Events Books

Anyone interested in the History,Ethnology and culture of Afghanistan will be immensely satisfied.Dupree's fine-toothed research covers every square inch of this tragic yet fascinating country.From Alexander the great's classic Central Asian campaigns up to the post Soviet invasion era.

Anyone interested in the History,Ethnology and culture of Afghanistan will be immensely satisfied.Dupree's fine-toothed research covers every square inch of this tragic yet fascinating country.From Alexander the great's classic Central Asian campaigns up to the post Soviet invasion era.

Louis Dupree's book is the single best survey of Afghanistan ever written. Indeed, it is the best survey of any country with which I am familiar. In 700 well-written pages, the book introduces the reader to the flora, fauna, geology, geography, folk customs, ethnic groups, literature and history of the country. When I served as the legal advisor to the US Embassy in Kabul for a year, I found it invaluable.

"Afghanistan" gives the reader a complete insight in life in Afghanistan from the Stone-age until the Russian Invasion. Dupee go's in extreme detail about all aspects of Afghanistan's society and "illustrates" them with many stories which makes the book fasinating from the first page to the end. He presents the reader Afghanistan historicly, geographicly and demographicly. The index in the back of the book, makes it to a most complete reference source. After reading this book you know more about Afghanistan than many Afghanies!

(Please feel free to correct my english) Jeroen van Dijk

Definitely a book that I recommend to friends. If you are interested in the political process, Watergate, Nixon; or simply this tumultuous period in American history then this book is for you. And it's grammatically correct too. Rob--Fairhope, AL

Even today, it's difficult to be objective about Richard Nixon. Author Russ Witcher succeeds, however, in his seminal study about how Nixon dealt with the press in the two decades following his resignation from the presidency. Relying on articles about Nixon in the three national newsweeklies during this period, Witcher presents a dispassionate look at how Nixon's image improved in the national print media. By quantifying the number of positive and negative statements the newsweeklies made about the former president, Witcher avoids the subjectivity that has marred much of the earlier research that has been done about Mr. Nixon.

Russ Witcher's superb study of Richard Nixon's post-presidential rehabilitation in the media is long overdue. Many observers have said that Nixon was largely successful in improving his media image during the last 20 years of his life, but Witcher has the numbers to prove it. In an exhaustive look at every article written in Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report about Nixon from his resignation in 1974 until his death in 1994, Witcher finds that Nixon improved his image over time in all three of the newsweeklies. Such research is a testament to Nixon's perseverance to fight to be known as more than The Watergate Man. That fight found its ultimate culmination at Nixon's funeral when even President Clinton declared that the days of judging Nixon on anything less than his whole life and career were over.

Russ Witcher's book, that Watergate thing, is one of the best books that I have ever read. The tension kept me on the edge of my seat! The climatic conclusion is unparalled by anything except for certain Betty Davis movies. Keep up the good work, Russ. I hope to see more work from you in the near future.

This book will interest students of politics who wish to learn the observations of a liberal Democrat elected official who participated and observed the past three decades of the emergence of the politics of the "New South".
Harriet Keyserling retired from the South Carolina state legislature in 1992 and has produced this brilliant insightful insider account of that legislative body. A legislator who was devoted to such issues as increasing support for education and resisting nuclear waste in her state, she offers several lessons from her experiences.
Among points to ponder presented in the book are a.) alliances can be formed around agenda items that transcend political partianship, b.) be open and honest with the press and they will trust you and treat you better in the long run, c.) recognize that not all men nor all women think alike, even though men and women may approach some issues differently, and d.) all issues are women's issues and women legislators should not feel compelled to limit themselves to matters others believe primarily concern women.
The legislative infighting described in this book will interest students of South Carolina politics. Her descriptions of many South Carolina Governors as essentially cheerleaders for the Chamber of Commerce provides insights into interest groups and government. Legislative observers will appreciate learning how as much to one third to one half of South Carolina legislative sessions used to be spent engaging in fillibusters.
Rep. Keyserling is proud of her efforts to create a dedicated sales tax for education and for creating South Carolina
s Sunny Day Fun. Towards the end of her career, South Carolina politics transcended into an arena of great confrontation and tension. Disliking these changes, she left politics. Harriet Keyserling, though, has left us with her knowledge and insights in this book. Readers will appreciate her writings.

