Book Description
Radical Islam has long desired to seize Jerusalem and cut it off to Christian and Jewish believers. In his revealing new book, The Fight for Jerusalem, bestselling author and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold explains why the battle for Jerusalem is intensifying today. Gold shows why only Israel can preserve its holy places for Christians, Jews, and even Muslims, and why uncovering Jerusalem's past-and the truth of biblical history-can be the key to saving its future.
Customer Reviews:
A politically charged yet thoughtfully reasoned exhortation .......2007-10-06
Former Israel ambassador to the U.N. (among his many other credentials) Dore Gold presents The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West, and the future of the Holy City, a serious-minded discussion of the future of Jerusalem, a city holy to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The Fight for Jerusalem makes a convincing argument that for Jerusalem to be a free city where all faiths can be practiced, it will have to remain under Israeli sovereignty, because the United Nations cannot be relied upon to protect it and the Muslim Palestinians have become increasingly affected by a branch of radical Islam that seeks to eliminate other faiths from Jerusalem, not co-exist with them. Drawing upon meticulous scholarly research, The Fight for Jerusalem addresses how Palestinians are destroying archaeological evidence of ancient Jewish presence in Jerusalem, particularly on the Temple Mount; how Western diplomatic concessions strengthen the apocalyptic speculations of radical Muslims; how the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza brought more power to Palestinian extremists at the expense of Palestinian moderates; why negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the status of Jerusalem have little chance of creating an agreement; and much more. It should be noted that The Fight for Jerusalem specifically denounces the religious intolerance radical Islam, and recognizes that the majority of the Muslim world is not radical, though The Fight for Jerusalem decries the increasing power that radical Islamic factions have. A politically charged yet thoughtfully reasoned exhortation on how Jerusalem, a potential focal point of radical Islam's jihad against the West, can best be preserved for future generations.
More In This Vein Needed.......2007-07-12
Mr. Gold has had an intriguing history of exposing through historical precedents and context the most interesting institutions. This book is no exception with Jerusalem, the city in the Middle East that can perhaps be said to represent the modicum of freedom and Western values that exists there, and why it's imperative that it be held and protected against any antithetical forces surrounding it, either there or abroad.
Dore Gold does the reader and novice (or even university-educated) reader a great and grandiose service by documenting not just how long the Jews have been living in modern Israel, but showing us just how long they've been under attack, kept as slaves, as Dhimmis, whipped commodities of Europe's countries, and generally how it all started. The Bar-Kochba revolution against the just-turned Roman imperialists is a great account, told with brevity, but demonstrating what the Jews have been through just to hold on to their tiny piece of land, and how many empires have swept through it.
A previous writer said that there's blame on both sides to the conflict, and that giving away land to the anarchistic Palestinian terror groups is being open minded. I would pose the question that Dore Gold answers for us: If Jerusalem and its surrounding environs were given over eventually to Arabic, Islamic forces, there would be no tolerance of religion whatsoever for any soul in the land. Already, the last Christians are fleeing any part of Israel that is controlled by Palestinian faction groups, whose version of Islam doesn't even allow for Fatah's to promulgate.
There are previous accusations that Gold's sources are flimsy. Since when are speeches of those involved, podcasts of the same, and books irrelevant and not conducive to research? What's omitted from some critics' reviews is the presentation of vast amounts of historical and recent archeological surfacing that has vindicated those who taught us about the unified Davidic Kingdom and the tribes of Israel before his time. If you don't read more than the first 2 chapters, you're already richly rewarded by gaining a historical eye covering about 1400 years of Israelite history.
I think one of the most important misnomers that have stuck with us is that the land of ancient Canaan/Israel was only named Palestine by the Romans once they began establishing exploratory garrisons. They aptly named it after "Philistines" who had residence there still after so many quasi-empiric swaths through Israel.
Dore Gold might be a nationalist-rightist when it comes to Israel, but how do we coin the conservative label when Gold's main theme for the conflict is encouraging us to look at what happens every time Israel DOES cede land that THEY held onto by being the victor of a grossly-agressive war by the major Arabic countries. Look at Hamas in Gaza, exterminating all their Fatah "brothers," showing us that the muhajadeen applies to their own kind as well.
Gore's book is a real justice and service that lends some researched wisdom as to what's been happening in Israel, and how other Arabic nations are overwhelmingly complicit in the plight of the Palestinians. What else can we expect from a people who declare all of Palestine theirs by right, have rejected statehood 3 times, and have it in their charter (Hamas, Fatah) and educational materials (The PA) to disregard Jews as human and an unregognizing of Israel's right to live and survive? As we've seen, we can't expect much, only chaos, wasted Western money that helped almost no Palestinian when it's in their hands, and a drive to throwback tribalism that knows no bounds as to the glories of fighting Jews and infidels. This is a great history book that should be on everyone's shelves, even if you wish to "hear no evil,see no evil," which I like to call "disagreeing" with it.
Again, if there is to be any alternative to religous and secular tolerance in the Middle East, it has proven only to be in Israel, and the state's poliltical and religious flag, Jerusalem, cannot be given over or divided if it is to remain that way. Dore Gold has made that painstakingly clear, and it gives us great hope to see the victories of Israel against forces that would see it otherwise--which is most of the world.
excellent analysis of issues about Jerusalem.......2007-06-27
Dore Gold writes with typical clarity concerning the issues concerning Jerusalem, including the battles going back through the ages. If you want to get a readable, informative history, then get this book.
Propaganda passing for scholarly research.......2007-06-05
Dore Gold is one of the hardline political opeatives who worked for Ariel Sharon and found Sharon's moderating politics towards the end of his political careeer not to his liking. Gold's view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is quite close to the ultra-nationalist politics of Likud. For him, any compromise with the Palestinians enourages more terror. Hamas are no better than the Taliban. If Israel gives them an inch of Jerusalem they will take a mile and turn Jerusalem into the capital of the new world-wide Muslim caliphate.
Despite miles of footntoes, Gold relies for evidence on surprisingly flimsy reeds: podcasts, websites, sermons and books are the proof he uses to claim that there is a worldwide Muslim conspiracy to take over Jerusalem and the rest of the western world.
If you're a neocon or a hardline supporter of the Israeli right, you'll love this book. It will confirm all yr worst fears of Arabs. But if you try to keep an open mind about this conflict and find both fault and favor with both sides, then steer clear. This is a propaganda tract that passes itself off as a thoroughly researched scholarly tome.
