5 comments about Enemies: How America's Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets--and How We Let It Happen.

1. The title should be "The Enemy Within" as we seem to be our own worse enemy.
   
   The priority always seemed to be telling the powers to be what they wanted to hear in order to preserve job security and personal career growth.
   
   If we continue to keep the "head in the sand" attitude we will be in real trouble.
   
   I urge anyone who works for a defense contractor or a government agency to read this book.
   
   Dave C
   Nashua , NH



2. This book brings to light the extent our enemies will go to get information they want. It also tells how often international agreements on arms and nuclear material are violated for money. While the United States has to try to work with many nations to broker some form of peace, the book shows there is no Nation we can fully trust. A good read for anyone interested in espionage and counterintelligence.



3. It will never happen, of course. Real investigative reporters who don't disguise their love and concern for the United States, folks like Bill Gertz and Bill Sammon will never gain the respect and votes of the Pulitzer Prize committee. They preserve their votes for people like Walter Duranty, who denied there was famine in the Ukraine and won a Lenin Prize in addition to his Pulitzer.
   
   Gertz is concerned for America's safety. As he puts it "[u]ntil we fix the gaping holes in our defenses, America will remain highly vulnerable to our enemies." And after reading this book, if you weren't already worried, you will be.
   
   Anyone who has visited a government office, whether to renew their driver's license, pay their property taxes, mail a package or whatever, knows that governments do not hire the cream of the crop. What happens when second, third and fourth rate people are hired by the CIA, the FBI and other security agencies?
   
   Uh, you get second, third or fourth rate performance in situations where the stakes are very, very high: like the preservation of the nation's secrets.
   
   Gertz details scandals resulting from the incompetence of the CIA and FBI. A Chinese woman has two lovers, both FBI agents. She's one of their prized informants - and a spy for the Chinese government. The investigation of her is muddled and she walks.
   
   The FBI spends years persecuting a CIA agent suspected of being a spy. They have no real evidence, but the harassment is non-stop. Their big clue is the CIA employee's proximity to a partiular park. After three years, after a KGB defector is paid $7 million for information, the FBI learns that the spy indeed lives near the park in question: his name is Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who has spied for the Soviets for years.
   
   Gertz points out that literally every nation is spying on the United States - and that our agencies are horribly grossly incompetent to detect the spies and catch them.
   
   This is a frightening book, but one that every concerned American should read.
   
   Jerry



4. I think this book is excellent for one who likes to write essays or research paper about national security. There are a lot of information I haven't even known before from other information sources. the content of the book is well organized, so easy to collect information what I need for my writing. The stories were real happened, so it made me be interested. I'm sure this book is good for you to achieve your goals to write essays or researchpaper as well as you enjoy reading many interesting real stories.



5. Gertz took a critical issue and turns it into a litany of anecdotal stories about people who betray the trust their government put in them. Yes, there are spies in our government and something needs to be done with them. But Gertz is short on answers other than blaming the political correctness crowd and liberal democrats. Although they are deserving of much of the blame they are not the only ones guilty of the gaps in our counter-espionage efforts.
   
   One thing that really jumped out at me is his choice of sources. One individual -- whose name escapes me as I do not have the book in front of me -- is a counter-espionage expert at the FBI who is described in several chapters as part of the problem in terms of covering for people who probably do not deserve cover and is then cited as an expert in other chapters. Which is it Bill? Either this source is part of the problem or part of the solution?
   
   All in all, the book was big on rehashing stories of spies within the government but short on solutions.

2 comments about Ending Terrorism: A Strategy for Defeating Al-Qaeda.

1. There's not a better primer on how to think about terrorism. This book takes a vast amount of knowledge (and discards a lot of bunkum) and boils it all down. This isn't an idiot's guide; instead it provides an intellectual rigorous framework for thinking about how terrorism works, how governments have successfully ended terrorist campaigns, and what all of this means for people thinking about the threat from al-Qaeda.
   
   You'll be amazed how much is packed in here. There are no literary flourishes and no wasted words. This is practical, effective knowledge, and it's hard to imagine a policy maker or police official who deals with terrorist threats who wouldn't benefit tremendously from reading this book.
   
