Book Description
From the best-selling author of Black Hawk Down comes a riveting, definitive chronicle of the Iran hostage crisis, America’s first battle with militant Islam. On November 4, 1979, a group of radical Islamist students, inspired by the revolutionary Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran. They took fifty-two Americans hostage, and kept nearly all of them hostage for 444 days. In Guests of the Ayatollah, Mark Bowden tells this sweeping story through the eyes of the hostages, the soldiers in a new special forces unit sent to free them, their radical, naïve captors, and the diplomats working to end the crisis. Bowden takes us inside the hostages’ cells and inside the Oval Office for meetings with President Carter and his exhausted team. We travel to international capitals where shadowy figures held clandestine negotiations, and to the deserts of Iran, where a courageous, desperate attempt to rescue the hostages exploded into tragic failure. Bowden dedicated five years to this research, including numerous trips to Iran and countless interviews with those involved on both sides. Guests of the Ayatollah is a detailed, brilliantly re-created, and suspenseful account of a crisis that gripped and ultimately changed the world.
Customer Reviews:
The First "War On Terror" (or should have been)........2007-09-28
This book provides an excellent explanation of the crisis, which partly cost Jimmy Carter the election and where America should have conducted its first "War On Terror" (perhaps, that would have dealt with the current "president" of Iran and the others with him sooner, rather than later, and he wouldn't have come to the U.S.). True, the U.S. shouldn't have let the Shah in, but it wasn't right for the "students", including the current "president" of Iran to take people hostage. I applaud all those who stood up to these thugs, and Bowden gives great detail. He also provides excellent notes and descriptions of what happened to the hostages, after their release. I have my own thoughts about what should have happened, after our people arrived safely in the U.S., but I won't go into them here. Suffice it to say that if anyone wants to understand why we are having the troubles we are with Iran, read this. I wouldn't have wanted to have been in former President Carter's position. I think it was a betrayal, after what the hostages went through, that the U.S., in the succeeding administration, did "deals" with these people, and admitting this "terrorist thug" [Ahmenejad] into our country recently; a former hostage taker, but this is an example how our political system works. [Sometimes, we're our own worst enemy.] Anyway, an important book.
War on Terror.......2007-09-20
The author is correct in his use of the term "inapt" for the phrase "war on terror." It was indeed inapt prior to 9/11 and certainly was not in use in 1979. But it's appropriate use since 9/11 means that finally after nearly 30 years we are taking the threat seriously and have finally begun to wage this necessary war.
Good book, heavily biased.......2007-09-14
An excellent blow by blow account of the Iranian hostage crisis. Bowden's bias knocks a star off. He basically sides with the hostage takers--describing them as just a bunch of goofy misguided kids engaged in mere horseplay. The hostages weren't tortued and beaten that bad, and plus they "mistakenly" referred to their captors as "ragheads." How ignorant! Perhaps Bowden thinks they should have stayed there a little longer just to make up for such transgressions?
In an attempt to make Jimmy Carter look competent, he wisely spends little time on the President's futile attempts to resolve the crisis--keeping the focus on the hostages themselves. But it's still a factual account--and the facts don't lie; Carter was a horrible negotiator. It was only a year into the crisis he figured out what "contingency" meant. Bowden's sly parallel of Ronald Reagan with the Ayatollah at the end of the book is also not lost.
Well-written and thought-provoking.......2007-09-06
What more could there be to say about a crisis that happened a quarter century ago? As it turns out, there are some very important things to say about it, and Mark Bowden's masterful history of that crisis says them.
First, this is an absolutely first-rate "you are there" account of what the American hostages went through as Iran descended into chaos and near madness after the ouster of the shah. You will literally feel their anger, fear, and depression, and you will feel their pride when they can defy or denigrate their captors, even fleetingly. However, you will feel the smugness and religious certainty of their captors, too. Make no mistake: Bowden clearly sees the American diplomats as victims of an outrageous act; there is no moral relativity here.
Second, the book is thought-provoking in ways I didn't expect. The ostensible trigger for the crisis was the decision by the US to admit the shah to this country for treatment of the cancer that would eventually kill him. However, that decision was sold to President Carter by his Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, who in turn was sold on it by Henry Kissinger and David Rockefeller. As the years roll on, it's interesting how many disastrous US foreign policy decisions come back to Kissinger.
Further, the CIA was no better then at understanding and predicting events in the Islamic world than they are now. Shortly before the crisis erupted, the agency reported that the religious radicals would soon be relegated to the background there, so the US could deal with an emerging secular state with confidence. In reality, the country degenerated into a hurricane of religious nuttiness that soon swept aside all of the secular leaders. Quite literally, no one at all was really in charge of anything in Iran, and that's the reason the crisis dragged on for over a year.
This brings us to the role of President Carter. Nearly everyone felt at the time that he was too weak and vacillating to resolve the crisis. Not so; he tirelessly attempted to find a way to deal with the situation, but every attempt failed when the connection at the Iranian end fell apart. No one could have done much more, which is why presidential candidate Ronald Reagan continually criticized Carter, but never offered a word of explanation about what he would do.
The failed rescue attempt was blamed on Carter, too, but as Bowden makes clear, it had little chance of succeeding, mostly because the equipment available at the time was inadequate, and the situation was impossible. Even if Delta Force had made it to Tehran, it's likely that most or all of the hostages and rescuers would have died in the operation. Carter and the troops deserve credit for daring the attempt, even in the face of near-certain failure.
This book is must reading as the authoritative account of the first battle in the war with the "Islamofascists." And it's worth reading as a rich account of the courage that the hostages and their would-be rescuers displayed in very trying circumstances.
Excellent telling of the Iran Hostage Crisis.......2007-07-10
For those interested in history and especially the history of the relationship between Iran and the U.S., this book is essential. This book is well written, fine storytelling, and appropriately detailed without belaboring the point. Probably the best one source history of the hostage crisis. Some may find it a little too charitable to President Carter, but it appears to be a fair portrayal.
Book Description
The Investigative Project on Terrorism, founded in 1995 by Steven Emerson, maintains the largest nongovernmental data and intelligence library in the world on militant Islam. The Project assists the White House, the FBI, the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, and other government departments with counterterrorism activities.
Together with a staff of experts, Executive Director Steven Emerson has compiled this thorough factual overview of the Islamist terrorist threat to the United States. Unlike the Final Report of the 9/11 Commission, which was focused mainly on the retrospective analysis of al Qaeda activities leading up to the attack of September 11, 2001, this work emphasizes current radical activities in the United States and the threat they might pose to national security. Divided into three sections, the work first sets the stage for the current situation by reviewing the lessons learned from previous terrorist plots and attacks both within our borders and against American interests abroad. Emerson and colleagues profile key players in the terrorist network and describe their various criminal activities before and since 9/11. The second section analyzes organizations in the Middle East besides al Qaeda that are hostile to the United States: Hamas, Hizballah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and radical groups in Pakistan. The third section analyzes the subtle, wide-ranging support system for terrorist activities that exists within our own borders: charities and foundations that secretly solicit for terror; the complex corporate web of companies, charities, and nonprofit corporations known as the SAAR network; mosques that provide cover for terrorists; the use of the Internet for terrorist communication; and lobbying efforts by Muslim American organizations to influence the top echelons of the federal government. In a dangerous age, this is an important book for all Americans to read.
Customer Reviews:
A wake-up call to America.......2007-09-23
Emerson is the person who predicted a major Islamic strike in the United States, who that is, foresaw 9/11. A first rate investigative reporter he has to be very careful as his life has been threatened more than once by extremist Islamic groups.
In this book he outlines major Islamic terror groups operating within the United States, and also traces out the sources of their funding. He shows how these groups are not simply fringe groups but have support within the American Muslim community most especially from its religious centres. The picture he presents is a frightening one.