The fight for Jerusalem and the clash of civilizations .......2007-05-16
This book is divided into three sections. In the first the religious dimension of Jerusalem is considered. The meaning of Jerusalem for Ancient Israel, for Christianity , and for Classical Islam are accurately and fairly outlined. In the second part of the book which considers the diplomatic struggle over Jerusalem, there is chapter devoted to the Birth of 'Modern Israel', one to 'Jerusalem, the Palestinian Arabs and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan', and one to the 'Arab- Israel Peace Process.' The third and most important section of the book is devoted to Radical Islam and Jerusalem. There is a chapter on 'Destruction of the Holy Sites', one on 'Jerusalem as Apocalyptic Trigger for Radical Islam, one 'The West and the Freedom of Jerusalem'.
In this third section of the book Gold gives a short history of the development of Radical Islam. He tells of the Islamic destruction of the religious sites of other faiths, from the largest Buddhist statues in the world in Afghanistan to sites in the heart of the Arab world. He shows how Western diplomatic concessions have not led to moderation but rather an intensification of fanaticism by radical Islamists. He tells the story of the Muslim destruction of important archaeological remains in Jerusalem. He shows how radical Islam's obsession with Jerusalem is another manifestation of the clash of civilizations between radical Islam and other religious faiths and civilizations.
The demonstrating of Islamic disrespect and destruction for the Holy Places of others is at the heart of his argument that Jerusalem must remain undivided under Israeli rule. Additional evidence for this claim is given by the Palestinian reaction to Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the Shiite Hizbollah's reaction to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Both of these withdrawals did not lead to moderation and peace, but rather to more violence against Israel. Gold shows how the Islamist Palestinians have when given civilian control over a city or area persecuted and led to the exile of its Christians .The most blatant example is Bethlehem which has not simply lost its Christian majority but seen the greatest share of its Christian population leave the City. Gold says that had Israel in September 2000 relinquished control over the Old City of Jerusalem to the Palestinians the result would have been the destruction of a a good share of it. Gold also considers the possibility of internationalization of the Holy City , and provides convincing evidence that the U.N. could not handle this job effectively any more than it handled the job in Rwanda or Bosnia. Gold also points to the inherent prejudice of the U.N. against Israel, and says it could never be a fair and efficient manager of the Holy Sites.
This book makes a very strong case for Israel's maintaining exclusive control of the city.
But the arguments it presents focus more on the negatives of Islamic control than the positives of Israeli control. I would have liked to see more expansive treatment of how Israel has enhanced the city since taking over the Old City in 1967.
Nonetheless this is a must read for those for whom Jerusalem, and its future, is dear.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
They met in 1990 during the first Palestinian uprising—one was an American Jew who served as a prison guard in the largest prison in Israel, the other, his prisoner, Rafiq, a rising leader in the PLO. Despite their fears and prejudices, they began a dialogue there that grew into a remarkable friendship—and now a remarkable book. It is a book that confronts head-on the issues dividing the Middle East, but one that also shines a ray of hope on that dark, embattled region.
Jeffrey Goldberg, now an award-winning correspondent for The New Yorker, moved to Israel while still a college student. When he arrived, there was already a war in his heart—a war between the magnetic pull of tribe and the equally determined pull of the universalist ideal. He saw the conflict between the Jews and Arabs as the essence of tragedy, because tragedy is born not in the collision of right and wrong, but of right and right.
Soon, as a military policeman in the Israeli army, he was sent to the Ketziot military prison camp, a barbed-wire city of tents and machine gun towers buried deep in the Negev Desert. Ketziot held six thousand Arabs, the flower of the Intifada: its rock-throwers, knifemen, bomb-makers, and propagandists. He realized that this was an extraordinary opportunity to learn from them about themselves, especially because among the prisoners may have been the future leaders of Palestine.
Prisoners is an account of life in that harsh desert prison—mean, overcrowded, and violent — and of Goldberg's extraordinary dialogue with Rafiq, which continues to this day.
We hear their accusations, explanations, fears, prejudices, and aspirations. We see how their relationship deepened over the years as Goldberg returned to Washington, D.C., where Rafiq, quite coincidentally, had become a graduate student, and as the Middle East cycled through periods of soaring hope and ceaseless despair. And we see again and again how these two men—both of them loyal sons of their warring peoples—confront their religious, cultural, and political differences in ways that allowed them to finally acknowledge a true, if necessarily tenuous, friendship.
A riveting, deeply affecting book: spare, impassioned, energetic, and unstinting in its candor about the truths that lie buried within the animosities of the Middle East.
Customer Reviews:
brilliantly perceptive and very sad.......2007-09-18
I read it in 2 nights. It is truly brilliantly perceptive and indescribably sad - he, like so many, see no solution, not really, despite his theme of coexistence. By now there's so much hatred on both sides, so much misunderstanding, so much blood shed unnecessarily, that any happy end is virtually impossible.
Ruth Weiss, Author, Germany
Not a Prisoner: Just Captivated.......2007-06-24
I didn't think that I would be interested in a political kind of book, but this is really a personal story that taught me alot about the middle east and war and peace. What I really liked is that Mr. Goldberg thinks that there is hope. I have given it for gifts and people love it.
deeply personal and informative.......2007-06-13
not only is this book deeply personal to the author but also to this reader.He put into the words that I never could the feeling that I have for Israel and the Jewish People.He explains Zionism for what it really is and means and not for what the pc crowd has twisted it to be.
Having also had dialogue with a muslim that I called friend for over more than 40 years I can attest to the great divide between us.it is hard for most people to understand that different cultures do not think alike regardless of what facts are presented.
other readers have found hope in this book which I am afraid I do not share.
A Must Read.......2007-04-22
Jeffrey Goldberg has written an absolutely facinating book. His unique perspective and the access that has been granted him to interview Muslim leaders, makes his book a "must read" for all those interested in Middle East tensions and problems.For the people, like myself, who are despairing of ever seeing peace in that region, Mr. Goldberg brings back hope that we can learn to understand and appreciate our differences and celebrate our similarities.
Friends of sorts . . ........2007-04-09
Self-categorized on the book jacket as "Current Affairs," this book had me expecting an analysis of Israeli-Palestinian relations, the word "prisoners" in the title no more than a metaphor. In fact, a large part of the book takes place in an actual prison, and while it has much to say about Israeli-Palestinian relations, it is more correctly a memoir of an American Jewish journalist attempting to understand the nature of the conflict that has prevailed in that part of the Middle East since 1948. Finding the political in the personal, he tells of his own beginnings as a youthful Zionist living on Long Island and his years in Israel as his ideals are put to the test working on a kibbutz and then serving in the military police at a desert prison, where he first meets and attempts to befriend a Palestinian prisoner, Rafiq.
