5 comments about Information Operations: Warfare and the Hard Reality of Soft Power (Issues in Twenty-First Century Warfare).

1. This is the most up-to-date book on Information Operations I've read. There are over a dozen contributors from the US, UK and Australia, all of whom have hands-on Information Operations experience. It is must reading for anyone serious about this important field of military operations.



2. Finally, here's a book that cuts through the dense brush of information operations theory and reaches a clearing where the reader can truly discover the practical application of information operations. The list of contributors is impressive...and all have practical experience in information operations. A must read for practitioners of IO.



3. This is a first rate effort, but it is incomplete and overly U.S. centric. A new expanded edition is needed soonest.
   
   For myself the best chapters were on "Intelligence Support: Foundations for Conducting IO" and "Information Projection: Shaping the Global Village." Other chapters on the language of IO, information protection, related and supporting activities, and implementing IO were good.
   
   The most important point in this book from my point of view was its observation that modern war is only 15-25% military action, and the rest must be a unified national campaign that leverages all sources of national power **for which IO is the glue that provides the inter-agency coherence.** These authors understand and teach, very ably, how IO is at the heart of managing complex coalition contingency operations.
   
   The book over-all shows a real appreciation for the role that must be played by non-military agencies, coalitions, and private sector organizations including religions, academics, and business as well as media personalities.
   
   The discussion of the "information battlespace" is useful, as are the illustrations. There is an excellent "strategy to task" section helpful to anyone actually implementing IO.
   
   The authors are to be commended for emphasizing that knowing the enemy is not enough--you must know yourself and be firmly grounded in reality rather than ideological fantasy, if the IO message is to have traction. The authors also address, diplomatically but directly, the limitations of the traditional insular military planning process (especially the secretive intelligence process), and clearly articulate the need for open processes that can embrace and leverage varied communities of interest, non-US as well as US.
   
   The authors also raise an extremely important issue to which they cannot provide an answer, but which must be resolved sooner than later: the urgency of being able to educate Americans about global realities and threats, without being accused of propagandizing Americans. [This is one reason why Congressman Simmons, on both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee, is so important--he understands that the state intelligence centers and networks we are advocating can serve two functions: as bottom up dot collectors, and as disseminators of real world open source intelligence to the state and local publics.]
   
   One minor nit: the authors assume that because most of the 9-11 hijackers had Saudi passports they were Saudi. My understanding is that they were a mixed bag with passports of convenience from Saudi Arabia for those who were not Saudi.
   
   The book concludes with cursory attention to Russian, Chinese, and Australian IO doctrine and practices, and does not address Iranian, Indian, Pakistani, and Venezuelan-Cuban IO, which are of considerable importance.
   
   The book, very understandably, does not spend a lot of time on Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) or the need to properly monitor all information in all languages all the time, but the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence has clearly articulated the need to do "universal coverage, 24/7, in all languages, at the neighbood level of granularity" (this is an abdiged paraphrase) and DoD appears well on its way to doing just that. I recommend that this book be read in conjunction with Max Manwaring and John Fishel's Uncomfortable Wars Revisited (International and Security Affairs Series) with Max Manwaring's edited work on The Search for Security: A U.S. Grand Strategy for the Twenty-First Century which emphasizes key moral messages; and my own IO book, Information Operations: All Information, All Languages, All the Time which focuses exclusively on information peacekeeping or the foreign language content side of IO, and has a comprehensive annotated bibliography. Specialty books that I recommend to IO practitioners include Larry Beinhart's Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin Robert Cialdini's Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials); Robert Parry's Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth' and John Hasling's The Audience, The Message, The Speaker with Public Speaking PowerWeb.



4. Info Ops: Warfare and Hard Reality of Soft Power is an awesome primer to information operations/information warfare (IO/IW). The book was originally written as a textbook for some high-level defense university classes, but has worked great as a layman's introduction to the field. In it you'll find many government agencies and the scope of their involvement in IO, great examples of IO/IW [save one example I'll mention later]
   
   The book is the foundation to an IO/IW education, so it is a definite "must-purchase." Its low price may shy folks away, thinking its a "discount" overview - but that is a mistake in thinking, and maybe IO (deception) on the part of the publisher...
   