Absolutely brillant! I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Against the tide." Mrs. Keysterling held office during an interesting period in SC politics. The book provided great insight into many of the issues affecting South Carolina and the nation. I highly recommend it.

This is a marvelous and instructive memoir on Ms. Keyserling's many years in active politics in South Carolina. She battled long odds in a deeply conservative state and was able to accomplish much in her 16 years in the State Legislature. She was an early and important ally of former SC governor and current Secretary of Education Richard Riley, and was one of the leaders who helped pass the progressive educational reforms that improved that state's educational standing and performance. She overcome much to fight the 'good fight' for progressive environmental laws, energy conservation, regulation of nuclear and solid waste, and promotion of the arts. The forward is by Richard Riley and she has glowing recommendations from novelist Pat Conroy, former U.S. Senator Nacy Kassebaum Baker and columnist David Broder. She is a long time member of the League of Women Voters, and that group was very instrumental in most of her political battles. I enjoyed the book and found it useful and enlightening. JMP

This piece is a great primer for those interested in having a public impact but, because of age, sex or gender, don't project their views. A 54 year old Jewish woman living in South Carolina gained the courage to speak out . . . and was heard. Easy reading.

This is an excellent, highly readable book for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of British politics. Each constituency is profiled in-depth, and I reach for this book every time a by-election is caused. This new edition is highly welcome, as the old edition was made hopelessly out of date by the 1997 Labour landslide. Buy this book, and you'll know which seats Peter Snow means the next time he says "Now let's have a look at our Swingometer!"

Excellent resource for British Politics. Glad to see it has been updated to reflect the sweeping 1997 Labour Victory and Boundary Commission changes. A must for anyone interested in British Politics.

This is the 'bible' of British electoral politics, but it suffers from one major drawback - since it was published we have had the 1997 General Election which renders much of it out-of-date. The next edition is therefore eagerly awaited. Basically the book consists of an account of each parliamentary constituency, detailing its location, social and political mix, and boundary changes imposed since the previous election in 1992 (which in some cases make drastic changes to its political flavour). The really fascinating element of this analysis is the prediction made as to the likely outcome of the 1997 election - the authors followed the common belief that the (then) opposition parties would catch up on the Conservatives, but failed to predict the size of the landslide that overwhelmed John Major's government on 1st May 1997. In my own constituency, for example, the prediction includes the line "there will be no more close contests in Bosworth" - the sitting MP saw his majority slashed from 19,000 to 1,000!

The constituency profiles also include potted biographies of the sitting MPs and, in some cases, of the people thought likely to replace them. These are 'warts and all' sketches that are often highly amusing. My own MP, we read, was described as "so stupid that he couldn't find his own bottom with both hands and a compass" - by someone who is now a government minister!

As a student of the political scene I turn to this book constantly when an MP or a constituency hits the headlines, and I always learn something new from it. It has a value despite the turn of events, but I won't be alone in my eager anticipation of the next edition!

Excellent review of british politics. Gets even better with time. If you are interested in what is going on in a major player in europe this is the book to get. Provides excellent portraits of all the major players in this parliament and of Tony Blairs government.

One of the best studies I have ever read on the nature of power and domination. Wedeen asks the simple question of how Asad is able to keep power in Syria when all of the people know that all of the state propaganda is false. Her elegant answer gets right to the heart of what makes a ruler powerful. Asad rules not through totalitarianism, but through authoritarianism. What's the difference? A ruler who controls everything that the people think (like in North Korea) is not really dominating them, they just don't know any better. But a ruler like Asad rules because the people fear him and become unable to dissent as a result of Foucault-ian discursive practices.

This book will facinate anyone interested in the modern Middle East or the nature of power.