Later, working as a journalist based first in Jerusalem and then in Washington DC, the author travels often to Gaza and the West Bank to talk with Palestinians, many of them released prisoners, including his friend Rafiq. His conversations with Rafiq become a commentary on an accompanying account of the interlude of hope for resolution in the Oslo talks, the eventual collapse of the peace process, and the rise of suicide bombings. On both levels, it is a search for common ground that is as elusive as peace itself. The author clings to the hope that where friendship is possible between two men who cannot agree on anything else, coexistence is possible between Arabs and Jews.
This is a well written book that immerses the reader in the deeply bitter and violent conflict that has raged in this corner of the world for decades. The greater part of the book is peopled by Palestinians, each specifically drawn as they reveal themselves to the author, and representing a host of political points of view, from the reasonable to the extreme. Meanwhile, as the author's initial Leon Uris-fed idealism fades, the Israelis themselves are often portrayed as far less than admirable. Leavening the darkness inherent in his subject, the author often finds a kind of grim humor, frequently at his own expense, as he struggles to bring the light of reason to what becomes increasingly a litany of folly on all sides. Very much New Yorker style writing in its use of a personal perspective and its slow-moving, meandering structure, "Prisoners" makes for fascinating and rewarding reading. However, do not expect to be uplifted or reassured by its vision of a world mired in mutual distrust and hatred.
Book Description
The fall of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime brought the first glimpse of freedom for Iraq and unleashed elation, resentment, and chaos. On the one hand, there is hope: the Iraqi people have their first chance at independence. On the other hand, there is despair: the country is exploding with violent sectarian and political power struggles. Through it all, Iraq has remained an enigma to much of the world. What is it about this country that makes for such a seemingly intractable situation? How did Iraq's particular history lead to its present circumstances? And what can we fear or hope for in the coming years?
Fouad Ajami, one of the world's foremost authorities on Middle Eastern politics, offers a brilliant, illuminating, and lyrical portrait of the ongoing struggle for Iraq and of the American encounter with that volatile Arab land. Ajami situates the current unrest within the context of Iraq's recent history of dictatorship and its rich, diverse cultural heritage. He applies his incisive political commentary, his broad and deep historical view, his mastery of the Arabic language and Arabic sources, and his lustrous prose to every aspect of his subject, wresting a coherent, fascinating, and textured picture from the media storm of fragmented information.
In the few years after the Iraq war began, Ajami made many trips to that country and met Iraqis of all ethnicities, religions, politics, and regions. Looking beneath the familiar media images of Iraq and the war, Ajami visits with individuals representing the breadth of Iraq's populace, from Sunni leaders and Shia clerics to Kurdish politicians and poets, Iraqi policemen, and ordinary people voting for the first time in their lives. He also hears from American soldiers on the ground, and the result of all his encounters is an astonishing portrayal of a land that has emerged as a crucial battleground between American power and the wider forces of Arab religious and political extremism.
With his unrivaled access -- he has been granted an audience with the great, reclusive Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and been admitted into the sacred shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf for a discussion with its religious scholars -- Ajami provides an intimate portrait that draws on both his learning and his lifelong interest in the traditions and the history of Iraq. With his commentator's eye, his scholarly depth of understanding, his poetic ear, and his abiding love for the Middle East, Fouad Ajami is an essential voice for our times. The Foreigner's Gift is the book we all need to read in order to understand what is happening in Iraq today and what the future might hold for all of us.
Customer Reviews:
A whirlwind.......2007-10-07
This is a short review. I liked the book but I felt it was somewhat too long and was lacking order. Sometimes the writer introduced a character only to say that this character knew another one and starts talking about the second one.
This is the second book I read by Ajami. I felt the same kind of confusion and lack of order in The Dream Palace of the Arabs, on the first chapter, the one about Lebanon. I tend to think that the whirlwind of characters, anecdotes, impressions, evaluations, sayings and images of the country is deliberate in these two cases: both places Lebanon during the Civil War and Iraq at the present are or were in the midst of a maelstrom of violence and sectarianism and Ajami wants to convey some of this overwhelming mayhem to the reader through this lack of order. The Foreigner's gift is like the chapter about Lebanon but through 343 pages!
Although I got tired sometimes, I liked it. The more I read about the Arab world, the more I appreciate the efforts of counted men and women to modernize their world, and I appreciate the obstacles they have to fight. Sometimes when reading about the politicians who want to make their country better but fight against unsurmountable odds and the inertia of the system and the people, I went on to think about Argentina (where I come from) and how it is not such a different situation (minus the homicide bombings). Hence, I was able to enter minds of some Arabs as if they were my own people and stop considering them an unknowable "other" (this doesn't apply of course to the pathological homicide bombers). Ajami is succesful in presenting a story of people reacting to great changes. And he is optimist. I hope that Iraq succeeds. This is a book for those who like America and for those who hate it. You can't hate what you know. And people need to know all the things that America is doing for the Iraqis, and how many Iraqis depend on the success of the reconstruction effort and the war on terrorism.
Pamphlet-writer still fooling many.......2007-08-17
1. Ajami is a Lebanese Arab who moved to the US at 18, and who holds US Citizenship. In this context he is about as "neutral" a source as Zbigniew Brzezinski is with respect to NATO enlargment into Poland.
2. Did you know that all those troops were heading off to the Gulf to give "gifts" to Arabs, who already collect $bn's in USD every year from the US Treasury?
3. Or were you one of those nice folks who thought they were sent in to save your babies from mushroom clouds?
And finally,
4. Will Americans ever learn to spot the Belgian Nun?
Well written, but with massive holes..........2007-08-16
I read "The Foreigner's gift" in a mere two or three sittings, them re-read it for good measure. Some observations....
Ajami writes with feeling and skill, and his on-the-scene reporting is commendable, and I am glad I read it. But there are some very serious holes in this book.
The first and most major lacuna? The role of Islam, (the essential bedrock to which Islamic peoples and Islamic lands gravitationally return) was almost completely ignored. Totally absent was any discussion of Islam's basic threefold theology, namely- 1. the moral failings of Muhammad, sacramentalized as a basis for all religion and society. 2. the central doctrine of the spread of sharia as a basis for all temporal law, and 3. the command and example given by Muhammad of eternal violence against the rest of the planet until the kufr accept submission ("Islam"). As a side-note, observe in Europe just how little violence is needed (in the forms of street crime, intimidation, rape, and small explosions) to intimidate entire societies once they believe in the nothingness and weakness of liberal guilt-driven tolerance.