   The one example of IO/IW I was disappointed in was mention of cyberspace exercises called Solar Sunrise and Elligible Receiver. The mainstream press have called them hoaxes or reporting blown out of proportion; the book does no better by using it as a "smoking gun" without the powder burns or shell casing. The mention of both exercises seem to be wrapped in the same mystery and hysteria as found on online conspiracy theory sites.
   
   Other than that slight peeve, the book should be purchased to get the skinny on IO/IW.



5. The meaning of the tem `Information Operations' (IO) is still evolving, but it is generally recognized to be inextricably part of the concept of Network Centric Warfare which was made possible by what the U.S. Military refer to as the `Global Information Grid' (GID). Which is to say that the IO concept is essential to developing military strategy and force structure planning. So what is it? The simplest definition of IO that is currently in fashion would appear to be that it refers to techniques and actions that adversely affect an enemy's ability to collect, manage, and use information while defending ones own abilities in this regard.
   
   All this is by way of introduction to this book, which although written by a committee of U.S. and Australian IO theorist and operators, is a pretty good over view of how IO works both in theory and, interestingly enough, in practice. The book makes perfectly valid claims that IO clearly must be based on effective intelligence production and good information systems. Ironically both defensive and offensive IO are dependant on access to accurate and timely information (knowledge) to be successful. In this context it was rather surprising that the book did not make more of an issue of the dangers of disinformation and corrupted information to IO success although it did discuss psychological warfare as an aspect of IO. Still the book is for now a good primer on IO and understanding the complexities of war in the 21st Century.
   
   Yet this book is not the definitive statement on IO, rather it is another step on the road of the U.S. Military to transformation to force structures based on Network Centric Warfare. Incidentally for those interested in that concept I suggest they read "The Future of War" by Mark D. Mandeles (Amazon.com). A rather different but equally relevant view of IO can be found in "Information Operations' by Robert D. Steel (Amazon.com). Until the term `Information Operations' is finally established, it is a good idea to keep an open mind on what it means.

4 comments about Archetype of the Apocalypse: Divine Vengeance, Terrorism, and the End of the World.

1. I grew up pentacostal and the Apocalypse (as described in Revelations) was a very real event, about to happen at any moment. As a child I never really expected to see my adulthood, "knowing" that the world would end. Now of course, I see things slightly differently. This book by Edinger is why I really enjoy Jungian psychology. Edinger puts into perspective the beliefs of millions of conservative Christian Americans and helps you see it through psychological eyes. I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing a bit more about the apocalypse but still a little aprehensive knowing that many unconscious "believers" may create a self fulfilling prophesy by their own projections!



2. While Jung's model of the mind is both elegant and apt, the master in his own words I find a hard slog. My puny brain can read a paragraph over and over with no more comprehension on the fifth read than on the first. Chalk it up to public education.
   It is with Jung's disciples that the seeds of his wisdom take root and blossom. Edinger, one of that first (and best) generation, brings a fierce intellect to his task, but keeps it accessible. In today's climate of fear, this psychological analysis of the book of Revelations strikes mighty sparks of relevancy, even for the casually Christian. Most chilling is the belief by this scientist of the subconscious that we Moderns are manifesting the Apocalypse, not perhaps as a fifty-seven headed beast - but as very real collapse and universal agony. How can we avoid it? Probably not possible. But one might survive it by following the Master's advice; become your authentic self. This book provides ample evidence to encourage one along that way.



3. Edinger interprets the apocalypse myth as an expression of the experience of the conscious becoming aware the unconscious - a loss of innocence. Disillusion is never a pleasant experience. I expect that much of the interpretation of the images is known in theological circles, it was an awakening for me. An excellent book, although, Jungian writing tends to be heavy reading. Edinger is a highly respect author of a number of influential books about Jungian psychology.



4. Professor Edward Edinger, Psychiatrist, Jungian scholar, and Jehovah Witness, uses the book of Revelations to draw us into a web that intersects at the vertex of all of his many professional realms of interests and understandings. Once he has captured us there, in his own intellectual corner, he then "uses the theme of cultural transition" disguised as, and implicit in, the deeply symbolic scriptures taken from the book of Revelations, to advance an unlikely version of a very "familiar" theory of archetypes: One that turns out to be as much existentialist philosophy and depth psychology as hardcore religiosity.
   
