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zachcarter's review
2.0
This is a who's who of late twentieth century political power structures. Scott is meticulous in his details on names, places, and organizations, but what's sorely lacking is any sort of materialist analysis of the united states from its inception. He frequently refers to the "inherent moral goodness" of the US (and Nazi Germany) that is simply corrupted by power hungry individuals and groups, and lauds the founding fathers' intent. In particular in the final chapter, he says the solution is for all of us to realize we're both liberal and conservative, and that is somehow the magical answer to what plagues this country (and the world). Flexing his non-marxist credentials to try and appeal to the right wing who are susceptible to critical analysis of 9/11, he sacrifices any kind of ideological rigor that would have made this more intriguing.
The details of the national security state and the decades of planning that went into the response to 9/11 was definitely good, though, and I learned a good bit about some of the finer details of the 1970s and 1980s in that regard.
The details of the national security state and the decades of planning that went into the response to 9/11 was definitely good, though, and I learned a good bit about some of the finer details of the 1970s and 1980s in that regard.
strong_extraordinary_dreams's review
4.0
Genius: This book can be read by 911 propaganda worshipers without them rejecting it, because it studiously avoids rejecting the big print version of the 911 propaganda story. At the same time, it is full of (1) US dealing in Asia, and (2) the dishonesty and corruption of the 911 commission.
Genius: The 911 Commission Report's lies and omissions can, should and are used to extract the deeper truths that the Commission is/was trying to hide. Genius!
Good: overview of back-office, covert actions in Asia and the middle east
Good: very full of information and leads off to other areas
Good: I am pretty well informed about these subjects, and I was educated
Good: Completely ignores the propaganda story about hijackers learning to fly, or anything that in support of that story, even though noting the bizarre history and ownership of the flight schools that "they" or some people attended
Neutral: This is two books: (1) A history of US interference in Asia, the Middle East and the like, and (2) the corruption and incompetence of the 911 commission.
Bad: Really, in the book's design, it supports the "muh, Arabs did it".
Bad, or necessary: Avoids out-right mocking of the 911 propaganda fantasy.
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