Also- far too many dispersed meanderings along the lines of the Victor Davis Hanson-style "isn't it unfair that they don't love us?!" tracts. The only surprising thing about Americans is that 3rd world resentment still surprises them. They are thus ill-prepared for how 3rd world populations will act as they increasingly seize demographic control of America itself.
In parts, the book had the disjointed feel of a series of U.S. News columns tacked together.
The last few years have had me thinking along unexpected lines. If the success of the Iraq insurgency is all that separates us from Fukuyama's "end of history", an Arab spring and the triumph of global liberalism, this places me in a strange situation. America's survival as a distinct people, with a distinct culture and identity and borders would therefore depend on the shattering of our illusions in Iraq. Am I, as an American patriot, in a position of hoping for "American" "failure" in Iraq as the only way to set back that globalization? For going down that road will further destroy the west by the diffusion and coarsening of its identity, and the swamping of its historic peoples demographically? The jihadists might well be the last speedbump on the road to the global state, administered by CFR-type technocrats who root out the last vestiges of "intolerance" a.k.a. national and religious identity. So, in the same way that the jihadists realize that liberal globalization of the Middle East will destroy Islam, we are in an analogous situation here at home. In other words, for us to continue to embrace a liberal globalized order invites our doom as well- for our post-modernist, secularist, statist debauchery (or what Sam Francis called anarcho-tyranny) manifestly does not work, and no people can survive it and remain intact. The stark demographic facts alone of western birth rates and miscegenation speak for themselves.
(In Tolkien's terms, is Islam the Gollum who cannot be changed, or trusted, but does eventually serve a key function as the destroyer of the Ring of Power that is nation-crushing liberalism?)
I did not much care for Ajami's apologetics- not to say flattery- of Ahmed Chalabi. It was laid on rather thick, though perhaps understandable if Ajami sought to balance Chalabi's pillorying in the press.
Lastly, for a man who hails from Lebanon- a man of no mean sophistication, he pays zero attention to the interplay of cousin-marriage, immigration, and differential birthrates that have roiled that troubled nation. He seems willfully ignorant of the Middle East's essential lessons- if you are an ethnos that wishes to be safe and free, get yourself a defensible nation-state, and hold on to it. As a member of the CFR, Ajami is in a position to yell this basic truth, for Americans are about to discover (after 400 years in demographic control of their societies) that being a minority means being shoved aside and oppressed. Making ourselves a minority on purpose, to prove how good we are, is just plain CRAZY. If we could leave Iraq with just that understanding, perhaps even the catastrophe there will have been worth it. But the Ajamis of the world will be the last to remind us of this immutable political lesson. They see America as merely instrumental, they cannot relate to and do not love America as it is and was, but love only the fantasy post-America of liberalism.
Those quibbles aside, the book is a fine resource, with stuff unearthed that was new even a Middle East hound such as myself. If you want to understand the thinking behind why we went to Iraq, read this book, or the prize buffoon Bernard Lewis, who will explain to you why the Iraqis felt left out of the modern world because we hadn't invaded them enough.
Unique View of Irag, Its People, Politics and Neighbors .......2007-08-03
I found this book an attractive read because the author has a different point of view than most authors that currently write about the Iraq conflict currently going on. Ajami recognizes that Iraq, particularly for the Shia, would still be under the thumb of Saddam and that only the Americans could lift that yoke of dictatorship. But on the other hand, although U.S. and coalition forces removed the dictator, the liberators (for Shia nd Kurds) are still foreigners and thus not completely welcome and are distrusted. Ajami is well familiar with the country, the conflicts between Sunni and Shia as well as the surprising inner conflicts between the Shia themselves that involved settling old scores after the exiled came home. In addition, Ajami writes of the other Arab countries in the region and most interesting how Egypt was envious of the support and attention that Iraq was getting when Egypt was once the primary financially supported Arab country by the U.S. Ajami also discusses the mistakes made by the occupation forces that involved debathification of the government and the army that took place too abruptly fueling an insurgency. Knowing the people and due to his wide travel in the region, Ajami virtually gives the reader a on the street feel. As th author notes, the foreigner's gift by the U.S. may have been freedom from Saddam but the future is still open to the course and choice of the Iraqis. My only criticism is that the book seems overly long, full 340 pages, and a little wordy thus it is more suited for the serious student of Iraq.
Neocon tool.......2007-07-07
Ajami is a neocon tool who says the Iraq war is a noble adventure. Well its an adventure all right At least for the chickenhawks who love wars they would never fight in themselves.
Book Description
The Case Against Israelargues that Zionism was responsible for the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and that Israel is responsible for its perpetuation. The argument rests on widely accepted factual claims and impeccable sources. It avoids rhetoric and gratuitous moralizing. There is no attempt to blacken Israel through association with colonialism, imperialism, or racism. Instead, Neumann's argument emphasizes the fateful Zionist quest for Jewish sovereignty in Palestine. This quest-not the massacres or plans for transfer or other blots on Zionist history-made violence inevitable and compromise impossible. The prospect of Zionists gaining the power of life and death over all inhabitants of Palestine had to be seen by the Palestinians as a mortal threat. They responded accordingly.
The tragic consequences of the quest for sovereignty did not follow all at once, but in two stages. The Zionists established a sovereign Jewish state in 1948. Had they been content with that, peace might have followed the 1967 war, when Israel could have backed the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied territories. Instead, Zionists pushed to extend Jewish sovereignty, this time through the settler movement. The settlements were a renewed mortal threat to the Palestinians and once again necessitated a violent response. The only solution is for Israel to withdraw, unilaterally, to its 1948 borders.
Michael Neumann was born in 1946, the son of German Jewish refugees. He graduated from Columbia University with degrees in European history and English literature, followed by a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto. He teaches moral and political philosophy at a Canadian university. He has written What's Left?, a critique of 1960s radicalism, and numerous articles relating to the Israel/Palestine conflict. His academic work includes The Rule of Law: Politicizing Ethics as well as articles on utilitarianism, rationality, and rights.
Customer Reviews:
COMPELLING INDICTMENT OF ISRAEL'S POLICIES AGAINST PALESTINIANS.......2007-10-06
Well documented analysis of Israel's apartheid and sadistic policies against entire Palestinian populations under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.