   And what a rich "mother lode" Edinger's mind turns out to be: Erudite and persuasive; inventive and logical, scary and seductive, intense and carefully thought out, meticulous in its details, but all done without a hint of the taint of anti-intellectual religiosity or fanaticism. The author commands his complex ship well through some of the roughest cultural, psychological and existential waters known to modern man, and skillfully brings it safely home to a believable harbor.
   
   His theory is: that a psychological analysis of the book of Revelations reveals that the world as we know it will inexorably come to an end. But that the particular book of the bible that foretells the end, is not just literal religious prophesy, or an exercise in allegorical pre-Christian symbolic poetic license, nor even just the scattered images of a schizophrenic mind or worldview, but the rumblings of "yet-to-be-deciphered" meanings from deep within our collective and historical consciousness: The book of Revelations is "content," "symbolism," and "agency;" a living psychic organism, as it were, of rumblings that inhabit and serve the needs of the individual as well as the collective psyche.
   
   It is in the analysis of the meaning of these rumblings that underlie the predictions that foreshadow a fundamental shift if not a breakup in the global paradigm of cultural and psychological understanding itself. As a paradigm of deep "personal" as well as "transpersonal" or collective psychology, Edinger reveals in these lectures that it is as much the change in the fundamental religious paradigm and the resistance to this change as anything else that represents the "moving psychological parts" of the archetype of the Apocalypse. For the change will be accompanied by a corresponding collective primal fear and resistance, emanating from a fundamentally "religious libido" -- a fear and resistance that will trigger a global psychosis and chaos that will cause a breakup in man's current cosmic worldview. It will be a kind of cultural and psychological upheaval that man has not known since the breakup of the Roman Empire and the cosmic worldview that held the Roman world together. We can already begin to see cracks in the paradigm with both domestic and international but always religiously motivated terrorism. The result of this psychological "showdown," "collective man" versus "the religious libido of individual man," and "individual man's" resistance to the change he has invested in the archetypical paradigm will be as real in its consequences as any of the images portrayed of Armageddon.
   
   Using psychological evidence from his practice in psychiatry, drawing heavily on his religious background, and his readings of world history and culture, Edinger, convincingly "deconstructs" and then "re-synthesizes" the meanings of the scriptures -- verse-by-verse - according to his own archetypical typology, leaving us with the suggestion that it will be the consequences of these meanings functioning out of a deeply religious agency -- rather than out of the economic, social and technical vulnerabilities that continue to grow without bounds - that in the final analysis will represent the "showdown" at the end of individual man's psychological patience and existence.
   
   Edinger proves here that Jungian analysis remains heady intellectual stuff despite its heavy dependence on religious interpretations. It is thus theoretical content, with which any serious intellectual must reckon.
   
   Five stars

No comments about States of Global Insecurity: Policy, Politics, and Society (Contemporary Social Issues).

1 comments about Civil Liberties Vs. National Security In A Post 9/11 World (Contemporary Issues).

1. This book gives an excellent review of the many issues presently being debated concerning the balance between civil liberties and an effective national security. The essays that the editors have chosen are concise and cogent arguments for the different positions. It is very easy to pick up and read one essay at a time right before bed. Overall, a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in an accessible analysis of the divergent viewpoints on this issue. While not the most in depth book available, it definitely gives a decent analysis of the key issues from racial profiling to torture to surveillance. Recommended for those with an interest in this debate.

5 comments about Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges.

1. This is a scary book about the ways terrorists are using the Internet. It is very interesting, well documented, well-written (easy for people like me who are not sophisticated Internet users) and very alarming. The author knows well the dark sides of the Net and guides the readers to the darkest virtual streets modern terrorists take when using the cyberspace. The book is loaded with examples from various terrorist groups (all are now on the Net) and relates the findings to the framework of communication studies and psychological warfare. What to do about it? Well, read the book's last chapters...
   I highly recommend this book though it left me troubled and scared.
   Michael Wise



2. Good book to get a clear picture of how terrorists now use the Internet as a central part of their operations. Weimann is a well-respected scholar who cleary has his finger on the pulse of modern terrorism.