What is especially troubling is the difficulties placed by political considerations before Law Enforcement Agencies. There is a clear distinction between the field agents who better understand the situation, and their bosses who have outside considerations in mind.
What is also alarming is that it is not simply Islamic nations hostile to the U.S. that are connected with the operations within the U.S. but one of America's chief allies , Saudi Arabia.
Emerson brings a great mass of information and corroboration to confirm his major point.
Jihad is active in the United States.......2007-07-29
American Jihad by Steven Emerson has been updated by Jihad Inc.
Militant Islam is growing in America. Hamas, which is one of the most radical of the groups has many cells in the United States. They are so well organized and secluded, we don't know when and how they plan to strike our internal structure. Mr. Emerson paints a very vivid picture of what we can expect in the future. As with the 9-11 attacks, they will strike when the odds of success are in their favor.
Startling!.......2007-06-27
A well written chronology of the recent history, thinking, and structure of radical Islam including their organization and funding networks. If only everyone would read and comprehend the scope of this threat!
Hostage Bob.......2007-06-23
As a retired Special Forces Green Beret and graduate student in Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies, I would like to make a correction to Mr. Emerson's book where on page 216 he states that, "Ali Mohamed - the former US Green Beret who..."
Ali Mohamad was not a Special Forces Green Beret! Rather, he served with a Special Forces unit in a support capacity as a "supply clerk" (later as an instructor).
In order to qualify as a Special Forces Green Beret, one must successfully complete all required Special Forces training including the Special Forces Qualification Course (Q-Course). Upon successful completion of the Q-Course a Green Beret is awarded an 18 Series Military Occupational Specialty code (e.g. 18A, 18E, 18D, 18C, 18B). Special Forces Warrant Officers are awarded the MOS of 180A. Ali Mohamed never received any Special Forces related training and never attended or graduated from the Q-Course. Ali Mohamed was NOT a Green Beret.
This may seem like a small point, but to those of us who have earned the Green Beret it is not.
Hostage Bob
CW2, SF, Ret.
De Oppresso Liber
Retired FBI Senior Executive.......2007-01-12
Once again Steve Emerson has hit the nail on the head. He is keenly aware of the problem the United States faces with respect to Islamic extremism. While many believe the threat only emanates from outside the United States, he follows "American Jihad" with another in depth study of the threat within the United States. This book is replete with examples of Islamic terrorist cells which are ingrained in our communities and neighborhoods and have been, collecting funds and possibly preparing to commit terrorist attacks against us. Emerson brings together, in great detail, information which is vital to help protect Americans in the future. If we are aware, we can be safe. While it is recognized that most people from Muslim countries living in the United States are here for peaceful purposes, some of them have been used by extremists to further the "cause," be it in America or overseas. I encourage everyone to read this well documented book so each may be aware of the threat we face--IN AMERICA-- from Islamic extremism. Law enforcement must walk a fine line to root out the terrorists (criminals) among us and by reading Emerson's new book, "Jihad Incorporated," the average American can at least learn more about the enemy which has declared war on all peaceloving people, Christians, Jews, Muslims and those of all faiths which make up America.
Amazon.com
This is the single best book available on the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Afghanistan responsible for harboring the terrorist Osama bin Laden. Ahmed Rashid is a Pakistani journalist who has spent most of his career reporting on the region--he has personally met and interviewed many of the Taliban's shadowy leaders. Taliban was written and published before the massacres of September 11, 2001, yet it is essential reading for anyone who hopes to understand the aftermath of that black day. It includes details on how and why the Taliban came to power, the government's oppression of ordinary citizens (especially women), the heroin trade, oil intrigue, and--in a vitally relevant chapter--bin Laden's sinister rise to power. These pages contain stories of mass slaughter, beheadings, and the Taliban's crushing war against freedom: under Mullah Omar, it has banned everything from kite flying to singing and dancing at weddings. Rashid is for the most part an objective reporter, though his rage sometimes (and understandably) comes to the surface: "The Taliban were right, their interpretation of Islam was right, and everything else was wrong and an expression of human weakness and a lack of piety," he notes with sarcasm. He has produced a compelling portrait of modern evil. --John Miller
Book Description
Shrouding themselves and their aims in deepest secrecy, the leaders of the Taliban movement control Afghanistan with an inflexible, crushing fundamentalism. The most extreme and radical of all Islamic organizations, the Taliban inspires fascination, controversy, and especially fear in both the Muslim world and the West. Correspondent Ahmed Rashid brings the shadowy world of the Taliban into sharp focus in this enormously interesting and revealing book. It is the only authoritative account of the Taliban and modern day Afghanistan available to English language readers.
Based on his experiences as a journalist covering the civil war in Afghanistan for twenty years, traveling and living with the Taliban, and interviewing most of the Taliban leaders since their emergence to power in 1994, Rashid offers unparalleled firsthand information. He explains how the growth of Taliban power has already created severe instability in Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and five Central Asian republics. He describes the Taliban’s role as a major player in a new “Great Game”—a competition among Western countries and companies to build oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western and Asian markets. The author also discusses the controversial changes in American attitudes toward the Taliban—from early support to recent bombings of Osama Bin Laden’s hideaway and other Taliban-protected terrorist bases—and how they have influenced the stability of the region.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent analysis on the talibans before the USA intervention.......2007-09-12
A very well written book detailing the rise of the taliban movement and the immediate political crisis that followed. These ignorant warriors were thought to be liberators of the afghan people but demonstrated to be highly inadequate to pacify the country and govern it. Also astonishing the complete lack of central asian policy from the USA government after the cold war ended. This was seminal for the growth of extremist movements and was a major cause in the strenghtening of Al-Qaida. Clinton government has a major responsability for tide of the modern day terrorism. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are the best funders of terrorism and extremism but still they are the best allies of USA in the region...Highly recommended.
excellent book on the taliban .......2007-08-25
This is book brings in a clear picture of who the taliban is where it came from and how they came to give shelter to Bin Laden. There is a lot of names dates and places, making this book read a lot like a long journal article. This does not take a way from the work because it is a report of the facts that led the taliban to come to power. This book only gives the story pre 9/11 but it is needed for a complete understanding of how central asia has played such a pivotal role in islamic extremism and its ability to export terrorism on a world wide scale.
Good outlook but lacking ultimate judgement that they must be dealt with.......2007-07-22
yes a good book but it left out some of the most recent horrible actions by the taliban like the b-heading of teachers in the country. Of course the good thing is that this research is well founded and the documentation of the rise of the Taliban and their scope not just in Afghanistan, but the entire world is very good. So far I would have to say this is one of the better books on these ding bat goof ball chickens who hide behind babies and still think it is all in the name of Ah La. Barbaric ruling is brought to a whole new light and it makes me feel great I live where I do, can you imagine having your eyes gouged out because you pick what shows you watch for television?
Exhaustive, Invaluable, but could have used an editor.......2007-07-14
Read this book if you're_really_interested in the Taliban. You will be dizzied by the sheer amount of names and facts. Mr. Rashid covers it all and more. Since I am no diplomat or anti-terrorism official, I really wasn't in need of so much detail, so I found myself skimming large parts of it though. I also found myself frustrated by more than a few problems that a good editor should have caught. For instance, the map of Afghanistan in the front of the book does not show many of the towns, rivers and geographical features that the author references throughout the book. So, when the author was- for instance- explaining the geographical boundaries of the Pashtuns, I was completely lost since the map contained hardly any of the place names he was talking about. The author also seemed to be writing at such a hurried pace that he omitted seemingly important things or neglected some necessary facts about the subjects he was talking about. For instance, I wondered why he never mentioned the First Anglo-Afghan war, when a British Army was completely destroyed, but he mentioned the Second Anglo-Afghan War. We were also never told why the name of the Abdali tribe was changed to Durrani. He mentions several major events, like the overthrow of Zakir Shah without telling us when they happened. Still, this seems to be a definitive work and I certainly learned a lot from it, such as why the Taliban enjoyed such support among the Pashtuns and internationally; they were a vast improvement over their barbaric rivals in that Darwinian hellhole of Afghanistan. The American invasion was certainly a positive thing for our national interest and at least in theory for the Afghan people, but it remains to be seen whether the democratic government has the ability and ruthlessness to prevent the country from slipping back into a pre-Taliban anarchy.
