5 comments about The Coming Balkan Caliphate: The Threat of Radical Islam to Europe and the West.

1. Well documented and researched, Deliso significantly adds to the literature on Balkan radical Islam. Having seen first hand these so-called "mujahadeen" and radicals while stationed in Bosnia in 1996, he highlights issues that current Western Administrations wish to forget or simply ignore - the "blowback" of having supported sides with questionable backing. An outstanding and thought provoking book that needs to be analyzed and embraced by Western security and intelligence communities. Well done indeed.



2. With this outstanding book, Mr. Chris Deliso has given us a look into the little reported Balkans region.
   He shows us how after the defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan, the West allowed, encouraged even, the radical Muslim fighters to go to the Balkans to carry out their fight for a radical version of Islam.We find a connection between the Balkans and Mr. bin Laden that is truly amazing. We are shown the influence of radical Islam in this region of Europe. The place where the tragic incident that touched off World War One took place. This powder keg is getting set for a new explosion thanks to the radicalization of a portion of the population of the region.
   We see the influx of foreign "investors" and monies along with radical teachings and weapons.
   This is not a very pretty sight to see. Some might even call it frightening, but either way, it is information that we need to have. We need to be aware of the happenings in this part of the world as it is the very entry to Europe and a likely place for future conflict. Considering how Kosovo is seeking to declare total independence from Serbia, this book helps explain what and why things are happening as they are today.
   I found it to be a truly informative, easy to read about an area of the world that is grossly under reported in America.



3. The Balkans is one of the most very important places today in the world and yet is completely over-looked. Like Afghanistan in the 1990s the world is sitting on a volcano as Islamism grows and spreads in Bosnia and Albania and elsewhere such as in Sanjack in Serbia. A fascinating study is examines the way in which the Balkan terrorist groups may spread out and pose a new threat to world civilization.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



4. This is the best, concise yet thorough primer on the topic of militant Islam in the Balkans by a leading analyst who has been living in the region and analysing it for the last decade or so.
   
   Islam is not merely a religion. It is also - and perhaps, foremost - a state ideology. It is all-pervasive and missionary. It permeates every aspect of social cooperation and culture. It is an organizing principle, a narrative, a philosophy, a value system, and a vade mecum. In this it resembles Confucianism and, to some extent, Hinduism.
   
   Judaism and its offspring, Christianity - though heavily involved in political affairs throughout the ages - have kept their dignified distance from such carnal matters. These are religions of "heaven" as opposed to Islam, a practical, pragmatic, hands-on, ubiquitous, "earthly" creed.
   
   Secular religions - Democratic Liberalism, Communism, Fascism, Nazism, Socialism and other isms - are more akin to Islam than to, let's say, Buddhism. They are universal, prescriptive, and total. They provide recipes, rules, and norms regarding every aspect of existence - individual, social, cultural, moral, economic, political, military, and philosophical.
   
   At the end of the Cold War, Democratic Liberalism stood triumphant over the fresh graves of its ideological opponents. They have all been eradicated. This precipitated Fukuyama's premature diagnosis (the End of History). But one state ideology, one bitter rival, one implacable opponent, one contestant for world domination, one antithesis remained - Islam.
   
   Militant Islam is, therefore, not a cancerous mutation of "true" Islam. On the contrary, it is the purest expression of its nature as an imperialistic religion which demands unmitigated obedience from its followers and regards all infidels as both inferior and avowed enemies.
   
   The same can be said about Democratic Liberalism. Like Islam, it does not hesitate to exercise force, is missionary, colonizing, and regards itself as a monopolist of the "truth" and of "universal values". Its antagonists are invariably portrayed as depraved, primitive, and below par.
   
   Such mutually exclusive claims were bound to lead to an all-out conflict sooner or later. The "War on Terrorism" is only the latest round in a millennium-old war between Islam and other "world systems". Sam Vaknin, author of "Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited".



5. I have read Chris' book from a cop's eye view and in so doing examined it searching for inconsistent "testimony" as is evident in the usual contemporary journalistic rubbish. There is none. I spent several years in Bosnia and Croatia as a police observer. I also have spent time in Serbia including Kosovo and Montenegro as a tourist so I have the advantage of being able to compare on the ground gained experience with Chris' written facts who by the way has chronicled his by the same method of up close and personal interaction.
   