3. Mr. Weimann from Israel wants American government control over access to certain Internet websites so that terrorists won't be able to communicate; or perhaps the real reason is to block Moslem news and propaganda so that we will be exposed only to Israeli-slanted news and propaganda. That way the US can continue to support Israeli efforts at ethnic cleansing from all the land which they say God promised them. Still not convinced? Mr. Weimann is a fellow at the ironically-named United States Institute for Peace, a neocon thinktank.



4. 
   Terrorist websites have increased from several hundred a few years ago to over 5,000 at this time - and that only counts those documented by strict criteria. Hezbollah has cartoon websites targeting children that depict beheadings and advocate all the atrocities committed by adult terrorists. Al Queda and others have websites targeting women. Throughout the web, messages from various organizations glorify suicide attacks.
   
   These websites are used for recruitment, distribution of literature, manuals, instructions, fund-raising, car-bombs, use of missiles - any needs of the organization. A jihad on-line encyclopedia is available, and participants may come and go with anonymity.
   
   Chat rooms contain debates between members of different organizations - which certainly open the door for counterterrorism efforts. These sites are monitored by government agencies from many countries.
   
   All methods of censoring these sites run the risk of damaging our civil liberties, although this is not a problem for some countries.
   
   The author covers the material well and ends with a caveat and a recommendation. Caveat - that this is a psychological war over minds and hearts. Recommendation - that we be proactive by producing anti-terrorism websites. Most young people participating on terrorism websites never see another version of life and truth.



5. This is a comprehensive study of the Internet, how it is used by terrorist group--not just Islamic terrorists or al-Qaeda, but also the IRA, and South American terrorist groups as well--and what measures are being taken to combat the growing use of the Internet by terrorists. Perhaps the most valuable portion of the book is the discussion of civil liberties and tracking/surveillance of the Internet. Mr. Weimann does an excellent job of pointing out the problems inherent on both sides of the issue, but does more than that--he offers solutions to the questions he raises. A bit outdated, the Patriot Act update was not yet passed by Congress when this book went to press. Many of the concerns of Internet surveillance were addressed in the Patriot Act update of 2006. Still, a great resource for the average thinking person who wants to be reasonably informed on the dangers facing our country. Politically neutral.

5 comments about The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini.

1. Haj Amin al-Husseini represented the opposite of the noble Emir Faisal Ibn Husein, the enlightened Arab King of Hejaz who had cordial relations with Chaim Weizmann and wanted to achieve a peaceful Middle East with co-operation between Jew and Arab.
   
   Unfortunately Al-Husseini's ideology of hatred won out. As Grand Mufti of Jerusalem he spearheaded the imperialistic or utopian strain of Islam that has turned into a modern hydra. In 1920 he organised the murder of Jews who were praying at the Wailing Wall, and he never looked back. Throughout the rest of his time in Palestine he furthered his murderous designs because of the British policy of appeasement, with further campaigns in 1929 and from 1936.
   
   In the 1930s Al-Husseini became a proponent of Hitler, eventually settling in Berlin where he encouraged the annihilation of European Jews and planned to become the leader of the Arab world in expectation of an Axis victory. He unceasingly promoted the Holocaust and Nazism amongst the Arabs. This strain of Nazism was a blend of National Socialism and fundamentalist Islam that would make deep inroads into the Arab world.
   
   After the war Al-Husseini fled to Cairo where was instrumental in accommodating fleeing Nazis and organising for the destruction of Israel. The hatred of Israel now took on a Leftist flavour as the Soviet Union became the champion of the Arab cause. Arab leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser, Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat were all influenced by his hateful ideas.
   
   Al-Husseini did not only target Jews, but also moderate Arabs and the free West in general. Nazism was the spiritual and physical bridge by which Islamic extremism became prominent in the Arab world. He introduced the demented belief that utopia could be achieved on earth by the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of the Jews.
   
   This malevolent Islamo-Fascism is the cause of much of the misery in the Arab world today and at the root of the hatred of non-Muslims, particularly the United States and Israel. In this, the extremists are assisted by international leftists. The Western democracies are now tasting the fruit of a decades long policy of appeasement towards this odious movement and its demonic founder.
   
   But there is still a chance that the legacy of Emir Faisal might prevail, although recent developments in France and Europe as a whole do not look promising. Al-Husseini was without doubt one of the most evil personalities of the 20th century as meticulously documented in this revealing book.
   