Lord of the Flies on Steroids.......2007-05-03
I originally bought this book right after 911, but our early success in Afghanistan made it look as if the Taliban were toast and their history irrelevant. But, now that the Taliban are resurgent, this book proves itself essential to understand not only what happened in Afghanistan prior to 2001, but what will happen in Iraq once the U.S. withdraws, be it one, two, or ten years from now.
This book helped me understand that the U.S. invasion of Iraq will probably have the same consequences as the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1980. The Russians stayed almost ten years, before finally giving up on the idea of creating a friendly, viable nation state. Instead, as the author points out, Russian intervention created a "Lumpen Proletariat" of young, orphaned, ignorant, rootless, traditionless bandits, thugs, and drug smugglers who call themselves the "Taliban." The Taliban are boys without normal interaction with fathers, mothers, sisters, or extended family. Even Mullah Omar is a sad, lonely little wild boy in an adult body.
Try to imagine an entire nation governed by the type of boys described by William Golding in his novel, "Lord of the Flies." That is what decades of war have produced in Afghanistan. We are in the process of producing the same conditions in Iraq today. Based on the results of the "laboratory experiment" in Afghanistan, we can expect the same results from a similar volatile mix of ingredients in Iraq. After one, five, or ten more years of occupation, we will have Talibanized the entire middle east.
Rashid often refers to Roy Olivier's excellent study entitled "The Failure of Political Islam." I would highly recommend reading the Olivier study first, then the Rashid study. For those who do, it may seem as obvious as it does to me that the Western strategy of killing off charismatic Islamic leaders has the result of creating a vacuum that can only be filled by Golding's wild boys as best they can.
Militant Islam will not accept a national organization with a professional bureaucracy and constitutional government. It depends instead upon iron fisted dictatorships by charismatic leaders who appear to wear the mantle of Mohammed, as Mullah Omar pretends to do.
Rashid's evidence indicates to the discerning reader that Iran also passed through the "Lord of the Flies" stage after the long war with Iraq, in which over 1.5 million died. Iran today is a much more mature and consistent entity as a result of all that misery. Most of the Iranian wild boys grew up. In fact, one can hardly help concluding that a partnership with Iran would be far more productive than a partnership with Wahabbi exporting Saudi Arabia, which Rashid holds responsible for creating a Sunni extremism worse than any caused by Iran's Shia Moslems.
The most fascinating idea presented by Rashid was his proposed solution to the Afghan problem. Essentially, he proposed that each of the neighboring states each take responsibility for a slice of Afghanistan, with due consideration of the strategic interests of the other neighbors. He seemed to be suggesting some sort of partition composed of "trust territories" or "protectorates", in which each partition would be managed by a more or less benevolent neighbor state having a compatible ethnic identity. This parallels the solution proposed for Iraq by Senator Biden 17 years later. But Rashid takes the idea beyond the mere sound bite, providing real analysis to justify the proposal.
When one considers the application of the protectorate partition idea to the problem in Iraq, one immediately realizes one big advantage Iraq has over Afghanistan. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq's neighbors are relatively sophisticated nation states. Iran has matured. Turkey is a member of NATO. Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia are strategic partners of the U.S. Syria is a bit of a wild card, but not nearly as dangerous as a nuclear armed "failed state" like Pakistan.
The other significant contribution of Rashid's study is an understanding of the tremendously fragile condition of Pakistan. His musings on whether the whole of Pakistan is simply being manipulated by the Pashtun tribes is fascinating. He thinks that rather than Afghanistan providing strategic depth for a potential conflict between Pakistan and India, the situation is actually the opposite. Pakistan is providing strategic depth for the Taliban. So long as the Pashtun can hide the Taliban in their sections of Pakistan, the Taliban will never be rooted out of Afghanistan. Heavily infiltrated by the Taliban, Pakistan seems balanced on the knife edge of anarchy, with its nuclear arsenal up for grabs. One shudders to think what might happen there. Pakistan seems far more worthy of the sacrifice of lives and treasure than Iraq.
We have another 19 months before we are rid of our failed Presidency under our own wild boy, George Bush. Surely, the next President of the United States will want a foreign policy in the Middle East that is based on fact instead of fantasy. I would hope that anyone who plans to participate in the next administration will read Rashid and Olivier.
We don't have to speculate about what will happen in Iraq. It has already happened in Afghanistan. Let's plan accordingly.
Book Description
After September 11, 2001, Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, vowed to fight extremism in his country and has since established himself as a key ally in America's "global war on terror." But as veteran Pakistani journalist and commentator Zahid Hussain reveals in this book, Musharraf is in an impossible position. The Pakistani army and intelligence services are thoroughly penetrated by jihadists. In fact, the current government came into power through its support of radical Islamist groups, such as those fighting in Kashmir.
Based on exclusive interviews with key players and grassroots radicals, Hussain exposes the threads of Pakistan's complex political power web and the consequences of Musharraf's decision to support the U.S.'s drive against jihadism, which essentially took Pakistan to war with itself. He recounts the origins and nature of the jihadi movement in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the long-standing and often denied links between militants and Pakistani authorities, the weaknesses of successive elected governments, and the challenges to Musharraf's authority posed by politico-religious, sectarian, and civil society elements within the country.
The jihadi madrassas of Pakistan are incubators of the most feared terrorists in the world. Osama bin Laden himself is believed to be hiding close to the Pakistani border. Although the country's "war on terror" has so far been a stage show, a very real battle is looming, the outcome of which will have grave implications for the future security of the world., reviewing a previous edition or volume
Customer Reviews:
Great book - in touch with ground reality.......2007-06-14
This is a first serious effort by someone to expose the ground realities in Pakistan. I was expecting it to be a dry book but was pleasantly surprised at the content - it was hard to put it down! Zahid Hussain has done an excellent job at presenting the facts (a lot of it) and still maintain the readers interest. He provides an excellent insight on the state of affairs in Pakistan since it's creation in 1947 - the nexus of Government and terrorist organizations, and Pakistan's efforts to keep alive the Kashmir issue per its own personal agenda.
Pakistan's impending war with its own self.......2007-03-27
Zahid Hussain touches on an important topic: Pakistan's ongoing and impending war with its own self and the tough choices ahead of President Musharraf.
The support from Public Opinion in Pakistan for terrorism as a tool to further beloved causes is worrying. The ease with which sundry pet agendas could be converted into beloved causes is twice worrying.
In order to contain global terrorism emanating from Pakistan or having a safe haven in Pakistan two things need to be done:
(a) Public opinion will have to undergo a change in Pakistan. Public opinion is useful only when it derives from the "wisdom of the crowd". This benefit would not arise unless opposing thoughts and beliefs can "co-exist peacefully". Good leaders "discredit" public opinion if it denies room for such peaceful co-existence. Mahtma Gandhi did. Bad leaders, on the other hand, whip up public opinioin to radically extreme positions using intolerance. Adolf Hitler did. Military rulers in Pakistan are guilty of whipping up public opinion to take a self righteous radical form that destroys opposing thoughts, reasons and emotions.