   It is certainly the best policy paper I've read all year, and I've read more than 100.



2. I have been a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) for a few years and this is the first Adelphi paper that I've read closely and with real interest. What caught my attention and drew me in were the author's broad historical approach and the emphasis on asking the jugular questions that many policymakers have ignored to date: how and why have terrorist movements ended in the past and what can we do to accelerate those natural tendencies? Interestingly, the author, Audrey Kurth Cronin, says that al-Qaeda has spent much more time reviewing this question than anyone else.
   
   This is a slender volume - more extended essay than book - that is packed with keen insights and hypotheses concerning the nature of terror movements, the lessons learned from previous counter-terror campaigns, and some practical recommendations for conducting the on-going campaign against the global Islamic extremist threat.
   
   Cronin clearly sees post 9/11 US foreign and defense policy as deeply flawed and misguided, although this tract is hardly a direct criticism of the Bush administration. Rather, Cronin argues that mainstream national security thinking embraces a number of myths when it comes to terror movements. Three in particular forced me to challenge my own thinking.
   
   For instance, Cronin asserts that it is incorrect to view terrorism as in inexpugnable element of modern civilization analogous to crime and poverty. He notes that the vast majority of terror movements end - and their median lifespan is quite short (somewhere between 5 and 9 years). The Irish Republican Army and FARC are the exceptions, not the rule. Second, terror movements tend to be fluid and evolutionary, so addressing the root causes that led to the development of the movement is unlikely to end the resistance. Cronin notes that terror campaigns and insurgencies share some attributes with conventional wars in this respect in that once the conflict generates its own momentum, the ending may have little to do with the initial cause. Finally, and most at odds with conventional counter-insurgency thinking, Cronin argues that government policies targeted at winning the hearts and minds of the population have very limited utility.
   
   The central thesis Cronin lays out is that sending troops and/or aid packages is not as impactful as understanding that terror movements are predisposed to fail. And rather than fighting groups directly with excessive firepower or expensive social relief programs, the logical focus of the counter-terror policy should be to accelerate and promote the natural causes of terror group implosion. It is the policy equivalent of aikido: using your attacker's energy against them.
   
   The author goes on to lay out some discrete steps the international community should take to push al-Qaeda in the direction of its own demise. His recommendations are reasonable but hardly earth-shattering in their novelty. For example, Cronin suggests that the West do a better job of "articulating al-Qaeda" to limit the grandiose image that we have helped great for them. He also argues that we should do a better job of fomenting the internal divisions and accelerating the popular backlash against the movement that have been generated by the Sunni/Shiite issue in Iraq and the death of innocent Muslims in bombings around the Middle East. Just as al-Qaeda has effectively whipped up anti-Western sentiment by highlighting the ugly by-products of US foreign policy decisions and military operations, so too should the West shine a spotlight on the effects and victims of al-Qaeda suicide attacks, beheadings, and the other inhuman acts that have become part of their standard playbook.
   
   In sum, Cronin has produced a crisp and thought-provoking analysis on what may be the paramount national security issue facing the West for the next generation.

No comments about Inside Terrorist Organizations (Cass Series on Political Violence).

5 comments about Black Sunday.

1. It is hard to believe this book was written thirty years ago. This story of an American madman hooking up with Palestinian terrorists to blow up the Superbowl is very relevant to today. I just saw the movie Munich and so the terrorist organization Black September was fresh in my mind. Just like Munich, the Mossad is operating in this novel to hunt down Black September. Clues bring them to the US, and without the help of the Israelis, the incompetent American intelligence services would never have known that Palestinian terrorists were planning mass murder inside the US.
   
   I found a few unbelievable elements to the story. Namely, how the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September allowed a beautiful female into its upper ranks. And furthermore, how she then fell for the Vietnam vet plotting to blow up the Superbowl. It is obvious that she was using him for murderous ends, but Harris leaves hints that she was beginning to fall for him.
   
   The plot proceeds at a quick pace and is very tightly and well written. It does not take long to finish this book. Best part: the bad guy gives his ex-wife tickets to the Superbowl he was plotting to blow up.