This book by a principled and brave writer like Michael Neumann is another compelling and revealing indictment of the daily human rights abuses suffered by the Jewish state's palestinian victims (christians and moslems alike) on a daily basis and which regretfully are systematically ignored or underreported by the zionist or neocon controlled so called mainstream media.
NEUMANN HITS a NERVE, AS THE "TRUTH" USUALLY DOES .......2007-10-03
The overreactions of some of these reviews told me I just had to read this book for myself. It is no surprise that Neumann has hit the bullseye with his book. It feels like FREEDOM of SPEECH, is actually coming back to America - slowly but SURELY! Neumann has written a great book and a heroic book. If you want to go full circle on this topic after reading Neumann's book, then read "The Israel Lobby," by Mearsheimer and Walt. You won't put it down, as it is an eye opener just like Neumann's courageous work. Scholarly and Highly Recommended! WHERE HAS ALL THIS INFORMATION BEEN FOR THE LAST FIFTY YEARS?!
Now seriously, folks...........2007-08-22
If fairy tales were real, I'd enjoy this book. It is common knowledge that the author is not Jewish, had his name legally changed from Muhammad in 1992, and has never had a positive thing to say about Israel or anyone of Jewish faith. This book is serious humor - and to those who follow the nonsense of the author's "sources' as being reliable, then as the old adage goes..."I have some swampland in Florida I have for sale - wanna buy it"?
If the facts don't fit the theory, then the facts must be wrong(?).......2007-07-01
This book, written by a philosopher, misses the key points that would be obvious to any historian - or for that matter anyone who lives in the real world. The author writes: "The Zionist project, as conceived and executed in the 19th and early 20th century, was entirely unjustified. ... " That's an interesting view in retrospect but one that conflicts with the views of world community as reflected by the League of Nations and the UN in their respective times. In any case, how will the application of a certain 21st century moral viewpoint to the 19th century help us resolve the conflict? Regardless of the rightness or wrongness of Zionists of 100 years ago (note that actual historians sensibly avoid making such retrospective judgments), both Israelis and Palestinians find themselves in a difficult situation today (to say the least). In fact, as a philosopher, Neumann is smart enough to understand the irrelevance of the historical background. Therefore in order to judge the Israelis, he simply stipulate premises, which, if they were true, would in fact validate his argument. Thus he claims: "Israel can withdraw at will and close its border, Israel can put an end to virtually all the violence....Since that occupation has no defensive or strategic rationale, Israel has no good reason to prolong it." Indeed in the hypothetical alternate universe that Neumann inhabits, this would be a valid point. However, in the real world, even the most naive observer understands that simply withdrawing from the occupied territories will not conceivably end the violence. The violence began long before the territories were occupied (rockets were routinely launched into Israel prior to 1967) and currently Hamas, with the support of maybe half the Palestinian population, refuses to recognize the right of Israel to exist (and routinely launches rockets into Israel). The fact that the real-world situation is not amenable to a simplistic philosophy-based analysis, does not give us permission to ignore the real world.
Excellent study of the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.......2007-06-07
Michael Neumann is a professor of philosophy at Trent University in Ontario. He writes, "I am a moral and political philosopher: if I have an expertise, it is in moral and political argument." In this brilliant book he clearly outlines the essentials of the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. He concludes, "Israel is, generally speaking, in the wrong in its conflict with Palestinians. The Palestinians, I will claim, are generally speaking in the right."
In Part One he looks at the Zionist project and its consequences. In Part Two he examines the current situation - the occupation, the settlements, alternatives, possible Palestinian strategies, and terrorism.
He summarises Part One, "The Zionist project, as conceived and executed in the 19th and early 20th century, was entirely unjustified and could reasonably be regarded by the inhabitants of Palestine as a very serious threat, the total domination by one ethnic group of all others in the region. ... The illegitimacy of the Zionist project was the major cause of all the terror and warfare that it aroused." Zionism's "leaders literally conspired to dispossess or dominate the Palestinians. ... It was the implementation of this idea that made bloodshed in Palestine, if not inevitable, as close to it as we can expect to get. That blood is on the Zionists' hands."
The Palestinians were faced, "not with a long-standing conflict between two established populations, but with an invasion conceived and executed by a political movement. No one is morally required to compromise with an invasion. ... Any population may defend itself against the threat of an externally imposed sovereignty."
In Part Two, he argues, "Sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s, there was a fundamental change in the situation .... Israel's existence became as secure as any state has a right to expect. Its settlement policy was not defensive but a form of ethnic warfare, and, therefore, outrageously wrong. The Palestinians were justified in claiming that once again some sort of violent response was not only permissible, but necessary. Moreover, all this holds regardless of whether the previous arguments hold: regardless of whether the Zionist project was justified."
The Palestinians have no alternative to fighting for survival, but Israel has an alternative - unilateral withdrawal from the Occupied Territories. Neumann points out, "Its willful and pointless rejection of that alternative places Israel decisively in the wrong. ... since Israel can withdraw at will and close its border, Israel can put an end to virtually all the violence. That violence is occasioned by the settlement policy, which is Israel's sole reason for the occupation. Since that occupation has no defensive or strategic rationale, Israel has no good reason to prolong it. Since Israel is willfully pursuing an unjustifiable strategy that it can end at no cost, it is responsible for all the consequences of that strategy. It follows that all the violence, and all horrors of the occupation, are to be laid at Israel's doorstep."
Book Description
How did a term, once used accurately to describe the most virulent evil, become a charge flung at the mildest critic of Israel, particularly concerning its atrocious treatment of Palestinians?
Edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair, the print and online journal CounterPunch has become a must read for hundreds of thousands a month who no longer believe anything they read in the mainstream press beyond the sports scores. On the subject of Israel and Palestine, the Israeli lobby in the U.S., the current Middle East crisis, and its ramifications at home and abroad, CounterPunch has been unrivaled.
Herein, you'll find CounterPunch's most compelling reporting and commentary on this topic.
Contributors include: former U.S. Representative -
Cynthia McKinney, famed British foreign correspon-dent Robert Fisk, former seniorCIA analysts
Bill and Kathy Christison, the trenchant and witty philosopher
Michael Neumann, seasoned Capitol Hill staffer
"George Sutherland,"
Norman Finkelstein, the leading Israeli dissident
Yuri Avneri, Shaheed Alam (who became a target of the fanatical Daniel Pipes), and Israeli journalists
Neve Gordon and
Yigal Bronner.