   THE COMING BALKAN CALIPHATE is a professional investigator's prime reference tool for getting up to speed on what's happening in the Balkans in regard to the scams being run there and is the Who's Who for who is operating them. On my return to my home city, New York, I felt relieved to be safe in the good old U.S.A. That is until I was driving to work on September 11, 2001 in Manhattan. Chris will tell you in detail just who was responsible for that atrocity. I am tired of 9/11 being referred to as a tragedy. It was an atrocity and a war crime. For those of you who are politically correct neurotics-take a hike.
   
   After you read Chris' book you will see that "it" is not the oil as is the usual war protestor's cry but the junk, skag, white powder or what ever you want to call it. The politicians are making deals with whomever will accommodate their mad dash for wealth and more and more power. The oil piplines and military bases are going up while the pushers are being given a pass to move their white death through Europe and into the veins of our American youth. So while many of our youth are fighting for their lives in the Middle East the rest of them are dying on our streets.
   
   If you want to really know what's going on behind the scenes read this book. Then put in on your shelf and see what happens next.

5 comments about In The Red Zone: A Journey Into The Soul Of Iraq.

1. Although he died while free-lancing in Iraq, I am thankful that this great journalist was able to write this book before he left us. It is an extremely interesting look at life in Iraq, the Iraqi people, and the challenges we face there. I'm sorry about his untimely death, and wish he could have stayed around to write many more compelling and inspiring books such as this one. God bless his family and bless the memory of this brave man.



2. First, let me say that Steven Vincent died for this book. He was murdered because he wrote brutally honestly about the dark underbelly of Iraq, about how here (and much of the Middle East) life is cheap and what passes for culture twists minds and perpetuates continued ignorance in the majority of the populace. Steven is gone now, but his opus is still available and if you only read one book about Iraq in your entire life, then In the Red Zone should be that one book.
   
   I read this book in one sitting, from cover to cover, all 240 pages in the span of about six hours. Everything you need to know about the war, Shia, Sunnis, Kurds, the occupation, what the future could hold - it's in here. The good, the bad and the ugly are all laid out for you. This book will be of equal fascination to both pro and anti-war readers because Steven didn't sugarcoat a thing when he wrote In the Red Zone. He didn't sugarcoat Iraq one iota and he died for it.
   
   Life is cheap in cultures that glorify death. Steven found that out the hardest way. His death has a silver lining - Nour - his brave Iraqi intrepreter. She was shot by the same vicious parasites that killed Mr. Vincent but survived and is still somewhere in Iraq (as far as I know), guarded, silenced or both. Steven and Nour are microcosms of the relationship between America and Iraq. Read In the Red Zone. It will force you to make adjustments to everything you thought you knew. In the Red Zone is Chapter 1 in the story of 21st century. Other Americans and Iraqis will be stepping forward to write Chapter 2. Are you one of them? Which side will you step forward on?



3. Freelance journalist Vincent first visited Iraq in September 2003. While other reporters sheltered in insulated compounds or heavily-fortified hotels of the "Green Zone," he lived and traveled in the "Red Zone," that is without security and among ordinary Iraqis. In all, Vincent has penned one of the best-written accounts of post-Saddam Iraq, one of the few that captures the debates, issues, and contradictory emotions that Iraqis are juggling.
   
   In the Red Zone fills a void left by the many think-tank pundits, academics, and journalists who wrote books in the wake of Saddam's fall, where the Iraqi voice is often lost. Vincent's account has the advantage of bringing to light his encounters with ordinary Iraqis. Among other experiences, he was in Karbala when a series of bombs killed 140 in the city in March 2004; and while traveling in Basra, he was briefly interrogated by U.S. intelligence. He makes no attempt to cover the minutiae of daily Iraqi politics but instead takes a big-picture approach.
   
   That said, In the Red Zone has its limitations. There is little discussion of the Kurdish issue and minor errors of fact pop up--for example, the date when Iran's Safavid dynasty began.
   
   In contrast to the usual journalistic practice of adding color to an article by including an occasional man-on-the-street interview, usually conducted by an Iraqi assistant, Vincent provides a deeper insight into Iraqis. He introduces the reader to Qasim, a Baghdad art gallery owner who, because of a club foot, managed to avoid the carnage of the Iran-Iraq war; Assad al-Abady, deputy director of the Iraqi National Organization for Human Rights; a secular Sunni woman torn between her love of freedom and the "humiliation" of having it delivered by foreigners; a Fallujah policeman who swears blood lust against Americans after U.S. soldiers kill his son; a Shi'ite taxi driver still euphoric over liberation; and a Christian woman in Basra whom Vincent later learns had been raped in her youth by Saddam's police.
   