(b) Defending one's religion is one's right. Giving one's life for one's religion, one's country or one's society is a noble deed. This is true for Americans dying for the Flag and Muslims dying for their holy causes. However, immature leadership is quick to provide its pet agenda a higher purpose to merit the label of a "noble cause". In Pakistan this seems to be too easy. Military, whether in rule or not, has used religious leadership to provide the "emotional ammunition" to enlist support for every thing including a proxy fight against Soviet Union on behalf of USA, a proxy fight against the perceived foreign policy of USA, a proxy fight against one faction of freedom fighters in Afghanistan in favour of another, a proxy fight on behalf of Pakistan's army itself in various engagements in/with India.
As a result, the postal address for global terrorism is somewhere within Pakistan.
President Musharraf is now forced to:
(a) appear to the outside World to be firm in dealing with relgion based terrorism and
(b) appear to Pakistanis to not succumb to international pressure and to support the radical public opinion in Pakistan.
Quite a funambulation even for the skillful Musharraf. Musharraf does appear sincere in attempting to weed out terrorism; but does not appear sincere in having a go at modifying public opinion in Pakistan. His challenges in doing so cannot be underestimated.
Zahid Hussain is the Pakistani correspondent of The Times, The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. His dispassionate insightful analysis of Pakistan's struggle with militant Islam is excellent. As with most books about Pakistan, there is excellent analysis of the present but no thought from anyone in Pakistan on how to solve the problem. The absence of an alternative thought or the unwillingness of such thought to express itself is hardly Zahid Hussain's fault.
Pakistan - A Social and Political Explosion Waiting to Happen.......2007-03-12
This is an excellent book; well researched, well written, and a compelling read!
Author Zahid Hussain, Pakistani correspondent for the "Times of London", "The Wall Street Journal", and "Newsweek" exposes Pakistan's close ties with the Taleban and al Qaeda. Pakistan's Directorate of Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) is literally the founder of the modern-day Taleban.
Having lost control of both al Qaeda and the Taleban, Pakistan, which is under the control of President Pervez Musharraf (who has pledged his full support to the United States in the War on Terror) is running out of time.
"Despite the backing of the army and America, Musharraf is living on borrowed time,' writes Hussain. "He has spawned a system that is a hybrid of military and civilian rule. It is not a democracy."
And here lies the problem: "The war against militancy Islamic extremism can be best fought - and won - in a liberal democracy. Musharraf's authoritarian rule has blocked any hopes of a democratic process taking root."
Yet the restoration of democracy in Pakistan is not an American priority, because a leader in uniform is perceived as being capable of delivering far more than one who is democractically elected. "An army general ruling Pakistan does not trouble the West, so long as he happens to be an effective ally in the war against terror," observes the author.
Musharraf and Pakistan have been an effective ally, killing and capturing hundreds of key Taleban and al Qaeda leaders and fighters.
But Musharraf's support for the US-led war on terror, his tactical cooperation with various militant groups, and his refusal to embed a culture of democracy and accountability have intensified social, ethnic and religious differences in Pakistani society.
"These are the faultlines from which a geo-political earthquake could at some point erupt," warns Hussain, "an earthquake which would make the current reegional security situation look positively calm by comparison. Pakistan's battle with itself is far from over."
Let us hope someone with the intelligence, ability and authority to make the right things happen is listening to Hussain's warning.
Customer Reviews:
Mini-Review: "Militant Islam in Southeast Asia - Crucible of Terror" by Zachary Abuza .......2006-07-19
I acquired this book, "Militant Islam in Southeast Asia," in order to do some background research for a novel I am writing. My book is a long-term project with no projected publication date as yet. It is a rather ambitious undertaking - a retelling of "The Odyssey" set as an Al Qaeda terrorist story that takes place partly in Indonesia! So, in preparation for an eventual fact finding trip to Indonesia, I have been doing some reading about terrorism and Southeast Asia.
Zachary Abuza is on the faculty in the Political Science and International Relations Department at Simmons College in Boston. He has traveled extensively in researching this book, which has received enthusiastic praise from many quarters.
W. Scott Thompson of Tuft's University's legendary Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy had this to say about Abuza's work:
"Showing an astonishing persistence in tying together the threads of the terrorist threat, Abuza has come up with a dazzling display of Al-Qaida at work. It is rare that a book comes out with so deep and thoughtful analysis of a contemporary subject - this may well become the standard reference on everything happening in the Southeast Asian theater of the world terror crisis."
Barnett, in "The Pentagon's New Map," and in his recent "Blueprint for Action," makes it clear that Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, will play a pivotal role over the next several decades in impacting the balance of power among the leaders of what Barnett calls "the Core" and the "New Core." Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation in the world, and will play a significant part in determining the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. Therefore, Abuza's seminal work becomes a very helpful tool in understanding how terrorism in general - and Al-Qaeda in particular - may serve as a crucial factor in determining how the relationship between the West and the worldwide Muslim may evolve.
Using painstakingly well-documented and footnoted research, Abuza traces the growing influence of Al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia - from Afghanistan and the jihad against the Soviets to the bombing in Bali and beyond. His basic premise follows a logical chain of events. Following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, many zealous Southeast Asians who had fought as mujahadin returned to Asia to use their skills and battlefield experiences to bring the passion of jihad to several local struggles to establish autonomous Muslim states through Southeast Asia. These struggles included the secessionist movements in Mindanao, East Timor, Sulawesi and the Malukus and Aceh - among others. Once the U.S. attacked Afghanistan to topple the Taliban and neutralize the command and control of Bin-Laden's team, Al-Qaeda was forced to flee from its lair in Afghanistan and scatter among a handful of safe havens - many in Southeast Asia. At first, these safe havens - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand - were used as a convenient "back offices" for Al-Qaeda to conduct training, money-laundering, weapons acquisition and coalition building. Al-Qaeda also funded and co-opted many local insurgents and gave them a vision of taking part in a global jihad against the "savage intervention of the American Crusade Armed Forces and their allies [who are involved] in the Muslim cleansing scheme. . . as a `harsh reprimand' to Jews and Christians led by American heathens in oppressing and tainting the Islamic holy land, where the Revelation of the Prophets descended." (Pages 166-167).
Eventually, the terrorists took advantage of lax security and political dissent in these nations to launch terrorist attacks on soft targets within these host nations - the bombing in Bali being the most spectacular and deadly among these incidents.
For anyone who wants to develop a more comprehensive understanding of where Al-Qaeda is heading in its long-term strategy and short-term tactics, this book as a valuable resource.
Al
Frustrating work.......2004-11-05
This is a frustrating work. You read the glowing blurbs (none of them experts on Southeast Asia, to my knowledge) and you expect a great book. The book does not, alas deliver: it is good in some ways, not in others.
At one level, the book is quite good. Abuza manages to tie together a wide variety of facts into a coherent narrative. The book reads reasonably well, although there is clear evidence of haste (e.g. misspelled names). If you knew little about Islam or Southeast Asia, you'd probably come away with the impression that this is a crackerjack book.
But what if you *do* know something about Islam or Southeast Asia? Alas, here the book is irritating. Take this howler: "Because Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, it is easier for radicals and terrorists to fit in." (p. 123). That is an absurd statement. (On the same page, Abuza opines about former PM of Malaysia Mahathir's "insecurity about being a Muslim Malay" -- who knows what he is talking about?)
Abuza, to his credit, usually avoids such bizarre claims. But he resorts to a formulation all too common on "terrorism" experts: that there is something called "moderate" Islam in SEA and then radical or extremist (which he identifies with "Wahhabis" or Salafis).