   Plenty of black and white photographs enhance the text, illustrating Al-Husseini's meetings with Nazi and Arab leaders, and of Bosnian Muslim brigades in World War II.
   
   There are nine indices with documentary evidence of the historical narrative. Appendix A is the Balfour Declaration of 1917, B provides excerpts of the correspondence of King Faisal, C is the Weizmann-Faisal Agreement of 1919, D provides a dialogue between Lord Peel and Husseini from the Palestine Royal Commission Report.
   
   Appendix E gives the minutes of a meeting between Hitler and Al-Husseini, F is an excerpt from the diary of Al-Husseini on his meeting with Hitler, G is a letter in which he asks the Hungarian government to send 1000 Jews to their death in Poland instead of allowing them to escape to Israel, H is his address to Arab-Americans and I is the Palestine National Covenant that denies the right of Israel to exist.
   
   The text concludes with a moving prayer for the state of Israel by the Chief Rabbinate. It is a prayer that all true Christians would do well to heed and incorporate into their worship in these trying times. The book concludes with notes, an index and biographical information on the author.
   
   I also recommend The Other War: Israelis, Palestinians and the Struggle for Media Supremacy by Stephanie Gutmann, Our Hands Are Stained with Blood by Michael l Brown, Dream Palace Of The Arabs by Fouad Ajami, Israel: Life in the Shadow of Terror by Nechemia Coopersmith, Myths And Facts by Mitchell G Bard and Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam And The American Left by David Horowitz.
   
   Peace: The Arabian Caricature of Anti-Semitic Imagery



2. A very informative and revealing book on the role that Al-Husseini played in bringing about the dangerous situation in which we, in all the world, are living today. It leaves many questions unanswered, though, like: how or why the British, and later the French, favored this psycho so unashamedly. The crimes of this devilish man being left unpunished -even covered-up- claim for an explanation that is not offered here.
   
   About 130 pages of fast and furious read. Very relevant to understand today's crisis between the suicidal West and the paranoid Muslim world. It has some very good analyses of the Palestinian conflict. It covers many issues related to the terrorism suffered by Israel thru the personal observation of relevant figures, not only Al-Husseini.
   
   A book covering the whole 20th century, and practically the whole world geographically.
   
   The Holocaust denial that is emerging in some parts of the West is a clear sign (as referred to in page 100) of more trouble on the horizon.
   
   Do you still not know that God will bless those who bless Israel, for truly it is His people? So, also, he will crunch those who mistreat her.
   Things pass slowly but surely. This short book gives a tremendous global view of what really matters in the world today. Capture the vision.



3. This is an important book for many reasons, especially for providing one especially significant and important aspect concerning the origin of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The author's thesis is that Al-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem, successfully merged his Islamic fundamentalism with the theology of Hitler's National Socialism. He supported the final solution in Europe, rallied Muslim troops to support and perpetuate the final solution, planned to import the Holocaust to the Middle East, and influenced future Arab generations. As a historian, the author pulls together many esoteric events (such as the Weizmann-Faisal peace agreement)that may surprise those who thought they knew the history pretty well. Morse illustrates how one individual can spread enmity and hate for thousands across generations. Recommended for those who want to gain more insight.



4. Author would do better if he was not so repetitive. Still it is worth reading as one realizes that Islamic Terrorism is not a new thing starting in recent years, but has deep historical antecedents.



5. In 1919, the international community saw the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement, an agreement between the King of Iraq (Faisal) and the eventual president of the World Zionist Organization (Weizmann) that set reasonable conditions for mutual recognition of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and an adjacent Arab Nation. Today, a large number of Middle Eastern nations refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist. Ever wonder what happened? This book offers a significant piece of the puzzle.
   
   This book focuses on the Grand Mufti of Palestine, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, and his influence in funneling anti-semitic, Nazi propaganda into the Middle East. From reading this book, you will learn about Al-Husseini's frequent meetings with the Nazis, including Adolf Hitler, Al-Husseini's push for extermination of the Jews and his responsibility for disseminating volumes of ludicrous Zionist conspiracy theories into the Middle East. You will also learn about Al-Husseini's significant influence on Yasser Arafat and former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
   
   The appendix of this book also contains a number of historical documents, including meeting transcripts, letters of correspondence and other relevant documents such as the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement and the Balfour Declaration.
   