2. Thomas Harris' first novel "Black Sunday", is, as all of his works are, very well written and told in an enticing and convincing way. The characters are three dimensional and realistic. You'll never question whether or not the thoughts or actions of the characters are plausible, and you'll not think that this or that is out of line. It has a sense of realism to it, that really makes it scary almost.
   
   Highly recommendable



3. BLACK SUNDAY is Thomas Harris' first novel, and is the only one that doesn't feature the character of Hannibal Lecter. This novel instead deals with a terrorist plot to blow up the Superbowl. Unfortunately, this book is not as exciting as the plot would suggest.
   
   This is definitely not the best novel by Thomas Harris. I thought the character development was rather weak, largely due to Harris' decision not to have a central protagonist. He instead presents a large cast of characters in BLACK SUNDAY, and none are sufficiently developed enough for the reader to emphasize with any of them.
   
   This book is also pretty tedious in spots. Harris obviously did a lot of research for this book, but he includes way too much irrelevant detail that doesn't move the story forward. BLACK SUNDAY therefore ends up being a rather slow paced read, a serious problem for any thriller.
   
   There are moments of stylistic brilliance in BLACK SUNDAY, because Harris is a very fine writer. But it doesn't really add up to a very exciting story. If you've never read Harris before, my advice is to read the book he wrote after this one, RED DRAGON. That novel, in my opinion, is one of the finest thrillers ever written.



4. Excellent book by an excellent writer. Having read several other books by Thomas Harris I think this one does please. Suspense, action, drama, and well crafted characters make for a great read.



5. Before Hannibal Lecter became his franchise character, author Thomas Harris delivered a 1975 thriller, which could plausibly be pulled out of media reports today; an angry and bitter American citizen works with a terrorist cell to commit murder and mayhem on the international stage, the Super Bowl.
   
   In a race against the clock, an Israeli security agent and the FBI attempt to put the pieces of the puzzle together before it's too late. Harris weaves the plot between the two scenarios, which gives added meaning to the two-minute-warning, with no more timeouts.
   
   Harris aptly shows what happens when the raw emotions of hatred and jealousy grips the mind and how it ultimately eats away at the soul.

4 comments about Jihad and American Medicine: Thinking Like a Terrorist to Anticipate Attacks via Our Health System.

1. This book by Doctor Dorin is the first breakthrough text to provide a detailed prescription for health care workers, academicians, and politicians to overhaul the way medicine is delivered--toward to goal of reducing medical errors and the potential for purposeful 'mischief'!
   
   I highly (and emphatically) recommend this book!!



2. This book is very well written and I hope the law makers in Washington take note and make some changes so as to protect our health care facilities.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



3. Dr. Dorin has written a thought-provoking and timely treatise on the vulnerabilities of our health care system. This book is extremely relevant to both healthcare providers and consumers.



4. Informative and well written, Dr. Dorin's research is relevant to government authorities and consumers. His well organized and concise writing style make this an interesting read.
   
   I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Red Cell: Rogue Warrior II (Hardcover): Red Cell.

1. If you have read all of Cmdr Marcinko's books, and I have, you know that some of the 'asides' he gives in these books are true. Red Cell did do a security exercise where they simulated 'blowing up' Air Force One. Marcinko did lead a team of shooters into Libya where they waxed over 30 people in a terrorist camp. Now the main story, which in Red Cell is about the smuggling of nuclear material to Japanese Rightists by traitors in the U.S., (as far as I know), that's fiction.
   For those in the know, it's fun reading Marcinko's books and seeing where he's taken the real stuff and blended it in with the fiction. Of all his books, this is the one I still enjoy reading the most.



2. Cheesey writing, but excellent action. I'm not much for fiction, but this was a blast.



3. Marcinko knows his stuff. There's no doubt he's from the old school of stick it in your face and make you like it leadership.
   Great action sequences and real enough to admit even the highest trained Spec warriors make mistakes or s%#t just sometimes happens.(i.e. Murphy's Law always rules)
   The story moves along swiftly with just the right amounts of shooting, profanity, techno jargon, humor, and drinking to keep it interesting.
   Yes, the violence level is high but, so is the fun. Bravo Zulu.