If you know anything about Salafis, you know that Saudi Arabia is full of them, some of them probably seeing themselves as Salafis committed the 9/11 attacks . . . BUT that the vast majority of them do not embrace terrorism! No matter. Abuza paints with a broad brush and thus smears all Salafis without explaining what, exactly, in their beliefs makes them terrorists. This is intellectually lazy. It explains nothing.
The use of terror is a TACTIC. It is a tactic used by weak non-state groups of all sorts of backgrounds. What we really need to know is why, at this particular time in history, a tiny percentage of Salafis have decided that it is the tactic to use.
One last point: Abuza seems to like "moderate" Muslims. WEll, almost all Indonesians are Muslims. Some of these so-called moderates (e.g. NU, the military leadership) engaged in the killings of 1965-66 that left about 500,000 civilians dead. Some of these "moderates" killed East Timorese (over 100,000). But just as I would never use this as proof that "moderate" Muslims are bloodthirsty thugs BECAUSE OF THEIR ISLAM, so I don't think that individuals are terrorists because of their
Islam. Islam contributes a world view, and many Salafis are rigid and uncompromising in their beliefs. . . one might want to argue that Salafis are more *predisposed* to the use of terror . . . but Abuza does not even make that more nuanced argument.
My advice: read this book for the story of the different networks of terrorists in SEA. Take some of its claims with a grain of salt: after all, who really respects the Philippine intelligence services, who provide some data to Abuza. But discount Abuza's explanations on Islam.
sloppy and pandering.......2004-03-20
This book is rubbish. Abuza uses weak secondary sources with third rate results. He does not know the relevant languages to do substantive research (Indonesian, at least) and has cobbled together a text that panders to the most paranoid of policymakers. He's part of the fear-mongering industry and his work should be read with great skepticism, if read at all.
Superb Book, Shows what OPEN Sources Provided, Great Speaker.......2004-01-25
I have the advantage, in reviewing this book, of having heard the author present his views in a superb illustrated briefing that held 150 government intelligence professionals glued into their seats and fixated on the author's rapid-fire compelling presentation.
This man is a brilliant scholar who has returned to the almost lost art of combining persistent field work with foreign language open sources (both printed and oral), and thoughtful analysis.
Across the board, from his narrative to his footnotes to his bibliography to his index, this book is as good as it gets. This is a world-class contribution to our understanding in three areas: 1) what can be known about terrorism and militant Islam from open sources of information (but is being largely ignored by the so-called professional intelligence agencies that are obsessing on secret sources and methods; 2) what governments in Southeast Asia are and are not doing about it (in many cases, abusing American naiveté or being put off by American arrogance; and 3) where militant Islam is going in this area--be afraid, be very afraid.
If all academics were this good, we would not need spies. This book and this author represent the very best scholarship that one could ask for. The author is the Program Director for East Asian Studies and associate professor of international politics at Simmons College. Goggling him yields a fine selection of interviews and Congressional testimony.
Essential Reading.......2004-01-05
This is a fascinating book that examines the Southeast Asian terrorist network in chilling detail. It is highly readable, yet filled with data and information. It is essential reading for all those interested in Southeast Asian terrorism,and to understand how Al Qaeda has morphed.
Amazon.com
In the aftermath of September 11, as Americans tried to figure out what they were up against, many of them turned to Ahmed Rashid's masterful book Taliban, the single best account of Afghanistan's murderous regime. With Jihad, Rashid offers an indispensable companion volume on five of Afghanistan's neighbors--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan--and "the New Great Game" about to be waged over them between China, Russia, and the United States. "The vast, empty landscape dotted with oases of vibrant populations and political ferment, sitting on the world's last great untapped natural energy reserves, is almost as unknown to Westerners as it was to Europeans in the Middle Ages," writes Rashid, a Pakistani journalist with extensive experience reporting from the region. He describes the area's "growing instability," which he credits to a strain of militant Islam just like the form propagated by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. One of the most interesting parts of Jihad concerns Juma Namangani, a shadowy rebel leader in Uzbekistan who has "cultivated an air of mystery that [is] even more extreme than that of the secretive [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar." Rashid concludes that radical Islam will remain popular in Central Asia as long as the governments there are oppressive. We ignore this part of the world at our peril, and there is no better guide to it than Rashid. --John Miller
Book Description
Ahmed Rashid, whose masterful account of Afghanistan's Taliban regime became required reading after September 11, turns his legendary skills as an investigative journalist to five adjacent Central Asian Republics-Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-where religious repression, political corruption, and extreme poverty have created a fertile climate for militant Islam. Based on groundbreaking research and numerous interviews, Rashid explains the roots of fundamentalist rage in Central Asia, describes the goals and activities of its militant organizations, including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, and suggests ways of neutralizing the threat and bringing stability to the troubled region. A timely and pertinent work, Jihad is essential reading for anyone who seeks to gain a better understanding of a region we overlook at our peril.
Customer Reviews:
The root of civilization's problem........2007-05-13
This book is the most comprehensive source of information concerning Islam & Terrorism.
Problem for Central Asia.......2007-05-13
The book is tedious, but comprehensive and does explain a lot that has been said about the region. It offers confirmation of many statements about the region, usually those offered without reference. Recommended for anyone interested in "Fundalmentalist Islam" and/or the politics of the former Soviet Uniion.
Valuable and Important Book.......2007-02-23
Jihad by Ahmed Rashid provides an explanation for the rise of militant Islam in Central Asia. I purchased this book because I enjoyed another of Rashid's works, Taliban, and because it was on sale. Within the first few pages, the significance of Rashid's book is obvious. For one, the author is an objective journalist (that term should be redundant but, sadly, it isn't) with first-hand experience in the region. And, more importantly, Jihad was largely written before 11 September 2001, before our national interest in religious extremism became colored by emotion and an agenda to support USA military efforts in the Middle East.
As argued by Rashid, the seeds of today's radical Islamic movement in Central Asia were planted by Stalin. The present borders of those republics -- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- were drawn by that dictator explicitly to fragment ethnic allegiances, to try and force the local populations to become homogenized (but 2nd class) members of the Soviet empire. Collectivization caused further resentment, as did Bolshevik suppression of Islam. But all the latter accomplished was to push religious practice underground and give the people a rallying point to come together against the government.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, leaving former Communist Party members as presidents of the five republics, the equilibrium changed. The government was still unpopular and oppressive, and Islam was still officially to be suppressed, but the governments had lost their power to achieve their objectives. With the repeal of Soviet control came the withdrawal of Soviet forces and resources. Militant Islamic groups, suddenly free(r) to seek their own agendas, rose up to divide and topple the reigning, impotent regimes. Rashid works systematically through various movements in the region and their histories, but he pays special attention to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and its connection with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Jihad by Ahmed Rashid is a valuable and important book for anyone that wants to understand how the rise of militant Islam is not a new phenomenon but a continuation -- an effect -- of the Cold War.
Jihad: Book Review.......2007-02-06
Mr Rashid does a great job introducing this region to a reader who is only familiar with this area through the news reports. Central Asia covers an area nearly the size of the contiguous USA west of the Mississippi excluding Texas. Kazakhstan to the north comprises about 2/3s of this area. The remaining four "Stans" are squeezed between the Caspian Sea to the west with its vast oil reserves, China to the east and Iran and Afghanistan to the south.
Within these chapters is an adequate, short, understandable introduction to the history of the area from the Mongol invasions through their subjugation by the communists. You are introduced to the geography and the political boundaries, which were drawn by Stalin, and the state of affairs in each country between the downfall of the USSR and 2001. You learn that communist style dictators rule all but one of these countries and all the countries are both repressed and impoverished.