   I have a few complaints about this book. First, it is too short. Second, there are many egregious spelling errors, which is very unprofessional. Most importantly, although I think Morse has made a compelling case to argue al-Husseini's influence on the modern anti-Israel facet of Islamic terrorism, I think he overlooks the most significant driving force behind Islamic terrorism: religious fundamentalism. Unfortunately, this is a common oversight of many religious conservatives, who often seem too overzealous in identifying secular roots for acts of terrorism.
   
   Overall, this book is an important chapter in the ideological origins of Islamic Terrorism.

3 comments about Modern Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: Guerrillas and Their Opponents Since 1750 (Warfare and History).

1. The author writes an very interesting book, sometimes it races along and at other times it becomes tedious. The author also offers many quotes and what appears to be tons of background, supportive and historical evidence to support his claims; Yet the author gives absolutely no footnotes or endnotes that one might validate or verify his sources. I was able to correctly identify many of his sources, but an over reliance on one's memory is not a useful academic tool. If one is seeking a credible research source, I can not honestly recommend this book, strictly on the basis that an indiviudal can not substantiate primary and or secondary sources as the author has used them.
   
   The author does offer a substantial recommended reading list at the end of each chapter, but does not provide the standard alphabetically listed bibliography. Its tedious to search the reading list because of the way he has structured it.

   The chapters are well organized and flow well through history from approximately the 1750's to roughly 2000. Although the book would benefit the novice as a "starter" in terms of the amount of historical information that the author provides; the scholar or researcher will not be able to validate or verify the veracity of the Authors quotes, examples or dates.

   All in All I would rate this book 3 stars for its readability. I would rate it 4 stars for its contribution to the debate on modern insurgency/counter-insurgency and I will rate it at zero stars for its usefulness to research, simply because it has no endnotes or footnotes. In comparison with other books I would suggest that Robert B Asprey's updated Volume I, War in the Shadow's, long considered the academic baseline on the guerrilla in history is far superior.




2. Mr. Beckett's coverage of the development of insurgency movements from the time of Napolean to recent years is a daunting goal. He covered a great deal of material and seemed to cover a lot of material in not nearly enough detail for the sake of mentioning every guerrilla movement imaginable while covering only a few in detail. In fairness, I believe his intent was to track major shifts in insurgency philosophies or counter-insurgency doctrines. But one could hardly help getting the feeling of being dragged on a guided tour where the tour guide would let you linger only at the sights he wants you to see while mentioning the others only in passing quickly by. It is a noble task but could have been shorter by avoiding the side stories or longer by providing more details on the ones mentioned. It seems too much for 250 pages to hold. Still, overall, it was a good read and gives plenty of direction for those wishing to discover some hidden corner of insurgency others might have left unnoticed. Read Mr. Beckett's Modern Insurgencies to get your bearings then head out in one of the many directions he points for a specialty that suits your interests.



3. Beckett's volume is a veritable goldmine of counterinsurgency arcana. Unfortunately, its flaws are apparent, and other reviewers have pointed to them already: Lack of footnotes and a seriously fragmentary narrative hamper the overall usefulness of this treatment. So, f you want to know your Lansdale from your Abrams, go elsewhere. If it's of interest to know that the SAS' torture practices were honed in Aden, and then imported to Northern Ireland, then this is a book you'll want to have on your shelf. Treat it like a pocket encyclopedia -- skip the table of contents and dig in via the index.

1 comments about Hamas: A History from Within.

1. Mr. Tamimi has given readers an excellent perspective from within Hamas. The author used his access to this group and its leadership to create a work that gives the reader the Hamas story as seen by Hamas. There is no filter but instead the reader hears the Hamas perspective from their own mouths as they see themselves. This is a very important distinction because too often we get the Hamas story as told from the Western perspective. Hamas as viewed by the West is a limited and skewed perspective, and the only way to really get a whole picture is to see this group from their own vantage point as well. Any good student of history knows that the more angles one views a particular subject the more clearer the image becomes.
   