   Vincent also spent time with foreigners. He details a long conversation with a Canadian antiwar activist who lectured him about U.S. "human rights violations" but would not condemn insurgent terrorist attacks on Iraqi civilians or visit Saddam's mass graves. Vincent also describes a surrealistic encounter with CodePink, an American peace group, during which one member doubted that Saddam really was that bad. He also notes the Iraqi reaction to Western peace groups. "How can people accept for so long the crimes of a dictator, then rise up to try and stop a war begun to remove that dictator from power?" one Iraqi lawyer asked. "Antiwar activists should examine their consciences."
   
   Michael Rubin
   Middle East Quarterly
   Summer 2005



4. I make it a point to read pretty much every book that comes out about Iraq and environs. Though there has been no recent shortage of first-rate books about the region, this one packs a punch like you wouldn't believe.
   
   To tell you the truth, I haven't seen the book since I first lent it out. The guy I lent it out to lent it out to someone else and so on and on. That I have yet to get it back should tell you something.
   
   The basic story is that Steven Vincent was your typical dingbat liberal living in the Big Apple as an art critic, believing that God was in his heaven and that all was right with the world . . . and that in particular Islam was a basically peaceful but tragically misunderstood religion.
   
   Then September 11th happened, and in a fit of shock, grief, duty, and curiosity, Vincent hied himself off to desert lands as more or less a roaming reporter for hire.
   
   The book relates his transformation from smug liberal to one who was truly concerned about constructing a fairer portrait of the chances for peace and progress over there.
   
   So far, so good. And whatever you think of his politics, and whatever your position on the war is, and blah blah blah blah.
   
   Listen: the thing that really pushes this book over the edge into the realm of greatest books I've ever read is what happened to Vincent after he wrote it. I won't spell it out here, but you can easily find out on the net.
   
   God, knowing the real ending makes the final third of this book unbearable. Truly unbearable. Some of the most emotionally exhausting and harrowing reading I've ever done.
   
   See, he meets this woman named Nour. And God! God! I can't take it.
   
   Sparrow, O sparrow!



5. This book manages to deliver a concise, beautifully written account of Iraq, as seen through the eyes of Iraqis and foreigners living there in the early post-Saddam years. We hear from Iraqi men and women of all backgrounds, American "activists", soldiers, policemen, and clerics...to name but a few!
   Mr. Vincent begins his journey on the highway that leads from Jordan to Baghdad. This highway gives the reader a pretty good idea of what Iraq as a whole will be like. On it, shiny SUVs and junkmobiles alike zoom at breakneck speed through the desert, avoiding roadside thieves and potholes. Should travelers need a break, they can lounge on one of countless picnic tables installed in years past on this road by Saddam's "planners", and refresh themselves with blasts of wind and sand under the 116 degree sun.
   The author travels to Baghdad, the Sunni triangle, Kirkuk, Basra, and to the Holy Shia cities in the south. He reports the views of the cynics, and the disillusioned, as well as those of the (not at all scarce) intrepid optimists who persist in believing in the possibility of a democratic Iraq.
   Mr. Vincent doesn't mince words as he describes the many unpleasant and even horrible scenes he finds throughout the country, but also of the growing pockets of Iraq reclaimed from destruction. Throughout he gives a very even-handed account, such that we can identify with both foreigners and locals, and with passionate Iraqis on opposite sides of many ideological wars.
   I found his chapter on the Shiite pilgrimages and holidays, excellent. (In order to gain entry to these, he poses as an American Shiite, and must recite boilerplate Muslim creed in his broken Arabic). Here, we join him in his immersion and admiration of the Shiites' as he recounts their history of perseverence in the face of centuries of Sunni domination, but we also join him as he confides his more cynical verdicts on the Shia glorification of bloodshed and death he witnesses during several religious celebrations.
   I also found his chapters on life in Basra outstanding. Here Mr. Vincent recounts his experience under the wing of a brave and iconoclastic Muslim woman, Nour, a Basra native. As his guide, she risks her reputation and indeed her life (she receives serial threats from those who view her as out of line), as she guides him to interviews with mullahs, fanatics, moderates, opportunists, party figures, and soldiers, and translates for him their warnings, criticisms, and their....occasional admiration, accompanied by pleas to carry on, and report the truth about Iraq and their dreams for its renewal as a nation finally free from dictatorship to us, the future readers of their story.