The meat of the story seems to begin with the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the USA's efforts to thwart that assault. Our work with the resistance fighters through Pakisitan brought the outside world into central Asia for the first time in 60 years. With the defeat of the USSR in Afghanistan and the USSR's collapse, these countries were plunged unprepared into the modern world. The continuing repressive natures of their governments coupled with the arrival of fanatical Muslim missionaries soon lead to the birth of several Islamic fundamentalist organizations.
The Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), Hizb ut Tahir (HT) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) are the main focus of most of the book. Each of these organizations aims at overthrowing the current governments in the area and replacing them with some form of repressive Islamic state; however, none of the groups is particularly clear on what that would be. I think that Mr. Rashid does a very good job at portraying these organizations as destructive, reactionary groups with no plan for the world after they win.
Finally, the strategic concerns of Russia, China and the USA are dealt with and how they relate to Central Asia. I would like to point out to future readers that whenever the USA's influence in the region is mentioned America is indicted because its military and economic aide is not tied to political reform; regional leaders are just encouraged to reform. However, no such concern is ever once raised by Mr. Rashid when he discusses the influence and aide of Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, any European Country or any other player in Central Asia. Also, not once in the book is there ever any discussion of the responsibility that the residents of each of the "Stans" have for the maintenance and good government of their own lands.
All in all this is a well written and worthwhile book. It covers the subject area briefly, but well. I came away from this book with a much better understanding of this region, its problems and what we will be facing for many years to come.
Unbiased and Informative.......2006-11-24
Usually any book dealing with any aspect of Islam or other religions is either blatantly biased for or against that religion. Rashid manages to pull the attribution of all things to religion out of discussing Central Asia. He effectively demonstrates the impact of political economy and historical features on the regions lack of stability. Then he shows how religion--in this case Islam--aligns with these historical trends and impacts the country. The part I really appreciate about this book is how he resolves all these aspects into the "bigger picture" of how it affects Central Asia. Reading this book will also enable you to see how social movements occur transnationally in a smaller region (Central Asia comprises 5 countries). Very timely for today's events.
Book Description
A thrilling, page-turning account, drawing on new never-before-reported information, of one of the most dramatic and important episodes in recent history: the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis. On November 4, 1979, Iranian students seized the American embassy in Tehran and took hostage some five dozen Americans. Those Americans would remain hostage for over one year. This is the story of how, in a heretofore unimaginable sequence of events, a seemingly ragtag mob of students inspired by a barely known Muslim cleric named Khomeini eventually undid an American president. It is a story that spans a century, full of famous characters--like Carter, Khomeini, and the Shah--and those who worked in the shadows. Cross-cutting between Washington, Tehran, Paris, and training centers for the doomed Desert One rescue mission, THE CRISIS is a work of history that reads like a thriller. Full of never-before-reported details, and drawing for the first time on comprehensive interviews with the Iranians involved, as well as fresh discussions with the central American players, this book is David Harriss masterpiece--what hes been building up to for decades.
Customer Reviews:
Misleading title and it suffers from serious problems.......2005-08-13
There is a natural fascination with what may be happening behind the scenes, and that certainly extends to what secret diplomacy may have been underway to resolve such an urgent crisis as that of the 1979 seizure of the hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Harris, formerly a contributing editor at the New York Times Magazine and Rolling Stone, provides much interesting material about the various diplomatic initiatives. He is strongest in writing about the middle of the crisis, rather than the early days or the final resolution, which have been the subject of several detailed (and more authoritative) accounts[4] as well as much conspiratorial nonsense. Harris gives particularly interesting accounts of the role of Iranian foreign minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, who wrongly thought he knew what would persuade Iran's revolutionary leaders to let the hostages go; he ended up under arrest and was executed for his role in a plot to overthrow the government. Harris also highlights the role of private citizen Henry Kissinger as an intermediary with Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
But The Crisis suffers from some serious problems. Harris provides no indication of his sources for particular statements. And in his afterward about his sources, he acknowledges that some quotes come "from multiple sources, which I have bound together inside a single set of quotation marks." He lists an impressive set of interviews, including many in Iran, as well as extensive use of primary source materials. But he also acknowledges "a special debt to the work of Gary Sick, William Shawcross, Pierre Salinger, and Amir Taheri"-three of whom have written books full of unsubstantiated innuendo that rely heavily on fabricated sources.
Furthermore, Harris's title misleads. He barely discusses the origins of militant Islam as a political movement. His account is not so much about the three main actors cited in the title-President Jimmy Carter, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the shah-as about the maneuverings of their top aides. The failure to deliver what the title implies is particularly important when one reflects upon how little result there was from the secret diplomacy on which Harris concentrates. In fact, the hostages were taken so that Iran's revolutionaries could isolate their erstwhile allies in the Westernized wing of the anti-shah movement and consolidate Iran's anti-American orientation; once that purpose had been accomplished, the hostages were released. The diplomatic maneuverings did more to prolong the crisis, by suggesting that the United States was too timid to react strongly, than to end it.
Excellent work that has implications for today's world.......2005-04-14
Though I was only seven at the time of the Iran Hostage Crisis, I can vividly remember how the Crisis touched everyone in America as I observed in my household. I remember the nightly new and papers menioning the three players highlighted in this work. With the exception of Carter, I knew very little about these three before picking up this book.
Harris provides the reader with a detailed account of each leaders rise to and/or fall from power. In a coup of thorough research, Harris attempts to lay out every twist and turn in the international negotiations to release the hostages. Though the subtitle mentions only Carter, the Shah, and Khomeni, Harris details the actions of numerous other players who interact with the three leaders and influence the course of events in Tehran.
The pace of the narrative is like that of an excellent thriller. Harris cuts back and forth between Washington, Paris, Tehran, and the carious locations of the Shah. He does an excellent job in capturing the emotions of the folks involved. The description of the disastrous rescue attempt is fantastic and exemplifies how small things can derail military operations. Harris also concentrates on how a world leader--be it the shah, president, or the Secretary General of the UN--has to be extremely careful in how he or she speaks.
One thing I really liked about this work is the final chapter in which Harris details what has happened to each person we met along the way. In so many works of non-fiction and history, we are introduced to folks who are dropped from the focus of the author.
Ultimately, this is an important work because it looks at the birth of the hatred of the United States espoused by militant Islams. It is fascinating and disturbing to think that this incident that brought down the presidency of Carter was initially to be a three day "statement" by a group of students in Tehran.
Good Recounting of History.......2005-04-11
If you enjoy historical writing that tells a story instead of hitting you over the head with numerous footnotes and citations, this is the book for you. Long before Al-Queda the US was forced to deal with Islamic Terrorism in the late-70's, and this book does a great job in explaning how it all happened.
The writer, David Harris does a great job in extrapolating information from existing sources and a number of interviews with people who were involved in the crisis both in and out of the Carter Administration. The strength of this book is his retelling of the human toll of the crisis and how a number of strong personalities were forced to work with one another.
For those of us who remember this time in history, it appeared as if the Carter Administration seemingly bumbled every possible opportunity in addressing the crisis. The book explains how it happened by examining what took place and who was involved both in Iran and the United States. Thanks to his work, we get a better idea of what many hitorical figures such as Jimmy Carter, Khomeni, Zbignew Breziniski and Cyrus Vance were like.
As a result, I came away from this book leaning something and enjoying the reading while I gained the information. Solid book that's worth your time.
Why We Are Where We Are.......2005-04-04
This is an excellent book because it puts a pivotal period into sharp focus. Consider that, in the 70's, Nixon had been removed. The Republican ascendancy had hit a major speed bump. Carter edged out Morris Udall for the Democratic nomination, but Carter was a man with no experience whatsover in Washington politics. As Carter stumbled through his single term, the Iranian hostage crisis emerged to, ultimately, finish him off.