In addition are:
Will Yeoman's path-breaking essay on Israel and divestment,
>Kurt Nimmo on the hysterical attacks on AmiriBaraka for his poem on 9-11,
Anne Pettifer's Zionism Unbound,
Jeffrey St. Clair on the (Israeli) attack on the USS Liberty and the suppression of the investigation, and
>Alexander Cockburn's caustic and lightheartedmemoir of his own experiences of being attacked as an anti-Semite, consequent upon his criticisms of Israel.
This first book in the new CounterPunch series, is a timely anthology on the compulsion of silence and complicity in crimes against a betrayed people.
Nationally syndicated journalists
Alexander Cockburn and
Jeffrey St. Clair have co-authored numerous bestsellers, including Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs And The Press, Washington Babylon and Al Gore: A User's Manual.
Customer Reviews:
Good review of Jewish identity politics.......2007-09-07
If you've read the synopsis, you're probably aware that Jewish organizations have a tendency to continually smear critics of their actions/policies as "anti-Semites," as well as to dub legitimate criticism of Jewish ethnocentrism in the media, the government, and Israeli politics as "blood libel." This is incredibly unfortunately for a number of reasons, including (1) it tarnishes the reputations of legitimate critics and victims of Jewish racism, (2) it engenders a phobia toward expressing criticism or asking for assistance, (3) it endangers Israelis and Israeli Americans by desensitizing observers to bona fide violence or prejudice directed at Jews.
This book, a collection of essays from a variety of left-wing Jews, Arabs/Muslims, and (assimilated) Americans, does a decent job of exposing all three dangers, primarily from a Marxian, pro-Palestinian point of view.
For example, both establishment political parties cater to organized Judaism, both from internal pressure by Jewish members, and from immense external pressure from Jewish organizations, giving Israeli Americans disproportionate influence over foreign policy, and they use that dominant position to funnel tens of billions of dollars of American taxpayer -- and borrowed -- monies to Israel, as well as to create Judeo-centric legislation.
Additionally, Jewish dominance in the legal industry enables Israeli Americans to both profit from, and quash, dissent. The threat alone of being sued by powerful Jewish groups and Jewish lawyers is often enough to prevent critics from speaking out.
Jewish ethnocentrism and corporate concentration have allowed Israeli Americans to assume control of every major media and publishing company. The Israeli-American media establishment then shapes coverage of Israel-Palestinian affairs to downplay Israeli atrocities and play up Palestinian bombings, as well as to neutralize criticism and to brand critics (and non-compliant politicians) as "bigots," "Jew-haters," "self-hating Jews," "anti-Semites," "Nazis," and the like. (Fascinatingly, even pointing out that Jews comprise a dominant elite within the media is often enough to get one blacklisted.)
Of course, the New Left in American politics is in fact an outgrowth of Jewish socialism, not European socialism, and Israeli Americans continue to maintain a dominant role on the Left. When those Israeli Americans criticise Israeli politics or actions, however, they are typically branded "self-hating Jews." By trivializing their concerns and labeling them "anti-Semitic," pro-Israeli Jews are able to overcome even the formidable power of the victimization, and class-based, politics of the Jewish Left.
Taken together, the essay authors assert, the three rails of organized Judaism work to continually reinforce Israeli hegemony in both the Middle East and in America, and even subvert the actions of Jewish activists with other leanings. This dominance and bullying engender a (typically) private hatred of all Jews and a contempt for their interests, even when those interests are morally defensible. For example, Israeli atrocities embolden and legitimize global anti-Semitism, and Zionist Jew-hatred divides the Jewish community. If European and American onlookers perceive Jews to be always profiteering via the Holocaust industry, or always existing as a militant, parasitic nation using American lives in the defense of Israel, will they come to the aid of Israel or the world Jewry in the event of another Nazi state?
Honest, Varied, and a Must-Read.......2007-07-03
Finally an honest discussion about a controversial topic! Each chapter is written by a different contributor, and about half of the writers are Jewish - in fact, prominent Jews. There is so much misinformation and mudslinging regarding this word (anti-semiticism) that its refreshing to have some truth and reality come back to the debate. The problem is that there are essentially two kinds of people who say negative things about Israel - genuine crazy Jew-haters and normal, thoughtful people who care about injustice all over the world. Supporters of Israel, either through stupidity or more likely on purpose lump these two groups together as if they were one. If you speak up when Israel violates the Geneva Conventions, about 100 UN resolutions, agreements with the US on the use of cluster bombs, etc - it doesn't mean you hate all Jews. There is "right" and "wrong" no matter if the war criminal is Christian, Jewish, Muslim or other. And in the case of Israel, since its inception by terrorist thugs who killed British peacekeepers and Arab civilians, this has been going on for almost 60 years. Its actually in the interest of all Jews to stop this criminal behaviour by Israel because it casts a negative shadow on all Jews all over the world. When justice comes to Palestine, the world will be a better place for everyone - including Jews. The first step is to read this book, and get a balanced viewpoint.
Reflections on "Anti-Semitism"........2007-03-21
_The Politics of Anti-Semitism_, published by the anarchist AK Press, consists of a series of essays which first appeared on the website for CounterPunch, edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair. This book was published in 2003 and is an attempt to answer the charge of "anti-Semitism" frequently hurled at anti-Zionists by defenders of Israel. The writers of this book maintain that Israel poses a threat to peace and that the Israelis have brutally oppressed the Palestinian population. However, for those who voice such criticism, many American Jews are willing to blindly label as anti-Semitic. Many of the essays ask difficult questions about the nature of American foreign policy and how it relates to the Middle East, as well as the role of a majority of American Jews and Jewish organizations in maintaining such a policy. It should be pointed out though that many of the essayists included in this collection are Jewish themselves and as such it becomes even more difficult to smear all opposition to the Israeli state as "anti-Semitic". The essayists make some important points about historical anti-Semitism, noting that while Jews have born the brunt of oppression in Europe particularly, they cannot fully claim to be entirely innocent in this. It should be pointed out that historically such Jews frequently cozied up to political tyrants, as well as their involvement in banking and usury (something prohibited to the Christian), provoking the anger of the people. While many of the crimes committed against Jews by Europeans cannot be justified by this fact, they certainly can be explained by this. Unfortunately though, some of the essayists appear to still be involved in the "left vs. right" game. Thus, while they defend or excuse much Arab dislike of Jews (as the natural resentment of an oppressed people to its oppressors), they make the necessary and politically correct commentary concerning European, Christian, or "right wing" "anti-Semitism". Thus, they refer to individuals such as Patrick Buchanan and Le Pen as "bigots". This is unfortunate and also hypocritical because it seeks to maintain that only Arabs have a right to defend themselves against such oppression. For example, the hatred of many Jews for Catholicism is well known, and in recent times there have been attempts to smear such Christians with the label of "anti-Semite". It seems only fair that European Christians should have the right to defend themselves from such charges, in the same way that Arabs and Muslims do. The authors of these essays are mostly anarchists and leftists; however, they do occasionally make note of the fact that the beliefs expressed in this book are often shared by paleoconservatives.
