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savaging's review against another edition
2.0
Finally. Finished.
Can I admire Scahill's journalistic bravery, agree with his political analysis, think that this subject matter is one of the most important in the world -- and still think this book is basically unreadable?
It could be entirely my fault: maybe if my brain was better at holding onto names, places, and subdivided government bureaucracies, I'd be able to see the connecting narrative. But, my brain being what it is, this felt like a flood of research into the vague shape of a book. It took me two months to read because each paragraph felt like a logic puzzle for the LSAT, focused on the internecine bickerings of government memos. I felt stuck in the weeds. I wanted to either step back and get some broad meta-analysis, or step closer into the realm of actual humans with quirks and character.
He accomplishes the latter at moments writing about Anwar and Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki, which were the most compelling parts of the book for me.
Blackwater was a phenomenal book. Still challenging, still dense with facts and names and government memos, but also more lively and much more readable than Dirty Wars. I haven't seen the film, but I'm already recommending that people give that a shot instead.
Can I admire Scahill's journalistic bravery, agree with his political analysis, think that this subject matter is one of the most important in the world -- and still think this book is basically unreadable?
It could be entirely my fault: maybe if my brain was better at holding onto names, places, and subdivided government bureaucracies, I'd be able to see the connecting narrative. But, my brain being what it is, this felt like a flood of research into the vague shape of a book. It took me two months to read because each paragraph felt like a logic puzzle for the LSAT, focused on the internecine bickerings of government memos. I felt stuck in the weeds. I wanted to either step back and get some broad meta-analysis, or step closer into the realm of actual humans with quirks and character.
He accomplishes the latter at moments writing about Anwar and Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki, which were the most compelling parts of the book for me.
Blackwater was a phenomenal book. Still challenging, still dense with facts and names and government memos, but also more lively and much more readable than Dirty Wars. I haven't seen the film, but I'm already recommending that people give that a shot instead.
sozh's review against another edition
5.0
Epic and amazing investigative reporting. Jeremy Scahill digs in depth into:
- the rise of elite US special forces operating secretly around the world - identifying and killing America's enemies, without any oversight
- the US' ongoing "dirty" wars in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan
- the fascinating case of Anwar Al-Awlaki - the US-born Imam who became increasingly radical and was eventually killed by the US gov't
- the case of Raymond Davis, US "diplomat" who was arrested in Pakistan after shooting two Pakistanis
- the hunt for Osama Bin Laden - including a detailed description of the raid that killed him
Throughly reported, gripping, fascinating, scary. It's an eye-opening book that helps to answer the question, "why do 'they' hate us so much?"
- the rise of elite US special forces operating secretly around the world - identifying and killing America's enemies, without any oversight
- the US' ongoing "dirty" wars in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan
- the fascinating case of Anwar Al-Awlaki - the US-born Imam who became increasingly radical and was eventually killed by the US gov't
- the case of Raymond Davis, US "diplomat" who was arrested in Pakistan after shooting two Pakistanis
- the hunt for Osama Bin Laden - including a detailed description of the raid that killed him
Throughly reported, gripping, fascinating, scary. It's an eye-opening book that helps to answer the question, "why do 'they' hate us so much?"
jack_the_sipper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
thomastittley's review against another edition
3.25
This book is dense. The US military has too many acronyms. The only thing that would make George Bush's "now watch this drive" quote funnier would be if a reporter threw a shoe at his head... and by shoe, I mean a.... nvm.
bechols's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty amazing/terrifying/disappointing look at the American military's institutionalization of assassination and preemptive strikes since 2001.
The writing itself is repetitive and unaccomplished.
The writing itself is repetitive and unaccomplished.
mubeenirfan's review against another edition
5.0
Jeremy Scahill is an investigative journalist and had previously written a book about Blackwater and their mercenary army. That was the only bio I had with me when I came across this giant book on the top shelf of a Lahore bookstore while casually looking for books I could squeeze in my hand carry for my flight back to Karachi. I am glad though that I did not pay much attention to the size of bag and bought it instead.
Title of this book is self-explanatory. It is about that neo-conservative group of people who waited for their chance to bomb the hell out of muslim countries as part of their shock & awe campaign and finally found their opportunity in the limelight of 9/11. There has been no turning back since then. The capture (read kill) missions which were at times boots on the ground and on other times through eye in the sky equipped with hell fires, this book narrates countless such operations and policy behind doing what the US government has been doing since. There is not just Iraq here. It is mostly around Yemen, Afghanistan & Somalia and how these Special Ops fuelled the insurgencies in those countries and led them towards the islamists when goal was the exact opposite. Personally, I was not aware of the circumstances behind the rise of Al-Shabab in Somalia and how Somalia could have been a different country (not prosperous but atleast not this volatile), had US not intervened collaborating with local militas.
Significant part of this book is on President Obama and the drone legacy he will leave behind (this was published in 2013) with his all out approach to kill anyone of military age in these muslim countries. It's the same Obama who is a recipeint of Nobel Peace Prize giving the most pro-war speech unexpected of anyone receiving such a noble award. And not just that, he carried it through with his killing of US citizens accused (not convicted) of terrorism. Scahill rightly argues that Obama's credentials (liberal, democrat & constitutional law professor) makes it very hard for people to look beyond his personality and form judgement on his continued (read enhanced) policy of dirty wars.
This book is an eye-opener and a must read.
Title of this book is self-explanatory. It is about that neo-conservative group of people who waited for their chance to bomb the hell out of muslim countries as part of their shock & awe campaign and finally found their opportunity in the limelight of 9/11. There has been no turning back since then. The capture (read kill) missions which were at times boots on the ground and on other times through eye in the sky equipped with hell fires, this book narrates countless such operations and policy behind doing what the US government has been doing since. There is not just Iraq here. It is mostly around Yemen, Afghanistan & Somalia and how these Special Ops fuelled the insurgencies in those countries and led them towards the islamists when goal was the exact opposite. Personally, I was not aware of the circumstances behind the rise of Al-Shabab in Somalia and how Somalia could have been a different country (not prosperous but atleast not this volatile), had US not intervened collaborating with local militas.
Significant part of this book is on President Obama and the drone legacy he will leave behind (this was published in 2013) with his all out approach to kill anyone of military age in these muslim countries. It's the same Obama who is a recipeint of Nobel Peace Prize giving the most pro-war speech unexpected of anyone receiving such a noble award. And not just that, he carried it through with his killing of US citizens accused (not convicted) of terrorism. Scahill rightly argues that Obama's credentials (liberal, democrat & constitutional law professor) makes it very hard for people to look beyond his personality and form judgement on his continued (read enhanced) policy of dirty wars.
This book is an eye-opener and a must read.
hjdutton's review against another edition
3.0
Took me a while to get through this one, not because it wasn't interesting or well-written, but because it was so dense with information. I felt like at times Scahill lost the thread of his narrative with all the other sidebars and side stories. Still, it was an in-depth look at US policy and made me look more critically at US national security measures.
mfrontz's review against another edition
3.0
One central story line placed among vignettes of terror makes for a difficult but compelling read.