4. I waited for this book to come out after enthusiastically reading the original "Rogue Warrior." I thought Red Cell was good...well you might say it was "OK." But it certainly didnt have the drama of the very first Rogue Warrior book.

   As a sidenote which might interest other readers, I was told by one of the characters of the first Rogue Warrior that "Red Cell was more true than the original Rogue Warrior." I was told this by Jim Watson when I was visiting the UDT/SEAL museum in Fort Pierce, FL in 1994. He didnt go into any specific details and I didnt ask. After hearing Jim Watson make this comment to me in his office, I have since wondered how much (or how little) is really true in ANY of the Rogue Warrior series of books.

   Honestly, my advice is after youve read the first Rogue Warrior book, youve basically read them all.




5. it arrived in a timely manner and my husband loves it of course, we tried barnes and nobles and could not find it there, so this was a good option.
   
   thanks,
   
   margie shurts

2 comments about The Japanese Mafia: Yakuza, Law, and the State.

1. This book can help researchers of Asian gangs identify the uniqueness and features of the Yamaguchi gumi and other Japanese organized crime syndicates. The information provided by this book unquestionably has long-term impacts on criminology and sociology of crime, especially on the area of Asian crime.



2. This scholarly work examines the nature of organized crime in great depth and details the evolution of Japan's mafia, called the yakuza, and the challenges confronting it in the 21st century. Although Peter B.E. Hill's style is rigorously academic, the nature of the material itself is so sensational that the book is at times a thrilling read. It offers a glimpse of the underside of Japanese government and society, and reveals historical facts likely to shock the average non-Japanese reader. getAbstract finds that this book will, of course, interest readers who are professionally concerned with crime, sociology, economics, Japanese studies and the like. However, it may also appeal to fans of true crime stories and hard-boiled fiction - a rare attribute for an academic book.

2 comments about The Great Terror War.

1. Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, has written a thoughtful survey of the war on Al Qa'ida terrorism. He differentiates this from other forms of terrorism, because of its genocidal intent and worldwide scope.
   
   Chapter 1 looks at what winning and losing this war would mean. A proper strategy must include a justified war of self-defence focusing on Al Qa'ida, international law enforcement, and addressing the causes that recruit people to this form of fundamentalism. We must understand, not to forgive individual terrorists, but to change the social conditions that give rise to terrorism.
   
   Chapter 2 examines 9/11's causes and effects, Chapter 3 the war on Afghanistan. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 look at how Bush has twisted the war against Al Qa'ida into unlimited, perpetual war for US domination. Bush has smeared all national liberation struggles as terrorist and delegitimised, sanctioned and isolated what he calls `rogue' states. He wars against Iraq, and threatens Iran, Cuba, Libya, Syria and others. Falk shows that the Al Qa'ida threat does not justify the assault on Iraq or any other country.
   
   Chapter 7 criticises the US state's attacks on American society. Chapter 8 looks at our world, where "American assertiveness is no longer deterred by the Soviet presence."
   
   From Clinton's `unreserved embrace of predatory globalization' to Bush's worldwide empire-building and warmongering, the US approach has meant `unconditional authorisation for state violence'. Attacking civilians and their homes is terrorism, whether done by states or by anti-Castro exiles, Chechen rebels, Palestinian `suicide bombers', or Animal Liberation Front fundamentalists.
   
   Falk mostly upholds the UN Charter's prohibition on non-defensive force. Yet he backed the USA's 1999 war in Kosovo and its attack on Afghanistan (which was not limited to attacking Al Qa'ida) because he privileges the ideal of transnational government over national sovereignty.
   
   We must uphold the democratic right of all nations to self-determination, which includes the right to self-defence against all schemes for global or continental domination, US or EU empires. Which is to say, we need a working class politics based on workers' nationalism.