   Mr. Tamimi's work is a chronological history of Hamas from its ideological inception from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood organization all the way to its electoral victories in the Palestinian elections. This book really gives the reader a sense of the evolution of this group from its humble beginnings trying to revitalize Palestinian society that was largely secular to its beginnings as a resistance organization to its eventual ascension to political power. The reader will be able to see how many different factors worked for and against this group and how these factors influenced the evolution of this group.
   
   What I most liked about this book is that it focuses in on leaders and on their philosophy. The author uses their own statements and writings to give the reader a sense of what they believe and what they are fighting for. Too often we hear that this group is simply a violent, racist group that cannot be reasoned with or expected to be reliable brokers at the negotiating table, but what we see in this book is that the leadership is filled with intelligent and articulate people. The author does a good job dispelling some of the myths and clearing up points of contention when it comes to Hamas' positions on things like peace with Israel, its vision of a Palestinian state and its willingness to dialogue with the West.
   
   The author does an excellent job detailing the Hamas position on peace with Israel, and the author describes the impediments as well. Like Hamas's inability to recognize Israel officially, although many would say they have de facto recognized Israel in many statements they have made. The author goes into this problem in detail and also describes how Hamas has suggested ways to overcome these problems through things like hudna which is system of truce. Once a hudna has been reached it is a sin to breach the truce. There are problems and risks inherent in any type of deal for both Israel and the Palestinians, but any possibility for peace no matter how imperfect should be explored and the one thing that can be said for Hamas they are dedicated to Islam which requires them to respect the terms of the hudna.
   
   Some of my criticism of this book are the same things I praise it for such as its tendancy to focus solely on the leadership. I have been looking for a work that details the grassroots level activism that goes on in this organization. A book that goes into detail describing what Hamas offers the ordinary Palestinian and describes in depth the reason for this groups popularity. On a certain level I understand that they are not corrupt like the PLO and they offer much needed services, but I want to know more about the street level activism and this book's focus is more on the leadership.
   
   Next the author doesn't go much into the al-Qassam brigades. The author makes some statements that seem contradictory to me. He asserts that the military wing is separate from the political wing, but in the book he describes how the military side respects and follows decisions made by the political branch. This leads the reader to question just what the relationship really is. Whether the military branch is really distinguishable in any real way from the political leaders if they have that type of authority.
   
   All in all I would say this is a very good book despite the very real problems I had with certain aspects of the work. The author has a very nice style that makes the book an easy read, and he is obviously very knowledgeable about the issues surrounding this group. Whether the reader accepts the perspective the author offers or not the perspective itself is extremely important to know and understand. Hamas has a large following and millions of sympathizers the world over. All of these people are not racists who want to see Israel destroyed so this group must have something that appeals to people in the East and West. This book will give the reader the insight needed to understand that appeal.

4 comments about America's Achilles' Heel: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Terrorism and Covert Attack (BCSIA Studies in International Security).

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.




4. 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

5 comments about The Cyclist: A Novel.

1. Amazingly bad prose combined with an anemic plot, an unsurprising denouement and fuzzy characters, this book isn't worth the paper it's printed on. It does absolutely nothing to elevate one's understanding of the forces at play that lead to suicide bombings in the Middle East. I had hoped to gain an understanding of those last-minute chaotic thoughts that rush through the mind of someone carrying out such a terrible mission, but this novel was a pure waste of time. Perhaps the worst element? His habit of rhyming within sentences which made me wonder whether his book had received any editorial guidance whatsoever.



2. This is a somewhat strange and very relevant treatment of the
   thoughts of a suicide bomber. Written well before 9/11, it
   provides a 1) prescient treatment of a transnational globalized
   bomber. 2) he is almost secular in his motivations as olivier
   roy described in globalized islam years later.



3. Our unnamed protagonist, "The Cyclist," explains, "What makes our land such a volatile place is not that people get killed. It's that they get killed while waiting for a school bus, or they are blown apart in an open market, or they get shot eating hummus."
   
   From a small village on the Galilee, our cyclist is a member of a progressive multicultural family. His father is a Druze, a small Arab minority which adheres to the principles of Islam, but "is not in the strictest sense of the word, Muslim. The Druze faith spans Sufism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity." And while it is never actually stated, I believe his mother is an Israeli Jewess. Both parents are intellectuals - one creates art, one teaches it. Their son, the cyclist, is an epicurean when it comes to food and one young woman, his girlfriend Ghaemi. He is also a terrorist. His political radicalization and dedication to violence were born with the tremendous bomb blast that splattered the blood of his neighbors, including his girlfriend's parents, all over the village square and shattered his innocence forever.
   