The essays included here take a decided stance against the War in Iraq and much of the policy of the neoconservatives. Indeed, these essayists largely maintain that the War in Iraq has been fought to further Israeli interests. They pose the question as to why Israel should have such a powerful influence over United States foreign policy. Other essays deal with such topics as the Jewish response to the immoral activities of the Israeli state and Ariel Sharon in particular, the powerful Israeli lobby and its influence over both major U.S. political parties, the nature of "dual loyalties", the Israeli attack on the U.S.S. Liberty, and the oppression of the Palestinians. It is unfortunate that the mere mention of such realities automatically brings up the charge of "anti-Semitism". In a particularly interesting essay, Norman Finkelstein addresses the topic of how the tragedy of the Holocaust is being exploited to fund the state of Israel in its crusade against the Palestinians. Finkelstein notes the reception his book detailing this fact had in Germany, where a post-war population remains largely artificially contrite and under the sway of political correctness. However, merely by broaching such taboos, the familiar charges have been leveled.
After reading this book, it is clear to the American reader at least that both political parties are hopelessly corrupt. American foreign policy has been largely dictated by a group of elites who care little for either the people of the United States or the necessity of maintaining peace in the world. I think this is the fundamental message of this book for Americans. It should be noted though, that while this book concerns Jews, that many Jews are waking up to the reality of the situation and no longer support the Israeli state to such a degree as they once did. Thus, it is becoming apparent to some that the atrocities of the past cannot be used to justify the atrocities of today.
Review of The Politics of Anti Semitism.......2007-01-16
Found most of the articles well written, informative and even if disagreed with opinions and ideas the presentations were professional so that one could be able to debate without getting too emotional.
The one big downside is the whole book is very one sided, thus by half way one is inclined to view it as propaganda and then start to doubt the integrity of the authors - are they trying to better our world or just shove their point of view down our throats.
Semantics.......2006-12-21
If they can eliminate the use of the term "anti-Semitism" or the charge of same they can be more fully anti-Semitic (if that's possible).
Book Description
The first book to speak out against the pervasive influence of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on American politics, policy, and institutions resonates today as never before. With careful documentation and specific case histories, former congressman Paul Findley demonstrates how the Israel lobby helps to shape important aspects of U.S. foreign policy and influences congressional, senatorial, and even presidential elections. Described are the undue influence AIPAC exerts in the Senate and the House and the pressure AIPAC brings to bear on university professors and journalists who seem too sympathetic to Arab and Islamic states and too critical of Israel and its policies. Along with many longtime outspoken critics, new voices speaking out include former President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney, Senator Robert Byrd, prominent Arab-American Dr. Ziad Asali, Rabbi Michael Lerner, and journalist Charles Reese. In addition, the lack of open debate among politicians with regard to the U.S. policy in the Middle East is lamented, and AIPAC is blamed in part for this censorship. Connections are drawn between America’s unconditional support of Israel and the raging anti-American passions around the world—and ultimately the tragic events of 9/11. This replaces 1556520735.
Customer Reviews:
FINDLEY AMONG FIRST TO SPEAK ABOUT BRINGING AMERICA BACK.......2007-10-03
Findley, a pure PRO-AMERICAN is one of the rare congressman with a backbone who,... puts America first. He was and is the pioneer of bringing attention to Americas getting off course with a spineless and cowardly Legislature - especially today. I feel Findley's courageous and 'making America' aware of the cancer within it book should be read and taken VERY seriously. Outstanding and other A+ scholarly works on this topic are: Jimmy Carter's: Palestine:Peace Not Apartheid; ans most recent is "The Israel Lobby," by Mearshiemer and Walt. These are also excellent objective reads that bring true clarity to what's really going on today.
Nice try. It's the Norwegians we need to be worrying about........2007-09-17
Do not read this book. I have never in my life read so many lies in one book. He is just trying to divert our nation's attention from the lobbies that are doing the most harm: The pro-choice movement, the teachers unions, the environmental lobby, and, most theatening of all - the Norwegians.
These are the nefarious organizations with unlimited financial power and unrivaled political and media influence who use violence and intimidation to force their will upon our nation. Shame on Amazon for giving voice to this author who is obviously bent on the annihilation of God's Chosen Race.
Harder Read But Most Worthy, Start with the Other Book.......2007-09-03
This book is a perfect counter-point to The Power of Israel in the United States. I review that book also, and recommend both books to every American, just as I also recommend the books that document how the Saudis have bought the Bush Family and the Republican and Democratic parties, neither of which represents We the People. Completely apart from the venal immorality of Dick Cheney (see my review of Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency in which I itemized the 23 high crimes and misdemeanors documented by that book), the fact is that Congress has been bought by multiple parties, and no longer represents We the People.
This book is a harder, longer read, so I recommend you start with the other book. As with the other book, this book is a strongly documented and very lengthy catalog of the sins of the Zionists and the Israeli Government, not at all against the moderate Jews and their legitimate concerns. I have seen Gaza and Beirut, and what Israel has done to the Palestinians, to the former "Paris" of the Middle East, combined with their Assault on the Liberty, is unforgivable.
This book logically catalogs how the Zionists intimidate even such a person as Ted Turner, who was forced to back down when he said both sides were committing terrorism (there is in fact a UN Resolution that finds Israel guilty of genocide and racism, but then that is one of those "fog facts" that our totalitarian monsters choose to ignore.
The author organizes the book around how Zionists silence the small and the weak, while buying out the Oval Office, the Congress, the media, while also subverting academic freedon.
I especially like the author's conclusion, "What Price Israel?" The US taxpayer is subsidizing Israeli genocide and Israeli idiocy, and the US and Israel appear to be the last two countries to continue to believe in the value of force that is both unaffordable and unsustainable in an unconquerable world.
Congressman Tom Moran, who represents my district, has personally said that Zionish have too much influence on Congress, and I agree. Tom Moran has been a very good representative, and he speaks the truth.