5 comments about A Secret of the Universe: A Story of Love, Loss, and the Discovery of an Eternal Truth.

1. Stephen Gibson has created a compelling novel that wraps a compelling and believable fictional story around a frank discussion of religion, ethics, and perception of truth.
   
   If you are open minded and interested in seeing things from a different point of view, but get tired of non-fiction books that push you relentlessly towards a conclusion while ignoring any contrary ideas or thoughts, then you will find this book to be a refreshing approach.
   
   I throughly enjoyed both the fictional story and the discussions that it wraps around. I highly recommend the book for anyone who feels like they have something to gain from open minded examination of how people perceive truth or why they believe what they do.



2. Its been weeks since I finished this novel. Been listening to the discussions from the authors podcasts for months before finally sitting down and reading this work. I haven't wanted to review the book until I had some time to think about if I liked it or not. I'm still not sure. The people and relationships do not seem genuine, at least I don't know people like that. I didn't bond with the characters like I wanted to. The long discussions were permissible as I understand the author really wanted to include the religious questions the book was really designed for. But they just seem so contrived and unlikely, I never discuss these kind of questions with my Christian friends. They are so not on the same page that we could never discuss calmly and with such education as these characters do again and again.
   
   I hated knowing what would be happening in the later chapters, all was given away in the first 15 pages of the book. Let events occur naturally, maybe already knowing that one main character would be cheating (right or wrong) on his wife made it impossible for me to ever like him.
   
   The arguments are well reasoned, the Secret was kinda impossible even after all the years they put into it.
   
   I will admit that I did cry several times when the parents die, but not when anyone else dies. You would think that the last few deaths would grab me more but I just didn't feel "it" towards them.
   
   So the jury is still out, maybe for others who are questioning their faith, this would help the sort out their feelings. The well reasoned arguments are helpful to both sides of the issues. I sure did learn a lot about pilots from this book.



3. This book is exactly what I have needed. My mind has been going crazy trying to read as much non fiction as possible. I do not normally read fiction, but this book was a welcome break from my usual reading. It is not a true story, but the ideas, and expressions of the characters as they try to discover truth are great. I have to rate this book as one of my favorites, and I feel it does a beautiful job stating opinions about truth that so many of us have. The story itself is filled with so much information that you can spend years researchig much of what the main character speaks about. The way truth is depicted throughout this fictional story, and the way so much real research went into it, had me finishing the decent sized book in less than a week. The author is great at articulating the feelings of those that follow honest inquiry, wherever it may lead. I was happy, mad, sad, and loved every bit of it. I hope to eventually buy copies for many family members and friends,and I recommend it to all.



4. I'm a little bit mystified by the heaping praise given by the reviewers here. I was fully expecting it to be lambasted by the religiously persuaded and shrugged off by the true skeptics as pure pedestrian drivel; I suppose you could count me in the latter category.
   
   I will confess I am sympathetic to Mr. Gibson's epistemological position, however, the mixture of pop philosophy and painful prose were at times excruciating (channeling Ayn Rand?). Much of the dialog sounds as if it were written by a grade school grammar teacher - very dry and almost 'Leave-it-to-Beaver-ish'. I can't imagine anyone outside of a 1950s sitcom engaging in dialog like that.
   
   It's not all bad. I'm not sure if Mr. Gibson is a pilot, but his descriptions of piloting small commercial aircraft were interesting and he seems to have done his homework regarding Christian apologetics and criticism. This book might be a good introduction to the subject for those Christians with at least a smidgen of an open mind, but in the end I'm afraid Mr. Gibson is not a good fiction writer.
   
   I would recommend many, many other non-fiction books on the subject before I would think of this one. Harris, Dawkins, Dennet and Hitchens(all referenced in this book) do a much, much better job. Although they do tend to be a bit more harsh on the religiously inclined. Gibson tries to top off the book with a warm fuzzy which is what most people want I guess; otherwise why would we need religion?



5. As I read A SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE I repeatedly saw parallels to my own journey from religious faith to religious skepticism. Others may read the book and recognize their journey to a deeper faith through a dark wood of doubt. Throughout the book I found myself identifying strongly with characters who voiced views that I agree with. A few pages later I would find myself empathizing with another character whose views and beliefs are at odds with my own, as the character struggled with an ethical dilemma or personal tragedy. The characters experience a full range of the joys and sorrows life offers. Their experiences impact with their most deeply held convictions and they are changed in ways they never imagined possible.
   