2. Richard Falk writes with a pedantic manner, but his assertions about recent history are radical and vituperative in the extreme. He attacks the United States on virtually every page, impugning our motives, morals, and methods. He talks about his own country in terms that might be used by our most implacable enemies. He writes of an America that whose main goal is "geopolitical intimidation." He expresses alarm that America is no longer "balanced nor deterred" by an adversary like the Soviet Union. Mr. Falk reminisces fondly of the Soviets, because the threat that they might annihilate the U.S in a nuclear holocaust kept us from oppressing the rest of the world.
   
   On the first page Mr. Falk asserts that Pearl Harbor was not a surprise attack, but part of the Roosevelt administration's "deliberate plan to lure the country into World War II." The anti-american tone is unrelenting. Many American foreign policy moves in the past century are examples of aggression, economic opportunism, and cultural imperialism. He reveals his own biases, not only with his arguments, but also with his lexicon. He refers to american leaders as "reactionary and pro-military forces." He decries the "martial atmosphere" after 9-11, with a "patriotic fervor never before seen in America." Maybe Mr. Falk has never seen it before.
   
   Mr. Falk suggests that al-Qaeda might be "an imaginary network conjured up by intelligence agencies." He leaves the realm of the merely oppositional, and ventures into delusional thought. He gives serious consideration to many conspiracy theories that could be used by psychiatrists to identify a break with reality. If you believe that our own government blew up the World Trade Center, Mr. Falk is your muse. He suffers from that peculiar form of self-hatred that leads to self-abasement, and the condemnation of one's own country.
   
   There is much to criticize about our country, and the war on terror. Mr. Falk is so critical of the United States that he seeks to destroy our ability to define and defend ourselves. Self criticism is a vital element of public virtue, but self-abnegation is rarely useful, and often harmful. His is a left-wing jeremiad, but Mr. Falk is no Jeremiah.

5 comments about Crisis Negotiations: Managing Critical Incidents And Hostage Situations in Law Enforcement And Corrections.

1. If you are looking for simply the most comprehensive, detailed and relevant book in the field you can not miss this one. It is the negotiator's Bible.



2. What an outstanding book... I have read lots of stuff on crisis/hostage negotiation and barricade situations, but this book sums it all up! Two thumbs up...



3. It's a very good book about the matter, whit fundamental topics. Usefull for the pro's and rookies, too. A great buy for his words, but a little expensive for a paperback.



4. 
   Unless you're totally devoid of common sense and spectacularly clueless about any hostage crisis that's taken place in the last thirty years, there's nothing that this book will give you that you don't already have. As a guide for the street officer who doesn't routinely find himself handling crisis negotiations, it's O.K., but for someone planning to specialize in the field and who needs accurate and detailed information about advanced techniques, this book is largely a waste of time and money. (Especially money - the book is outrageously overpriced.)



5. Ordered the book 4 months ago and still waiting for it to arrive.

5 comments about The Teeth of the Tiger.

1. Ugh, this is probably the kind of book that destroys careers. Had this been his first book you never would have heard from Tom Clancy again. It seems that Tom has been reading too many of his old reviews and not those for his last few books. Granted his books still sell well, but that's because people see in his books what they want to see. This one is soooo transparent that it can't cover the weaknesses of the characters and stories.
   
   The idea of involving Jack Ryan, Jr and his twin cousins in murder plots is about a hokey as you can get. Put the boys in a Porche and let them drive it off a cliff a la "Thelma and Louise". Say goodnight Tom!



2. I used to read all of Tom Clancy's books until I got annoyed by the Op-Center series, and bored by Into The Storm: A Study in Command and Every Man a Tiger (Tom Clancy's Commanders Series) (which were interesting, but dry as dust) and quit reading them altogether. Then I found this in the bargain bin, and remembered why I liked his books so much.
   
   And wow. I checked Amazon reviews to refresh my memory (it's been 3 weeks since I read this), and there are 800 reviews with an average of 2 stars. I always gets very curious when I have such a complete difference of opinion, so I read through a few pages of the reviews. The negative ones seem to focus on two things: 1) it's not like real life, and 2) the series has moved on to the next generation. News flash: Tom Clancy books have never been overly realistic. Except probably for the nonfiction. You can pick apart dozens of things from even The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan Novels) that would never happen in real life--that's why it's fun to read. And I applaud long-running series that move on to the next generation. Otherwise, you end up with a hero that never ages, or increasingly improbable scenarios that even I won't swallow.
   