When I first traveled to Syria in the late 90's, I found the eerie, creepy phenomenon of what Wedeen terms Syria's state cult to be the most inscrutable, absurd and mind-boggling feature of the entire land-scape. After Asad's death, the succession of his son, Bashar, saw the ubiquity of his father's visage decline noticeably but still it did by no means disappear.

Wedeen's work does forcefully and with keen insight what I once thought was impossible. Though known to be patently absurd by all Syrians, inside and outside the elite, Wedeen argues cogently that this cult in its own way reinforces power for the state by demarcating the boundaries of political practice 'as if'...i.e., politics in Syria are to be practiced AS IF the cult expresses reality. Her analysis also broadens to include investigations of the vast amount of state resources squandered on the cult and the circumscribed efforts to resist and protest the gov't. Highly recommended reading for anyone studying the modern Middle East.

This engaging and often witty work asks the basic question, "how do rituals and symbols that are widely understood to be false or absurd help to support a regime?" Her answers help to complicate our understanding of the relationship between state symbolism and legitimacy in authoritarian states.

Happily, the value of this work is not limited to political theory. Indeed, for most readers, these theoretical issues will be secondary to the insights and observations Wedeen offers regarding the workings of the brutal and repressive Syrian regime. Her authorial tone is wry and, despite its theoretical sophistication, this is an easy work to read. In particular, her reliance on everyday communications and popular media and the breadth of examples she provides bring Syrian society to life in a way that few academic works have.

A ground-breaking exploration of the subtle ways power operates to structure everyday life. Rich in ethnographic detail and eloquently written. Definitely worth _much_ more than $17. A worthy read, not just for people interested in contemporary Middle Eastern politics, but for those interested in issues of power, discipline and resistance. Ms. Wedeen is a rising star in the field of Political Science. Bravo!!

For the afficionado of the political genre, there is no better book than this. Barry's access was not equally granted by all the players, but he was sufficiently "in the room" and privy to frank discussion that he places the reader in the Congress during the end of a Speaker's tenure. This episode really marks the rise of Newt Gingrich, the end of Democrat control of the U.S. House, and profound changes in America. The book doesn't explain how it all came about. It does, however, live up to its title by showing how ambition and power collide. In this instance, ambition won. That Gingrich eventually suffered an ignominous political end is one of the great ironies of recent American politics.

This book is incredible in depth of research, interviews with key players in the House of Representatives, a balanced approached, and analysis. It reveals more of the inner workings of the House of Representatives than any other single source. A must read for anyone who wants to understand how the House works, and at the same time how Speaker Jim Wright lost the speakership.

An amazing read of the rise of Newt Gingrich and the fall of Speaker Wright. If you want a behind the scenes look at leadership and power in the US House - you must read this book. It basically follows how Newt dogged Speaker Wright and pushed him out the door with questionable tactics. Ironic that as Speaker himself, Newt had a lot of trouble with a book deal. Cannot recommend more highly.

Barry, who wrote for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications, was allowed unbelievable access to former Speaker of the House Jim Wright's private meetings, and also got cooperation from then-back bencher Gingrich and others of Wright's enemies. The result is an absolutely brilliant study of how power works in Washington, inside the Congress, between the Congress and the White House, the media. Well-written and provocative, this book will give you an understanding of Washington like nothing else I have ever read. Ever since it came out (in 1989), I have been waiting for Edmund Morris's Reagan biography to get the other side of the story. If only Morris had done what Barry did. But Morris failed. Barry didn't.

Even though written in '99, this is great background analysis for the lay person on Islam versus "The West" even today. Especially enlightening on the constant efforts of Turks to keep Turkey the only secular Muslim state. Also, the potential powder kegs of Egypt and Saudi Arabia unless their dictatorial governments allow some participation by Islamic Moderate Activists. The author is much more optimistic than I am about the possibility of a MIDDLE EASTERN version of democracy rather than the version being forced upon the area by ALL the American administrations with naive missionary zeal! The obsession with petrodollar politics is endangering the lives of many more thousands of people.