   The author, Stephen Gibson admits he is a reforming emotion driven thinker. His book TRUTH-DRIVEN THINKING: AN EXAMINATION OF HUMAN EMOTION AND ITS IMPACT ON EVERYDAY LIFE and his podcasts encourage readers and listeners to seek truth, elusive and complex though it may be; through dialogue, discourse, and inquiry. It would be wrong for readers to assume from these statements that their emotions will not be engaged while reading A SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE. It is not a dry and dispassionate story. Gibson recognizes the power of emotions in creating and sustaining relationships between people as well as commitment to a cause higher than one's own self. His own passion for the pursuit of truth is clearly evident in his writing. I recommend A SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE to theists and atheists alike.

5 comments about Chile: The Other September 11: An Anthology of Reflections on the 1973 Coup (Radical History).

1. It is quite an honor to review this book, which was promoted by Fidel Castro. Are you guys kidding? Or is "The Left" peopled by idiots?



2. I consider this book a far more emotional read than an academic read. It's full of personal accounts and poetry which really make you feel for the people of Chile. I agree with Castro's statements on Chile but in no way does that mean I am pro-Castro. He IS a dictator. Hands down. Joan Para's and the first writer's(i believe that was Ariel Dorfman) chapter's made the book.



3. "Chile: The Other September 11" is one of the best books available on the tragic events that inaugurated an era of terror and fascism in the small Latin American country. This is an astounding document of what took place when radical right-wing general Augusto Pinochet lead a CIA-backed military coup against the government of ELECTED socialist president Salvador Allende. The most powerful statement the book makes is that now both Chile and the United States share the dreaded date of a Tuesday, September 11 as a day of horror and death, this is eloquently expressed in a memorable essay by Ariel Dorfman. In-between the chapters and in an important chronology the Nixon White House plot to distabalize Allende's government is detailed, showing how the U.S. in part was deeply responsible for the coup and horrors that fell on Chile. Some right-wingers here cringe, trying to make the book sound "one-sided," maybe it is, but the facts sure aren't. It is also ridiculous that some reviewers here try to discount the brilliant speech given by Fidel Castro shortly after the coup. Castro is a revolutionary leader, something hard to grasp through American eyes eventhough now sadly, we can grasp a taste of what Chile experienced with our own day of terrorism and murder. Castro's speech is both a memorable tribute to the Chilean spirit, the Chilean revolution, Allende, and the solidarity between Cuba and Chile, and yet Castro still gives a well-calculated warning about unarmed nations being defenseless against the tyranny of fascist intentions. The book also features some wonderful poetry that expresses the FEELINGS of what happened, this is an insightful style for the book considering Chile is the home of one of the world's great poets, Pablo Neruda, who's sad fate following the coup is detailed here by his wife. The two most powerful chapters belong to Joan Jara, wife of murdered Chilean folk singer Victor Jara, she writes about her final moments with her husband on the morning of the coup as they held each-other for the last time before he leaves for the city's university, never to be seen again except as a bloodied, murdered victim of the military rulers. Jara also shares here her husband's final poem, written while imprisoned in a horrific sports stadium turned torture center. "Chile: The Other September 11" should not be read by just Latin Americans or history buffs, it should be read by Americans not just as a look into what we've helped unleash on other nations, but as a warning of what we shouldn't allow to happen here. It is easy to dismiss the crimes of men like Pinochet as something from "over there," when in fact, it can happen here because human beings are human beings no matter where they reside. When we hear about "the war on terror" and some of the frightening stereotypes being developed around immigrants and others, it would be wise to read this book and see what happens when ideaological paranoia produces a state of terror and oppression. Chile politically has emerged from the darkness of the Pinochet regime, Michelle Bachelet is now the nation's first woman president (and head of Chile's socialist party), but reading this book, one realizes there are national scars that take longer time to heal. "Chile: The Other September 11" is a book that refuses to be ignored and shouldn't be ignored, it is a look at the past, and a document that helps better understand the present.



4. This was a great book that really brought back many memories of that awful day. It gives first accounts of those who lived through some of the worst days in the history of Chile. The memory of Salvador Allende comes blasting out to show what a great man he was. The book also features a candid look at Victor Jara and Pablo Neruda



5. I was growing up under the regime of a series of military dictators.Violence was pervasive and even covetous act .As a naturally result of that, every town and community there are at least one or two who dissapeared for a while and returned with black marks all over their bodies. I heard so much horror stories about arrest, interrogation and of course torture. It's a regime imbued its citizens with social-darwinism, male chauvinism, excessive violence, and so-called Military virtue. Individual's liberty and freedom of expression were only existed in books.
   
   For an imbicile American who left scathing review on this book, these are no other than stories from remote third world countries and only possible under COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP. No brother!
   
   my childhood experience probably led me to have a symphathy and emotional cameraderie to Chilean people who suffered so much under the authorative regime of Augusto Pinochet( By the way, it's third class comic opera . When Park Chung Hee was assasinated by one of his own henchmen, Pinochet , who admired Park so much, seriously considered to order entire chile to hoist half-staff . Yeah Dictators also have heartwrenching cameraderie!!)Probably , I am not brave enough to look at my country's history without shuddering .Reading about Chile might be a contingency experience for a coward like me.
   
   This book is consisted of first person anecdotes written by those who lost their loved ones during the septerber 11 1973 and subsequent repression that cost more than 3000 lives. The book's poignant title means more than mere title . It show how the destiny of common people of two countries forever entwined by tragedies happened coincidently on September 11. As the editor of the book wrote these tragedies forever rob people of U.S and Chile the innocent look at their surrounding and the world.
   This work is not history book. There are scarcely any detailed information of CIA covert operation and involvement.Nor are there any depth of information over the U.S corporate interest and the electoral victory of Salvador Allende.
   yet, this is a valuable historical evidence. Why? Because it's a book comprised of real people who provide their personal tragedy without any political agenda. yeah, Fidel Castro's piece are polemical and the work of demagogue.But, even his works contains enough honesty that show his personal symphasy to the destiny of Chilean people and especially President Allende. I was especially moved by Joan Jara's piece . It's a deeply moving book. Anyone want to know about the tragedy of Chile should read the book.

1 comments about Peace and Conflict 2008.

1. Although the data sets the authors have collected are useful, and although I respect their level of effort, it can be shown that there is a direct correlation between the US current account deficit and conflict in the 1-5 yr range.
   
   The current peace is directly related to direct military spending and artificially reduced interest rates for the last 7 years.

No comments about Psychology of Terrorism.

No comments about Terrorism, War, or Disease?: Unraveling the Use of Biological Weapons.

5 comments about The War On Truth: 9/11, Disinformation And The Anatomy Of Terrorism.

1. Nafeez Ahmed has done what the corporate news media and our public officials have failed to do: offer us a plausible account of how and why America was attacked on September 11, 2001. "It has been said that the intelligence agencies have to be right 100 percent of the time and the terrorists only have to get lucky once," observed Mindy Kleinberg, whose husband died in the WTC. "This explanation for the devastating attacks of September 11th, simple on its face, is wrong in its value. Because the 9/11 terrorists were not just lucky once: they were lucky over and over again." The War on Truth tells us why.



2. There have been a number of conspirachy theories trying to pin 9/11 on the US government itself. This book, skirting the paranoid versions of such a thesis with some careful research into the evidence of contradictions in standard accounts, manages to raise some very disturbing questions with the starkest question of all: what really did happen, and how do we explain the blatant anomalies in the record?



3. The book contains a wealth of data about the links between US intelligence and Al Qaeda. Much of the information suggests that the US intelligence has been behind the events of 9/11, yet the author falls short of making this conclusion and does not address the lack of hard evidence supporting the official conspiracy theory regarding the 19 hijackers and Osama bin Laden's authorship of these events. More generally, the author does not address the fact that international terrorism is a totally marginal issue in international affairs, used by States to justify increased police and military powers. In comparison to real international scourges, terrorism is entirely marginal. Two figures suffice to demonstrate this fact. About 15 times more people die yearly from snake bites worldwide then from terrorism. About 1000 times more people die from common murder in the United States and Europe than from terror acts. The title of Ahmed's book is thus misleading. However, I gave the book nevertheless 4 stars because the facts contained in the book are very interesting and may be considered reliable.



4. This fascinating book provides evidence that undermines the usual story of 9/11. Ahmed examines the `war on terror', the alleged intelligence and air defence failures of 9/11, the 9/11 National Commission inquiry, and the US ruling class's strategy for world domination.
   
   The US state has run Al-Qaeda assets for covert terrorist operations. It used Al-Qaeda against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, against Russia in Chechnya and against Yugoslavia in the Balkans. Between 1992 and 1995, US planes flew 10,000 mujehadin fighters into Bosnia to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims.
   