Here are some books and a DVD that can put the totally unacceptable Zionist influence on the USA in a larger context:
Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government--And How We Take It Back
The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised As Freedom
The Global Class War: How America's Bipartisan Elite Lost Our Future - and What It Will Take to Win It Back
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Fog Facts : Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin (Nation Books)
Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy)
Findley is Pathologically Obsessed With Israel and its American Supporters.......2007-08-28
If readers want to read a book that evinces a pathological obsession with Israel and its American supporters and blames them for every problem under the sun, then by all means buy this book. But if you don't, avoid this book like the plague. Paul Findley is a former Congressman who now serves as a pro-Arab propagandist and Palestinian apologist. When I read reviews that refer to him as objective, I have to laugh. Findley is as one-sided and biased in his views as they come.
The absurdity of Findley's thesis is easy to prove. People and institutions are constantly "speaking out" to attack Israel and the pro-Israel lobby in the most vicious terms. What punishment do they face for doing this from the Israel lobby? None whatsoever. No one is suppressing their free speech. Jimmy Carter and Professors Walt and Mearsheimer, among others, are free to present their biased and distorted views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the influence of the Israeli lobby without retaliation. Some criticism, yes, but no suppression of free speech.
One might ask why Findley was defeated in his Congressional reelection bid some years ago by a candidate supported by AIPAC? I would submit that it was Findley's greater concern for Yasir Arafat's interests than those of his own constituents that was responsible for his defeat, not any conspiracy on the part of Israel's supporters.
I note that many of the reviewers have repeated the standard and tired line that one can't criticize Israel without being labeled anti-Semitic. One can criticize Israel and the Israeli lobby without being anti-Semitic. Unfortunately, many of the reviews posted here show that some of the people who criticize Israel and the Israeli lobby resort to anti-Semitic stereotypes and cross the line into open anti-Semitism and bigotry, a la the Protocols of the Elders of Zion forgery. If you believe that there's a sinister Jewish conspiracy to control the U.S. government and media for nefarious purposes, you hold anti-Semitic views. For those of you who don't hold those views, stay away from this awful book.
Eye opening.......2007-07-28
Extremely well written and informative book about the powerful Israel lobby that operates under the radar--often times against the interests of the US.
Customer Reviews:
Serious research, must read.......2007-05-08
After reading negitive reviews of this book I decided to read it. And I am glad I did. Among other things, the book explains very thoroughly how anti-Semitic bigotry has been cultivated in Europe, mainly in France, during the last 30 plus years. The book's author did excellent job researching roots of European antipathy toward the U.S. and utmost hatred toward Israel. She shows how ridiculous and at the same time how wide-spread is joint Arab-European modern mythology about Islam's great contribution to world's science, art, and the cause of human rights, while in fact Islam remains the most backward, intolerant, and barbaric ideology ever created on this planet.
The book includes a very impressive list of appedices (real documents), notes, and bibliography. I think it should be a required reading for anyone interested in the subject.
A Frightening World.......2007-03-10
Bat Ye'or writes intelligently about recent developments and changes in the world. Sixty years after the end of the Second World War and the Holocaust, it seems that we are once again facing a perilous situation in Europe. Through the ages, more people have been killed in the name of religion than for any other reason. Will we face that reality once again in the twenty-first century? Her book is definitely worth reading.
An Important Book.......2007-01-10
This is an important book that eveyone with an interest in Islam and politics must read. This book explains in detail how and why Europe is undergoing a process of Islamization. Not just allegations, the author fills the book to overflowing with references, citations, and ample evidence to prove her point. This is required reading.
A true Zionist and a Manipulator.......2006-12-22
I have never read such an exagerated propaganda in all my life's reading and academic studies. Bat Ye'or needs to repent and to apologize to the world especially to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ye'or must have undergone some sort of trauma as a child with a bit of brainwashing by the zionist movement. I do not recommend anyone to invest in this unscholarly crap. The book trashes everyone except the zionist movements and its supporters. I wish I could rate this book a zero rather than 1 star. Ye'or and her followers need psychological and mental help. If you do not believe me read the book with a critical eye and you will question her credibility and dismiss her as a fanatical zionist for blood.
White birthrate to blame, not Islam.......2006-12-02
The book is based on false premises and a lack of broader understanding. There wouldn't be millions of Muslims in Europe if the White Europeans didn't have such a low birthrate. The Muslims arrive there for work and those countries need their labor. Are Arabs to blame because Euros refuse to have children? I don't think so.
Customer Reviews:
Something missing..........2007-01-10
Overall I thought the book was very well put together and achieves what the author set out to achieve. Based on my knowledge (personal and professional) it is an accurate reflection on the UAE. However, two points I would like to make in relation to the book. First, while Davidson discusses the role Indians played in the early days of the UAE unfortunately they have been left out of modern developments. At the commercial level, expatriate Indians have been a very significant force in the overall development of the UAE. Second, Davidson wants to use quantity as an (almost) measure of quality. When he refers to the various public services available (notably hospitals and public schools) there are some questions about the quality of the services being provided, especially in some of the Emirates outside of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But he does manage to capture and convey the dynamic and rapidly changing nature of the UAE.
Historically Unreliable .......2006-08-28
Davidson's book may appear to be a useful guide to those unacquainted with the region. But, for those who are from the Gulf and know enough to question his information and assertions we find names that are mispelled or confused with others, we find events relating to the succession of rulers made up, quotes misinterpreted, vagueness in describing time periods and the text riddled with gossip. This is not unique to his book, as similar errors can be found in his article on the politics of succession that was published in the Middle East Policy Council Journal. Two examples readily available from his article that was published this summer (2006) are 1) his description of Sheikh Abdullah as the Minister of Information & Culture, when as of January 2006 he has been Minister of Foreign Affairs. 2) Where he explains that the `best informed locals and veteran expatriates' predicted a succession that bypassed the two eldest sons of Sheikh Zayed.
Davidson's (incorrect) sequence of imparting information jeopardises his analysis of events and their importance. Hence, while it may make for interesting reading of fiction, it can hardly be taken seriously.
If you take a look at his acknowledgements, he thanks his students for contributing information.
The UAE.......2006-06-18
This is easy to follow and has some very good diagrams. It shows that independent research can be done in countries like the UAE which most people seem to assume are still far too sensitive. There is a huge list of sources including interviews and government documents, and at the end is probably the most extensive bibliography (in English and Arabic) on this part of the world. Saudi Arabia could use a similar book.
Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews
Hatred's Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism
Epicenter: Why Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future
The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion
