As one who has been to ground zero and taken many photographs, I will tell you that the photos in this book are reason enough to purchase it. The record of the 9/11 aftermath contained within is STUNNING. I found the text to be informative if not always necessary. The photos really speak for themselves. Along with Life magazine's 9/11 book, this is a keeper. It is hard to believe that only months ago I stood so close to this sacred site...

...

In After September 11, the forward is written by Tony Blair, British Prime Minister. He begins by saying, "Everyone will remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard of the September 11 terrorist attacks." His statement is so chilling accurate of that day. The first Reuters title did a great job of capturing the events surrounding September 11. In this title, After September 11, I'm impressed by the incredible journalistic detail and follow-up in what's happened since September 11th. After September 11 is a very thorough view of what is still happening in the world.

What's important is that we never forget what has happened and that we take active, viable steps to make this world a safer and better place. I think After September 11 does a great job to remind us of those ideals.

I recommend this more than any other title out there right now.