   In 1998, the US State Department described the Kosovo Liberation Army as a terrorist organisation funded and trained by Al-Qaeda. Yet the US state, through the CIA, and the British state, through the SAS, then funded, trained and backed the KLA when NATO illegally attacked Yugoslavia.
   
   US investigators knew that Osama bin Laden was involved in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. Yet the CIA and MI6 played down the threat from Al-Qaeda. In 1996, MI6 funded an Al-Qaeda assassination attempt on Colonel Gadaffi of Libya, which killed six civilians.
   
   The US state is still protecting bin Laden and his sponsors the Pakistani and Saudi states. It only pretends to crack down on Al-Qaeda and to press Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to stop backing Al-Qaeda. It is using Al-Qaeda to destabilise China and India.
   
   The US and British states both made agreements with Al Qaeda that it would only conduct its terrorist activities abroad. But this backfired, resulting in the slaughter of innocent New Yorkers on 9/11 and innocent Londoners on 7/7.
   
   The US state needed a new Pearl Harbor. The Project for a New American Century said in 2000, "Any serious effort at transformation must occur within the larger framework of US national security strategy, military missions and defense budgets ... Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalysing event - like a new Pearl Harbor."
   
   As Jane's Intelligence Digest noted, "given the detailed intelligence ... and the fact that Bin Laden was making very clear threats to launch further strikes against US targets - it seems bizarre, to say the least, that no high-level political decision was taken to focus US intelligence efforts on Al-Qaeda and its international network." Ahmed observes that on 9/11 the White House systematically violated standard air force response procedures when at 9.25 am it ordered an unprecedented national stand down of all aircraft. Why?
   
   How can we trust states that sponsor terrorism to defeat it? If we want to be safe at home we must stop the British state from supporting terrorism abroad.



5. I'm giving this book five stars because I think folks should read it and really analyze it. I've avoided 9-11 books for some time now and carefully picked this puppy because it had been recommended by my Left-leaning friends who are generally sober and sensible. (Later I planned on reading one recommended by equivalent right-leaners).
   
   Anyway, this read left my head spinning and had I been taking notes on the endless small quirky errors and minor logical lapses that added up to one increasing declension from an argumentative True North I would have ended up with more notes than book.
   
   For one the author seems to take his information from anywhere that gives him what he wants--the US is backing this or that insurgency because a reporter for the Guardian says so; middle-level officials in French intelligence have the full story (as if there can't be bias there); boxes of military hardware in Albanian terrorist hands--one of several thousand smoking guns--are stamped Made in US according to what, hearsay, and this is proof of US backing. One beaut is the US was planning on invading Afghanistan anyway in 2001 with the help of India, Iran (!) and 17,000 Russian troops. Where did that dandy plan go after 9-11? The author doesn't bother to tell us and I'm left wondering what the hell is going on and on top of that he's already asserted that we wanted to use Afghanistan as a base for directing trouble at Iran. So Iran was going to help the US topple the Taliban so we could topple the Iranian government? How else am I supposed to read that?
   
   Then there's the pipeline--the alleged US goal in Afghanistan. The pipeline would send oil from former Soviet republics to China and India and even the Saudis would benefit. How is that in the national interest? (Oh, he says "Enron" enough times here that I'm not supposed to think about that I guess) And why would Russia--standing to lose oil revenue if the pipeline was built--not just support but contribute troops to this original planned invasion? Ditto with Iran? Hey wait, the Afghan pipeline was to avoid building through Iran and Iran is helping with plans to topple the Taliban? What?
   
   Supporting the Taliban?--could it be that the Taliban was seen as the only indigenous group capable of bringing any amount of stability to Afghanistan. Oh, that's only so the pipeline could be built. Wait, we're supporting and fighting the Taliban simultaneously. Aaargh!!!
   
   This goes on and on and on through the book and only gets better as the reader nears 9-11. Confusion and stupidity in the government I can accept, and anyone with any experience of big governments should expect nothing less. Those parts of the book I can live with to a degree as his lack of solid argument matches speed with my intuition here. I'll also add the author frequently betrays a complete lack of knowledge of how the military operates too. Curiously, same with my Left-leaning friends that recommended this to me, in fact their ignorance in this realm is often boggling. I grew up in a military family and know that military jargon is often wildly misunderstood by academics who frequently hate the military so much they never actually bother to learn anything about it. Incredibly, this ignorance is often seen as a badge of honor among peers.
   