Overall Reaction:
Simply put, this is the most lucid work on the political Middle East and "the way it is, how it got there, and what to do about it" that I have seen. I understood everything Mr. Gerges had to say and could not help but be persuaded by his understated style and crystalline presentation. Written with respect for his reader (he never speaks patronizingly) he so clearly elucidates his points with well presented examples that the book becomes not only a compelling written account of his thought, but an excellent reference work. One does not need to absorb the whole book in order to arrive at valuable insight, although a thorough reading is recommended. In addition to the many keen observations he makes, he gives suggestions, clear, concrete suggestions, as to what to do with the problems outlined. I find this refreshing. Many books I have read recently project a good deal of frustration (although probably deserved) while others focus on what has gone wrong or been done wrong. Mr. Gerges collects his points of reference, tells us their histories and creates a map as to where things can be taken and put into order. Mr. Gerges presents his compelling reasoning along with a great deal of information (both in the text and in his extensive footnoting) all captured in a clear, calm approach.

How I will use this book in my further studies:
It is useful as a reference book as specific issues can easily be extracted for argument. I intend on both referring to this work in my writing with politicians and to keep up on Mr. Gerges's work to see what new insights he provides.

The book's main points:
We (the polled majority of the US at least since the Iranian Revolution in 1981) still hold the Arab Muslim in a negative stereotype as violent and Islam as a "hostile culture". He demonstrates that the US has never had a consistent policy, show of policy, thought process or self-knowledge of the Middle East. The west keeps reacting as if it were dealing with a (possibly) trained lion, in awe of its beauty, happy it has not jumped on us yet, and holding a gun at the ready in case it does. The west has never welcomed the Mid-East as a full member of modern society, it seems. As to our prejudices, he rightly points out the undeserved knee jerk reaction after the Oklahoma City bombing where numerous attacks on "Mid Easterners" were reported immediately after that bombing.
US Officials deny there is tie between media presentation, news and US Policy. I think there is ample evidence available that pretty well challenges that assumption especially when you look at the cumulative effect of media-news as well as media-entertainment on popular assumptions. Gary Sick's given quote: "We are all prisoners of our own cultural assumptions " is particularly to the point here, but it begs the question, "If we are prisoners, who is holding the key that will free us from mis-information?"
The book was written before the current situations, but his assessment of how we formerly backed the leaders we are now bombing when they were fighting the Soviet Union, and many other such observations, is still enlightening and relevant.
The Middle East, oddly, seems to be the Swamp of Politics. Wherever we step, there are bogs and tangled roots and mire and muck. If so, it is a swamp we have helped create. We have seemingly never dealt honestly with the Mid East and so we keep finding ourselves caught up in a matted tangle of former policies and legacies. We have been ambiguous at best and harmful (kindly put) to the development of good ongoing relations between the west and Middle East. It is as if we do not expect them to notice that we do not like or trust them very much, except for their oil. One of our ambassadors even said, "Islam is a conquering religion threatening the American way of life " although that Ambassador did stress that most US policy makers did not share his view.
The west views the Middle East as backward. The west cannot seem to get its head around the reality of a clerically dominated regime. We do handle the idea of the Pope, though. Maybe this is because the army of His Eminence is small.
Mr. Gerges points out the continual duplicity of governments: What they create, what they portray and what they are willing to do to keep the truth of one from another is the unfortunate, resource-consuming, status quo. It seems that one of the most pervasive issues the western world must learn to deal with is its confusion over how a people can live with a different cultural base of reference then the western model.

His brilliant step-by-step analysis of the unique histories of many of the Middle Eastern nations and their potentials (for benefice and for ill) is particularly well laid out. The Middle East is a region, but also a collection of countries. He gives us good access points into the machinery of the way things are so we can at least have the option and chance to do what we can for the best interest of all involved.

It is my conclusion that the oft-used political phrase of "clash of cultures" is not accurate. However, because of this book, I see it as much more of a clash of wills and belief in the right of one way to exist over, as opposed to along side of, others. Differing cultures can co-exist, but the will to be dominant, to have one's "ways" proved correct is what cannot be sustained. This book by Fawaz A. Gerges is at least an offered tool to help correct and improve the situation.