   Enraged, he is determined to repay this terrible injustice with a terrible injustice of his own. He and Ghaemi join the Academy, a terrorist organization which schools them well. Their retribution is to plant a bomb at the Summerland, a five star hotel located along the Beirut coast. It is equipped with twin 12,000-gallon fuel tanks which, along with their powerful contribution, should light up the night quite well.
   
   While terrorists are almost always portrayed as anonymous "evildoers," ruthless fanatics filled with blind hatred, Viken Berberian's cyclist epitomizes much of what is good in the human spirit - with the exception of his goal to perpetrate violence. When the novel opens, he is in a coma in a hospital room as a result of a horrendous bicycle accident. The initial narrative takes place in the patients head, a perfect place to get to know him as it is impossible to disguise one's thoughts when the reader is right there inside them. This is as up close and personal as it gets. The book, Berberian said in an interview, is an attempt "to slip inside the head of a man in the business of terror."
   
   Berberian, with wit, insight and outrageous, poetic descriptions of food - of all things - makes manifest our terrorist's humanity, and his dilemma. The author's references to a delicious melting pot of cuisine - Eastern European Jewish, Israeli, Arab - give us a taste of how divided yet how united the peoples of the Middle East are. Hummus, babaganoush, noodle kugel, mujaddara, gefilte fish, are mouthywateringly described. He writes "as British as bacon and eggs," surely on purpose, so that his American readers will be brought up short, knowing that it should be "as American as bacon and eggs." Is falafel Israeli or Arab?
   
   The prose is powerful. In a sentence or two the author can paint a clear historical picture that historians would need volumes to explain - "...in the Middle East, a year is an eon, the largest division of geological time; a centimeter of land can be more vital than a hectare, and every shred of memory is etched in ancient stone. In the Middle East, even the branches of the same olive tree fall in different countries."
   
   I am truly surprised that a novel of this high caliber has not received more popular acclaim. "The Cyclist" is a real sleeper. I can only say that if you read this review and are considering purchasing or borrowing this book, by all means do so. I did, on the advice of a friend and found one of the best works of fiction I have read in many a moon. Highly recommended!
   JANA



4. Viken Bernerian's first novel is a bold attempt to connect four crucial elements in modern life - sex, food, love and terrorism. It is the story of a young man who has been brought into a political cult called the Academy, and through a love of food as well as a love for life, he is brought to also believing in the bombing of a hotel while posing as the lagging element of a bicycle race.
   
   Berberian's prose, in its attempt to be lyric, is also very cryptic at times. In a kind of updated Johnny Got His Gun, Berberian starts the novel in the hospital, where our unnamed narrator is in dire straits. This lets Berberian wander through his narrator's history as a kind of surrealistic dream, where characters enter and sometimes behave in mundane ways, like bringing in lentil soup, or float through unnoticeably for sexual trysts. The almost constant food references are palpable and lend a heavy cultural element to the story, but also become a kind of trap. While helping to create an image of the Middle East as a place full of great joys and horrors, the food references become almost too expected at around the three-quarters mark of the book, they become tedious and lacking (excuse, please) flavor.
   
   The novel itself is quite a crucial document, or at least an attempt at one. While we may be able to sit from afar and condemn those who would agree to a suicide bombing, Berberian tries to take us through the steps that brings a man to that point, all the while showing the struggle of a zest for life paired with the resolve for one's own death to serve a greater cause. What will win out becomes the struggle through the book.
   
   This book requires a bit a slow start, to get a feel for Bergerian's rhythms and narrative, but can prove rather interesting once engaged in fully.



5. I wanted to like this book better. The prose is lovely and strange (even rhyming at times), but in the end I couldn't make head or tail of it. Yes, the narrator is a prospective terrorist, yes, he's planning--with his comrades--to blow up a fancy Beirut hotel, but the reason is mysterious. There's anger and determination, but the focus of those emotions is unclear. What's clear is that the character loves food and loves his girlfriend; with so much focused love, it's hard to credit the muddled motivation to violence.