   So, now that I'm satisfied that I didn't miss anything, on with the review.
   
   The Teeth of the Tiger is about an ultra-clandestine government agency set up by then-president Jack Ryan. It's such a new agency that so far, all it's done is make money (it's self-funding, mostly by quasi-legal insider trading) and collect intelligence hacked from the alphabet-soup agencies. And now they're training their first operatives: twin brothers Dominic and Brian Caruso, respectively an FBI agent and a Marine officer.... and Jack Ryan's nephews.
   
   They get a slightly accelerated course when a routine training exercise crosses paths with an actual terrorist operation in a suburban mall.
   
   Meanwhile, Jack Ryan, Jr., a few years younger than his cousins, has used his brains and figured out the existence of the agency, and basically applies for a job.
   
   Interspersed with the training thread and the Jack Jr. thread is the terrorists' plot.
   
   Maybe it's because I've just been in an action mood lately, but while I did notice a few drawbacks: the twins call each other Aldo and Enzo for no good reason, except perhaps as something to trip up readers; Brian dithers for far too long about whether or not he can kill terrorists in cold blood; and there's quite a bit of repetition; they didn't bug me all that much because I loved the story otherwise.
   
   I found the idea of a combination of stock market traders and assassin/spies irresistible. And I loved watching the development of the agency, even--or perhaps especially--the doubts and missteps. It was new, they weren't sure how it would work, but they were willing and eager to try, and that excitement was passed on to this reader, at least.
   
   I also found the three cousins to be fairly reasonably characterized. Even Brian's crisis of conscience made sense with his character, and my irritation with him was mitigated by the fact that his brother was also irritated with him. The twins were youngish and excitement-seeking, which explains some of their less logical decisions, like renting a Porsche instead of taking an anonymous train on their mission in Europe. Jack, Jr. had grown up privileged in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, who he admires, so it's understandable that he has that sense of duty, and yet he wants to make his own mark, and to prove himself.
   
   And, oh, yes, I did have to ignore a bit of political b.s. with which I'd have taken exception if I hadn't expected it. I find Clancy a little naive, politically (no shades of gray), but that works pretty well in an action novel. I think I'll have to see which of his books I've missed in the interim and check them out.



3. Haven't read a Clancy book for several years and am sorely disappointed at the poor quality of this effort. The most glaring problem with this book is the dialogue. Guys in their twenties making references to Grace Kelly and Maureen O'Hara? Simply awful. Too bad this author didn't hang it up while he was on top or at least collaborate with someone who is more in touch with the real world.



4. I'd read most of Clancy's others, but by the time Jack Ryan became president of the U.S., this whole series ground to a halt for me. And that (Debt of Honor) was the last Clancy novel I read--until I picked up Teeth of the Tiger in an airport bookstore so I'd have something to distract me on a 3-hour flight.
   
   The first thing a novelist has to do is get the reader to "suspend disblief." Jack Ryan becoming president was bad enough but now, with Jack Ryan, Jr. going to work as a low-level analyst for a black ops outfit, and his two cousins (twins, no less) working for the same group, this is beyond plausible. The plot is thin, the characters weak and predictable, and, guess what?! Jack Ryan, Jr. is suddenly catapulted into the spy game in a big way during the last 3 pages of the book. I lost count of the number of times Clancy used the term "bro'" and "lit up his computer." Hackneyed and trite.
   
   Lame. Lame. Lame. Let's put a stake through the heart of Jack Ryan and let him go in peace. My last Tom Clancy novel.



5. I received this book as a gift and was looking forward to a good read only to discover that this is certainly the worst Tom Clancy book I have read. The dialogue is amateurish and unrealistic. Very little happens for more than half the book. The ending is slapdash and unsatisfying. The door is open for another book to continue and resolve the plot line, but there is no chance I will bother reading the next installment. Don't waste your time with this one.