GregRobin Smith
RedHorse & Ridire Reviews
robin@knightstour.org
Please write me if you wish the whole review (including page # references)

Absolutely objective. Wonderfully insightful. Footmarked to the hilt.

This is the most useful, objective, engaging source I've found on the topic.

Although published in 1999 toward the end of the Clinton presidency, America and Political Islam sheds a lot of light on the attack on the twin towers in 2001. Focussing on U.S. foreign policy toward various aspects of the Islamic resurgence and how it has changed both through time and in different places puts recent events into a broader context that is sorely missing from many analyses. The book's investigation begins with the Iranian Revolution and covers four presidencies: Carter, Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton.

It tackles head on the climate after the end of the Cold War, noting that an over-easy replacement of the "red menace" of Communism with the "green menace" of Islam explains surprisingly much. It also tackles the tendency to conflate the "Iran problem" with the "Islam problem" which has often led to inappropriate responses to current situations.

The largest contribution the book makes is in sketching out how much U.S. foreign policy is constrained by Congress and public opinion. Our presidential administrations would probably have made much more nuanced, relevant, and accomodationist responses to various situations related to Islam if they had not been cornered by powerful congressmen with simplistic black and white views of the world. A secondary contribution is pointing out the very many places where the U.S. in dealing with Islam says one thing but does something different.

"America Misunderstood" does an excellent job to help readers understand the complex mindset of the rest of the world about what they think of American policies. The editor should be commended for collecting these pieces from extremely diffcult sources ( 40 odd countries ).

Everyone who voted in the 2004 presidential election can use this book to get a reality check of how their voting was viewed by the rest of the world.

It's especially interesting to read the bulk of OPEN LETTERS that were written to American voters by Nigerians, Egyptians, Israelis and even Russians of how we should do if we are sincerely willing to consider global peace. Being an American voter comes the responsibilty to think broader on many issues.

This is a honest and noble effort to bring America one step closer to the rest of the world.

Read this book. A lot of questions will be answered.

I accidentally came across this book at Amazon while searching for latest non-fiction political reads and I'm really happy that I found this book.

This book is so valuable for anyone who is interested in finding out the "REAL" answers to a plaguing question: Why Do They Hate Us?

Every single piece in this book has hidden messages written in remote parts of the world that can give us clues to many lingering questions that many of us have about the rest of the world's mindset about Americans.

Highly recommended for political enthusiasts, lawmakers, academics and historians who do research on Bush Presidency, American Foreign Policy, Election dynamics and American voting trends. It already helped me complete my paper on 2008 Election trends.

I guess the title should have been "WHY DO THEY HATE US" rather than AMERICA MISUNDERSTOOD.

Please read this book before you vote in 2008.

How many of us read foreign news sources? Should we even care? You would know how important it is to read foreign journalists if you read this book.

Although, "America Misunderstood" focuses on the Bush Second Term, the opinions are very pertinent to any occasion. Reading the other side of the story in raw form from the original sources definitely makes you think a lot and it is chilling and sometimes mind blowing.

Harold Pinter's 10 page article is scary and everyone who cares about our foreign policy should read it.

There are few opinions from Egypt and Lebanon that may give you a wake up call about how our policies are viewed in the Arab world. And two other opinions from Israel may put you on a double edged sword.

Go read this book. It's equivalent of reading an International newspaper that writes only about American foreign policies.

I used to be like the typical American, unable to understand how come we had such a bad reputation in the world's opinion. With some of our recent actions on the global stage, I don't think I'm quite as clueless any more. But the book America Misunderstood: What a Second Bush Victory Meant to the Rest of the World by N. Sivakumar does a very nice job in allowing us to see, via the international press, exactly how others view us and our government.