Of course, Iran and the Middle East are still a major problem for the US. This book goes a long way toward explaining why. It does not get very deeply into why we were tied to the Shah, but it's clear the Shah was not a gifted leader. His troubles were quite complex. Carter wanted a 'moral' foreign policy that respected human rights. He hoped he could work with the Shah to get gradual change in Iran, but he was also pathologically naive about how his support of the Shah might work out. The Iranians were not impressed. With the Shah, Carter and the Dems lost their share of the 'beacon of democracy' vision, and now Bush seems to own it.
There are two major threads in this book, aside from the gripping historical narrative. First off, there is a sense of tragic farce that can almost be seen as whimsical in hindsight. How could everything go wrong. And I mean everything. From the inability of the UN Secretary General to follow a plan, to the failed surgery by a brilliant heart surgeon, to the sequence of failure in the desert rescue mission. Then there was the emissary going back to Tehren, to finalize the release, on the day Iraq invaded, thus delaying flights for 2 weeks. It just goes on and on and on. In the epilogue, someone is quoted as saying Carter was a man who used up all his luck becoming president. This is a book about a talented man who, indeed, had no real luck. His final bargaining chip was being able to tell the Iranians "Well, in 10 weeks you can negotiate with Reagan." That seemed to be enough, although Iran badly needed war materiel, as well. One can (should) ask if Nixon and Kissinger were setting Carter up, in various ways. They insisted the Shah come here. That precipitated the crisis. But why did Carter have Vance and Brzrzinski, perhaps a more bipolar pair than Rumsfeld and Powell. The extremes did not create any kind of viable policy. The weakness was shown when Russia went into Afghanistan. With Reagan, we got the hard right.
The other fascinating thread is the whole 'democratic' and revolutionary process in Iran. Revolutions have a nasty way of getting, well, nasty. This one got fractured and violent. It had spurts of energy and then things would dissipate. The people with power behaved like politicians, but they felt a need to succeed beyond this giant media event. The clerics were difficult to work with, especially Khomeini, and as the situation unraveled, the fundamentalist religious factions filled the political vaccuum. The people involved were not demons, entirely. They did hate the US, in many ways, which was somewhat understandable. They could not create a viable government or maintain the economy. Unfortunately, the process of weighing secularism, Islam, law, and so on, was not very successful, and we still see the effects. There's something to learn about bringing democracy to the rest of the world. It just ain't that easy. The events in this book are still with us. In the Fall of 1980, as Reagan and Carter were campaigning, Iraq invaded Iran. Partly this was due to the inability of Iran to form a strong government. Partly THIS was due to the hostages and the emotionalism wrapped up in the Shah who had, actually, just died. The Iranians needed to focus on something other than the Great Satan. We, of course, ended up giving some support to Iraq and propping up Saddam. (How did that work out?)
Now we would like to see democracy in Iraq, but the same kinds of political and religious winds blow across Iraq, and democracy is only a process, not a solution.
One can isolate out the period of American foreign policy where we protected our economic interests, and the interests of the Cold War paradigm. Carter certainly championed a different focus, but without defining a process to get there. In Iran, a country where our 'legacy policy' had to be unwound, everything just imploded. We were on the wrong side of the thing, and couldn't get right with it. One can also look at the various issues that must be resolved to have a pluralistic and enlightened form of democracy in the Sunni-Shia, Kurdish, and Islamist, etc, Middle East. Because ultimately the Hostage Sideshow deflected the Iranians from the task of making their country work, and the revolutionary ideology continues to corrode real advance.
Memories of American Ignominy.......2005-03-13
This well written book brought back unpleasant memories of America's first ignominious encounter with radical Islam. I was just out of high school, and can vividly recall the national despair and exasperation over the hostage crisis. In many ways, 1979-80 was the nadir of our post-Vietnam national funk.
Harris' book provides an excellent window on the hostage crisis, and the machinations in Washington and Tehran to resolve it. Harris portrays most Carterites in sympathetic terms (perhaps no surprise considering the author's leftist politics), especially Ham Jordan, whose secret, trans-continental diplomatic efforts had him functioning as a de facto Secretary of State. Brzezinski is cast in a much less flattering light, and is derided for his hawkish posture. It's interesting that Harris chose not to (or was unable to) interview Carter's National Security Advisor. The diplomacy advocates Vance and Christopher come across as naive in their aversion to military force or coercion of any kind.
On the Iranian side, Bani Sadr (president) and Ghotbzadeh (foreign minister) are gullible in the extreme. From their days together in exile in Paris, it is clear that Khomeini was using these moderates to mask his extremism and advance his legitimacy internationally. The Shah ("His Imperial Majesty," "Light of the Aryans," etc) is venal and weak, although when the moment of truth arrived, he blanched at unleashing the Iron Fist to quell the rebellion.
UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim is untrustworthy and through arrogance, incompetence or both, did more than anyone to undermine the secret Jordan-Ghotbzadeh agreement to spring the hostages.
The book is a surprisingly brisk read, given the weightiness of the subject matter. The author's decision to focus primarily on a small number of key players certainly helped speed the narrative pace. But I was a little put off this technique. For example, the State Department official who participated in Jordan's diplomatic gambit is referred to repeatedly as "the Assistant Secretary of State" - no name, ever, is associated with him. I kept wondering who this mystery diplomat was. Other characters are referred to generically as "the NSC official" or "State's Iran specialist."
The author also errs in the epilogue when he asserts that Warren Christopher served as President Clinton's Secretary of State for eight years -- what about Madeleine Albright? These mild criticisms aside, "The Crisis" is an excellent read and highly informative.
The Hostage Crisis was one of the more dismal episodes in recent American history. It helped to fell a sitting president, underscored the perception of American impotence and served as a capstone to the nation's decade-long diminishment on the world stage.
Book Description
As southern Lebanon becomes the latest battleground for Islamist warriors, Everyday Jihad plunges us into the sprawling, heavily populated Palestinian refugee camp at Ain al-Helweh, which in the early 1990s became a site for militant Sunni Islamists. A place of refuge for Arabs hunted down in their countries of origin and a recruitment ground for young disenfranchised Palestinians, the camp--where sheikhs began actively recruiting for jihad--situated itself in the global geography of radical Islam.
With pioneering fieldwork, Bernard Rougier documents how Sunni fundamentalists, combining a literal interpretation of sacred texts with a militant interpretation of jihad, took root in this Palestinian milieu. By staying very close to the religious actors, their discourse, perceptions, and means of persuasion, Rougier helps us to understand how radical religious allegiances overcome traditional nationalist sentiment and how jihadist networks grab hold in communities marked by unemployment, poverty, and despair.
With the emergence of Hezbollah, the Shiite political party and guerrilla army, at the forefront of Lebanese and regional politics, relations with the Palestinians will be decisive. The Palestinian camps of Lebanon, whose disarmament is called for by the international community, constitute a contentious arena for a multitude of players: Syria and Iran, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority, and Bin Laden and the late Zarqawi. Witnessing everyday jihad in their midst offers readers a rare glimpse into a microcosm of the religious, sectarian, and secular struggles for the political identity of the Middle East today.
Product Description
Are you tired of hearing that Islam is really a religion of peace while beheadings of prisoners are broadcast on the Internet, fiendishly clever terrorist plots are continuously uncovered, and carnage in Iraq has become a routine occurrence? This book is for everyone who is fed up with the grotesque exercise of whitewashing the obviously grim realities of radical Islam with political correctness. Author Kevin J. Ryan uses sardonic humor and a streak of radical irreverence to expose Islamist ideology for what it really is: fascism masquerading as religion. Like Chaplin taking on the Nazis in The Great Dictator, Ryan has a field day lampooning the patent absurdities espoused by Muslim extremists.