   If you made up your mind ages ago that the US was the Evil Empire (and simultaneously and incongruously the Incompetent Empire) then you'd traipse through a book like this uncritically--heck, it's telling you everything you want to hear no doubt. The author seems to count on that; the inconsistencies are glossed over with the idea that no one after the true meat here will care much, and they won't will they? I went in with no opinions and after 50 pages felt like I was reading a book on flying saucers. I was hoping for some good tight stuff that could persuade me of something.
   
   By the way, I've known a few "Intelligence" people and no two can agree on much of anything and if you look hard enough you'll find one that will tell you what you want to hear, privately of course. Being a spook is no badge of authority and janitors at the Smithsonian can easily give you an earful on what an inefficient mess Washington is.
   
   And by the way too, I'm not for or against any theories about 9-11 and this is not a critique of the Damn the Gummint point of view so save your oft-misused "Unhelpful" votes and the inevitable comment (that I often see on Amazon when the reviewer is critiquing Leftist things)that I'm some "neo-con in sheep's clothing." I'd just like to encounter some sense here, not academics Googling their research and throwing words together to make a nice Agenda Pie, or school-kids who don't know anything about anything claiming deepest knowledge of either the inner workings of the New World Order or even basic engineering. I avoided 9-11 discussion because I knew, from previous experience with big nasty events, that every charlatan, witch-hunter, ax-grinder, and nitwit would be all over it for years and I'd have to wait a long time for that noxious cloud of "gas" and "debris" to settle.
   
   War on Truth? Heck!

5 comments about The Connection: How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America.

1. You definetly should read this book! Don't believe what the 1 Star writers are saying. They don't want you to know the truth! The Left claims that Bin Laden would never side with Saddam because of their beliefs, yet the Left is adamant that Osama bin Laden was funded by the United States. Go figure!
   
   We all knew there was a connection and Stephen Hayes demonstrates so with great care! There is a connection with al Qaeda and Iraq and the book explains it in detail!



2. It seems to me that the reviews posted here are more politically slanted than most book reviews should be. Probably what would be most disheartening to the 5 star awarders is that so soon after publication the "fair market" value given to this book by the "free market" is as used, one cent.



3. Seriously, how could anyone take this seriously? All of its claims have been debunked. My favorite is the guy in the Iraqi army who happened to have the same name as a higher-up in Al Qaeda.
   
   Smarter wingnuts, please.



4. Bad - I never got my book and having a hard time trying to trace it back thru this maze in amazon.



5. As I was reading the book I couldn't help thinking over and over; "I remember reading about that..." Of course; Mr. Hayes does a good job refreshing ones memory on several of the key points regarding Saddam Hussein's support of world wide terror against America. It would have been better if more detailed references were included but the auther does give enough sourcing to jog ones memory of the original reporting.
   
   Not having the benefit of hindsight the connections cannot be ignored. There is not a lot of new material for people that have been interested in the story enough to stay current and read up on the subject but for the casual follower of the news, this book is a good source to refresh some of the key points of contention as to if a connection does exist.

1 comments about The War on Terrorism and the Rule of Law.

1. This is a book on the case law that has been brought up regarding the American prosecution of suspected terrorists under the Patriot's Act and other such laws. The major chapter headings are as good an indication of the contents fo the book as any other:
   
   Must We Trade Civil Liberties for National Security
   May the President Override Patriot Act and Foreigh Intelligence Surveillance Ace Provisions
   Does the Patriot Act Infringe on Privacy Rights
   Does the Patriot Act Impede Freedom of Association
   Material Witnesses: Can the Government Hold Them in Indefinite Detention
   Hold and Clear: May the Government Hold Aliens in Indefinite Detention
   Indefinite Detention of American Citizens: Is it Constitutional?
   Indefinite Detention of Enemy Combatants: Is It Constitutional
   Interrogation: Are There Limits?
   Military Tribunals: Is There a Role for Judicial Oversight?
   
   All of these are very interesting and may well have an impact far beyond the current troubles. But perhaps the last chapter, on Military Tribunals is the most significant. We have rules to handle criminals. We have rules to handle wartime prisoners of war. In which category do you put the people who committed 9/11?
   
   If they were soldiers fighting in a cause, the rules of the Geneva Convention say that since they weren't in uniform they could be tried as spies and shot. We didn't capture these people, of course, but we did capture Taliban fighters in Afghanistan -- where do they fit?
   
   Do we perhaps need new laws to cover new situations, and what should these laws say?