Contents: Introduction; Acknowledgement; Great Expectations; Carte Blanche To Murder; The Lighter Side; Osama Helped Bush; Faith-Based Presidency; The Israel Factor; Change Or No Change?; What's Next - Optimism?; Conclusion - War Fair?; Epilogue; Index

Sivakumar, a Sri Lankan who lives and works in the United States, decided to take a look at how the world reacts to the presidential elections through the lenses of the international press. He used the 2004 re-election of Bush to collect different opinion columns and cartoons from throughout the world to answer the question "Why does the world hate America?" It's an eye-opening experience to see media from outside our own country, to experience our reputation without the filters of our own biases. Much of the anger comes from our actions in Iraq, and Bush squandered much of the goodwill that we had right after 9/11.[...]. The major difference seems to be in what each group considers important. It's pointed out a number of times that Americans are looking at a variety of issues when they vote, many of them internal (economy, morality, etc). But to the world, it's more our stance on international affairs.[...].

For me, the biggest "takeaway" from this book is the necessity to look beyond your own borders when it comes to interpreting world events and opinions. It seems like half the people think our media is controlled by the government, and the other half think it's part of a liberal conspiracy. Taking the additional time to read and understand how the rest of the world looks at us is key in understanding the reality of our effect on the world, not just what we think we represent. No matter how "noble" we think we are, our actions portray something else completely.

I needed this book for a class I am taking, however, I would have read this book just for pleasure, I finished it before the class even started

In a very good way, I got more than I bargained for by reading this book. While seeking a solid source to inform myself on the "nuts and bolts", policy implications, and development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), I continued to come across this title. Expect some dense and intense reading; there is not a wasted word here. The book focuses exclusively on the covert delivery of a nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon against an American target, exploring possible methods, limitations, locales, preventive measures, and consequences. This book will considerably broaden the knowledge of any first-timer looking into WMD and likely provides substantive material for discussion among policy makers and experts in the field.

This is a comprehensive analysis of the threat without being alarmist.

It is far too easy to find shocking explanations of the biological weapons potential that do not describe some of the difficulties in their procurement and delivery. This "sexy" approach captures our attention and makes for good entertainment, but the `Chicken Little' approach doesn't help us develop rational methods for dealing with the issue.

Read this book if you want a levelheaded examination. It also contains a good description and solid recommendations for a national strategy.

I picked up this book as a research tool for a paper. Not only did I find the book to contain everything I needed, I became so enveloped in the reality of what I was reading that I couldn't put it down. A fan of Tom Clancy novels, this book describes the harsh reality that we live in, while detailing both the strengths and the weaknesses of the US response to bioterrorism. A must read for those with an interest in national security issues.

I need to declare first that I wrote the preface for the original US edition of this book, so obviously I think highly of it. Re-reading it again recently, I found that it moves me still, very strongly, with the vision that the steady strengthening of the individual human being is a force in history. The USA, whose world role is so complicated at this point, has had a great deal of strength in its "individualism" -- whether Jefferson's or Emerson's or the slaves, native Americans, women, immigrants, trans-continental migrants and all the rest who had to strive to establish their personal worth. This book helps me feel that we in the USA will find our way back to the humane ideals which are part of our true contribution to the world of the future.

Dr. Ben-Aharon's book is perhaps the most original contribution to the theme of Globalization, US, and social responsibility I ever read. He is not only an expert source of US policy and globalization' strategy, his unique contribution lies in the fact that he is capable of suggesting new, positive ways, socialy-and spiritualy productive. The concepte of Initiation, in particular, as developed in chapter 15, in connection with the evolution of consciousness and social life, is most illuminating. Its the first book on the topic known to me that combines depth of social analysis and spiritual insight, with wonderful sense of hope for the future of the US and humankind.

This book was amazing. It should be read by everyone concerned with what is going on in the world today and America's role in it. If you are wondering if you should get the hell out of this country or stay and fight for better solutions instead of running from the problem(and be "truly" proud to be an American)...read this book. The big plus about this book for me was its spiritual element in relation to world social events.
I just finished reading Owen Barfield's, "Saving the Appearances," before reading this book, unaware that it would be a great primer for what Mr. Ben-Aharon has to say. We definitely are living in interesting times.

All I can say is fascinating, in depth and very stimulating. I'm really glad I stummbled across this gem.