Not afraid of caricature, he bluntly outlines his topics with chapter headings such as:
· How to Found a Religion of Peace and Declare War on the Rest of the World
· Women s Rights, or What Size Stick to Use to Beat Your Wife
· Europe on Five Massacres a Day
· Tolerance and Diversity, or the Right to Practice Any Religion as Long as It s Islam
· Education, or What s That about Allah Turning Jews and Christians into Pigs and Monkeys?
· Back to the Future, or Forward to the Seventh Century
Other topics include radical Islam s amputation-friendly criminal justice system, the reason why slavery is still considered a holy institution by fundamentalist Muslims, the important distinction between a raving mad radical and a barking mad one, and a detailed description of what the average American Joe and Jane would look like after a radical Islamic makeover.
Combining the debunking zeal of Thomas Paine s Age of Reason with Mad magazine s wacky view of history and politics, Ryan has written the most politically incorrect and funniest book on radical Islam that you re ever likely to read.
Customer Reviews:
A Funny, incisive look at a difficult subject.......2007-09-10
"Radical Eye for the Infidel Guy" manages admirably to achieve the difficult task of being both a serious look at historical and current Islam and laugh-out-loud satire. While it handily explores the history of Islam over the centuries, covering topics such as TOLERANCE AND DIVERSITY, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, and WAR PART ONE, it also lightens the load with sections like FUN FACTS ABOUT MOHAMMED and HOLY LAW FOR DUMMIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO RADICAL JURISPRUDENCE.
The last chapter, THE RADICAL MAKEOVER, is brilliant--in a humorous way laying out for you how you and your family can convert to Islam, a sort of spiritual redecorating of your messy infidel house. It's ingenious, but more important, it's funny with a point. The book asks you not to read and ignore, but to read and examine--examine your own beliefs and opinions. It asks you to participate in the dialogue about Islam, at the very least in your own head. The book is thought-provoking and compelling. It is one of the funniest, most intelligent books I've read last year.
Know your enemy!.......2007-06-29
Kevin Ryan has written an essential book on the nature on Radical Islam. What is unique about it is that he has written it with humor, as humor sometimes can be the best way to approach a serious subject. Ryan delves into the history of Islam and brings out many fascinating details about the "religion of peace". Unfortunately, since 9/11 mainstream media and our politicians have been doing their best not to "insult" Islam, but this book makes it clear that the only way to truly win this war is to expose Islam for what it is so we can more effectively fight. Everyone should read this book...
An eye-opening look at the Islamic world!.......2007-06-26
Don't let the title fool you, as well as being quite humorous, this book delves into the beliefs, customs, and history of radical Islam. The information is extremely well-researched and presented in a way that's easy to understand and very entertaining.
In our politically correct society, many topics are glossed over and myths created about the Islamic religion. However, this book sheds light on what Muslims really believe and how it affects everyone (and I do mean everyone). This is the book that Muslims DON'T want you to read!
Because of our changing world, I would highly recommend owning a copy of this book. It's also an excellent first book for anyone beginning to research Islam.
Book Description
Before there was Osama bin Laden, Abu al-Zarqawi or Ayatollah Khomeini, there was the Mahdi-the "Expected One"-who raised the Arabs in pan-tribal revolt against infidels and apostates in the late 19th-century Sudan. Born on the Nile in 1844, Muhammed Ahmed grew into a devout, charismatic young man, whose visage was said to have always featured the placid hint of a smile. He developed a ferocious resentment, however, against the corrupt Ottoman Turks, their Egyptian lackeys, and finally the Europeans who he felt held the Arab people in subjugation. In 1880, he raised the banner of holy war, and thousands of warriors flocked to his side. The Egyptians dispatched a punitive expedition to the Sudan, but the Mahdist forces destroyed it. In 1883, Col. William Hicks gathered a larger army of nearly 10,000 men. Trapped by the tribesmen in a defile at El Obeid, it was massacred to a man. Three months later, another British-led force met disaster at El Teb. Prime Minister William Gladstone ordered a withdrawal from Sudan, and dispatched one of Victoria's most celebrated heroes, General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, to effect the evacuation. Instead, Gordon was besieged by the Mahdi at Khartoum. In an epic contest pitting military innovation and discipline against religious fervor, the Mahdi and Gordon dueled throughout 1884, while the British government hesitated to send relief. On January 26, 1885 a treacherous native (or patriot, depending on one's point of view) let the Mahdist forces into the city of Khartoum. Gordon, realizing that the end was at hand, donned a white uniform, took up his sword, and walked out upon his palace steps. He was hacked to death by jihadists and his head was carried around the city on a pole. A British relief column arrived two days later. The Mahdi died shortly afterward, yet his revolt had succeeded. The British vacated the territory for almost 15 years until in 1899, led by Herbert Kitchner, they returned to forestall encroachments by other European powers. The Mahdist forces were crushed at the Battle of Omdurman, and the great jihad temporarily dissolved into the desert, not to be renewed for another century. In today's world the Mahdi's words have been repeated almost verbatim by the Muslim jihadists who have attacked New York, Washington, Madrid and London, and continue to wage war from the Hindu Kush to the Mediterranean. Along with Saladin, who once defeated a holy war, the Mahdi stands as an Islamic icon who once launched his own successful crusade against the West. This deeply researched work reminds us that the "clash of civilizations" that supposedly came upon us in September 2001 in fact began much earlier. This book is essential reading for all those who seek to understand the roots of our current relationship with Islam. REVIEWS "... For those looking to find the origins of the extreme terrorism now gripping the planet, this book is the ideal starting point. Butler (Age of Cunard) has extensively researched the struggle for empire in the late 19th-century Middle East among Egypt, Great Britain, and Muhammed Ahmed, the Mahdi-or "Expected One"-of what was then the Sudan. This struggle reached the world stage with the siege of Khartoum by Sudanese rebels in 1884 and the subsequent massacre of the Egyptian inhabitants and their British defender, Gen. Charles Gordon. It culminated in the destruction of Mahdist forces at the Battle of Omdurman in 1899. The jihad dissolved into the sands of the desert only to be renewed 100 years later, and the similarities between these two events-the jihads, then and now-are frighteningly real. Although Butler states that his initial purpose was not to draw that parallel, the facts are there for all to see. Highly recommended."-David Lee Poremba, Haines City P.L., FL, Library Journal March 1, 2007 "...key to understanding not only the Mahdi, but his ongoing importance to events happening today."J Cox, California Bookwatch, 7-07 "...lays important tracks into the study of terrorism, fundamentalism and the early clashbetween Islam and Christianity..."Publishers Weekly 1/8/07
Customer Reviews:
College-level collections strong in Middle East history and culture need this........2007-07-27
Before Bin Laden or Hussein there was the Mahdi, the 'Expected One' who raised the Arabs in a revolt against infidels in 19th century Sudan - and THE FIRST JIHAD: THE BATTLE FOR KHARTOUM AND THE DAWN OF MILITANT ISLAM is key to understanding not only the Mahdi, but his ongoing importance to events happening today. The Mahdi's army crushed forces dispatched from British Egypt to half his uprising, succeeded in unifying much of the Arab world, and developed early winning military strategies: THE FIRST JIHAD focuses both on these military encounters and on the biography and background of Muhammed Ahmed, whose charisma was to spark action among peoples. College-level collections strong in Middle East history and culture need this.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
This is how it all started!.......2007-05-23
Islam is shown at it's core beliefs in this book. This book gives you an understanding of what it's all about, and where it's going. Eva-Christ Makes you wonder if that angel of light in that cave, who gave Muhammad the Quran, really was?
Books:
- History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chro
1945 - Present
| 20th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage)
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
Doctor Dealer: The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire
