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davidsteinsaltz's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of very interesting and doggedly assembled information, sometimes half digested and not very well structured, sometimes sensationalised or misrepresented. Well worth reading — important even — but could have used a more critical editor.
canada_matt's review against another edition
5.0
I have decided to embark on a mission to read a number of books on subjects that will be of great importance to the upcoming 2020 US Presidential Election. Many of these will focus on actors intricately involved in the process, in hopes that I can understand them better and, perhaps, educate others with the power to cast a ballot. I am, as always, open to serious recommendations from anyone who has a book I might like to include in the process.
This is Book #29 in my 2020 US Election Preparation Challenge.
This reading challenge has surely taken me on some very interesting paths. With only a short time before the formal Election Day, I now turn to some more legal and analytical tomes that explore some of the most sinister aspects of the Trump Administration and their dealings with others. Seth Abramson has penned three decisive novels about Trump and those around him, arguing some substantial claims of collusion, conspiracy, corruption in the years before he became president and into his authoritarian reign. This is the second of those books, where conspiracy takes centre stage. The tome offers copious amounts of research and proof to support much of what is argued, something Trump finds difficult to produce when pressed. Recommended to those who enjoy the political history game and seeing how to connect some of the dots that many likely did not know were even on the page.
Building on some of the foundational statements made in the opening tome, Seth Abramson effectively argues that there was collusion between the Trump Campaign and others, but it went deeper than Russia. In fact, one could say that it all relates to the Red Sea Conspiracy, hatched in the summer of 2015. The players include: Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain. Their goal, to ensure a presidential candidate for the upcoming American election can be chosen that will benefit them all in various ways. Abramson explores how each of these countries will benefit and what their leaders will have to do in order to pave the way to a successful win by Donald J. Trump. This will, as the tome argues throughout, create a reliance and sense of being beholden by Candidate (eventually, President) Trump, which will ensure massive changes to US Foreign Policy occur, moves that baffled many unaware of these nefarious ties.
Abramson rehashes some of the early Russian involvements, as far back as Putin-Trump bantering over the Miss Universe Pageant. This, as the reader who is familiar with the first book will know, created a strong sense of blackmail that will keep Candidate Trump in line as he makes his way through the Republican primaries. The reader also learns that Russian ties to Paul Manafort exist, one of Trump’s 2016 campaign managers, who will eventually fall on charges of bribery and witness tampering when the Mueller Investigation takes centre stage in the United States.
Abramson explores other actors who develop close relationships with the campaign, all while representing foreign governments and trying to shape upcoming US foreign policy. George Nader, a convicted paedophile, emerges repeatedly as a representative for the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (UAE) and pushes forward many strong views that could benefit the region. While the complexities of these benefits can, at times, surpass my understanding and easy explanation, Abramson does a wonderful job laying them out repeatedly. The UAE seeks stability in the region, something that cannot be done with Iran treated so fairly by the American Government, stemming from a nuclear del negotiated by President Obama. Nader serves bridge the gap and seek to push Emirati views in the early stages, which are already echoed by others within the Red Sea Conspiracy.
Erik Prince is a mercenary whose policy ideas come unsolicited to the Trump Campaign. His ties to armies for hire will become a highly important position for the UAE and Saudis, as they seek to neutralise some of their regional enemies, small fish in the larger sea of the Middle East. Prince has ways of making progress and can help curry favour between Trump and these Middle East partners, though it will not be easy. Abramson posits that Prince will also be key in securing an American withdrawal from Syria (much to the benefit of Russia), seeking to install a mercenary army answerable only to President Trump, but off the books and thereby outside the purview of the US Congress.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law to Trump and a real-estate tycoon will play a strong role in the entire debacle. He has no foreign policy background, but is looking for money to fund his numerous enterprises. He looks to the Emir of Qatar, who has been a strong financial ally in the past. However, those days appear over and Kushner is not happy about the lack of money flowing into his hands. He uses his animosity to help develop a policy to sink the Qataris, longtime allies of America, by ensuring the Emiratis and Saudis get what they want and uses his keen business sense to violate proper channels and speak directly to members of the Red Sea Conspiracy to make promises that will completely turn US foreign policy on its head. Protected by Trump himself, Kushner has little fear of reprisals, as those with the titles fall by the wayside and earn the repeated ire of the president. The reader will see just how dangerous Kushner proves to be as it relates to legal and diplomatic processes within the United States, though no one has reined him in, even though scores of security reports have red flagged his actions.
The tome explores not only the actors, but the decisions that occurred to help create the 2016 electoral win and subsequent changes in US policy that leave some baffled to this day. Abramson presents proof that it was an Israeli software program the Russians used to ensure they could hack into the Democrats emails and lay the groundwork for social media disruptions throughout. As the Kushners have strong ties to the Israeli prime minister, this is no leap to make the connection. Israel has long sought an ally when it comes to the Middle East and Trump could be used to push back against those who might try to push for a softer solution, carving Israel up even more than it has already been.
Of particular interest is that Trump issued the travel ban list early in his presidency, those six countries whose citizens were no longer welcome to visit any part of the United States. Abramson tries to understand the list, with none of the six having citizens accused of plotted any domestic terrorism on US soil for the preceding four decades. By contrast, one country left off the list is Saudis Arabia, where a number of the September 11th terrorists were born. That may be because there were plans for Trump to head out to see the Saudis and sell them over $100 billion in arms for their upcoming push to defend the region. It would seem that money talks and policy walks in that direction, no matter who is at the helm.
The attentive reader will recognise many of the names that repeat themselves throughout the discussions in the book, which builds on a larger group being complicit in turning the Trump candidacy into a collection of collusive acts to ensure massive changes would occur to US foreign policy in the months after the 2016 election. The were also numerous violations of the Logan Act (a piece of legislation that bars private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments with whom the country has an active dispute) by many close to Trump, especially Jared Kushner and brief National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Abramson proves much of it through his research and testimony made to the Mueller Investigation. While rarely enforced, there was no chance that anyone would be prosecuted in a Trump Justice Department, just as the pleas for Russian interference fell on ignorant and deaf ears.
Sitting in power, President Trump knew those who had done him favours and it was time to pay the piper. Abramson shows how the tune changed and the tweets turned docile towards some and venomous when directed at others. If the reader needs any examples of this, Abramson offers a thorough and intense discussion surrounding the murder of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. As he did when Putin dismissed claims of Russian election interference, Trump assures Americans that the Saudis were not involved when their government denies any ties to the killing. Even when the truth came out, Trump refused to take action and blocked any move by American investigators to get answers. It is both mind-blowing and sickening to read this!
It is with the aforementioned evidence and substantiation that things begin to make a little more sense and some of the decisions the Trump Administration made can be explained away (but not accepted). The Red Sea Conspiracy has deep roots and can surely continue to work effectively for as long as Trump is in the White House. There may only be a short time left before Election Day, but you can be sure it’s no holds barred when it comes to keeping the puppet in the Oval Office, even if it means blurring the lines and making the impossible occur. With this information, I am a little more worried. I’ll turn to Seth Abramson’s third book on the corruption that befell America, to see how things can be explained there. I am hooked and cannot wait to see what else there is to learn.
This reading journey has opened my eyes to much, with Seth Abramson’s books serving to expand my understanding of a great deal more. While many may be used to hearing Trumpers spewing conspiracy theories with nothing to back them up, Abramson presents a narrative that cannot easily be dismissed, substantiated with countless documents and admissions under oath. Whereas the first book was filled with information about which I was aware, much within these pages was completely new and jaw-dropping to me. Each chapter is broken down into a time period, which makes the larger narrative palatable, though still stunning with every turn of the page. The chapters offers both the substantial arguments and then an annotated section to include more information, creating long chapters for the reader. This should not be overly daunting to the curious reader, as the writing is clear and easy to understand. There are many characters and dates, which can get a little intense at times, as well as much overlapping and repetition. Some may find this annoying, but with so much to cover and things intertwined on numerous levels, there is a need to revisit portions of the narrative on occasion. I am eager to continue into some of the deeper and darker areas of the Trump story, sure to be blown away yet again, particularly as we enter the domestic chaos that comes from much of the meddling from these first two books. Seth Abramson does a masterful job and had me spellbound throughout as I read it. This is a tome that deeply dedicated political junkies will want to read, leaving them stunned and wanting more.
Kudos, Mr. Abramson, for a stunning continuation of your political trilogy. Glad I left some of the heavy mental lifting until now, as much of what you reveal is best told to voters as close to Election Day as possible!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
This is Book #29 in my 2020 US Election Preparation Challenge.
This reading challenge has surely taken me on some very interesting paths. With only a short time before the formal Election Day, I now turn to some more legal and analytical tomes that explore some of the most sinister aspects of the Trump Administration and their dealings with others. Seth Abramson has penned three decisive novels about Trump and those around him, arguing some substantial claims of collusion, conspiracy, corruption in the years before he became president and into his authoritarian reign. This is the second of those books, where conspiracy takes centre stage. The tome offers copious amounts of research and proof to support much of what is argued, something Trump finds difficult to produce when pressed. Recommended to those who enjoy the political history game and seeing how to connect some of the dots that many likely did not know were even on the page.
Building on some of the foundational statements made in the opening tome, Seth Abramson effectively argues that there was collusion between the Trump Campaign and others, but it went deeper than Russia. In fact, one could say that it all relates to the Red Sea Conspiracy, hatched in the summer of 2015. The players include: Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain. Their goal, to ensure a presidential candidate for the upcoming American election can be chosen that will benefit them all in various ways. Abramson explores how each of these countries will benefit and what their leaders will have to do in order to pave the way to a successful win by Donald J. Trump. This will, as the tome argues throughout, create a reliance and sense of being beholden by Candidate (eventually, President) Trump, which will ensure massive changes to US Foreign Policy occur, moves that baffled many unaware of these nefarious ties.
Abramson rehashes some of the early Russian involvements, as far back as Putin-Trump bantering over the Miss Universe Pageant. This, as the reader who is familiar with the first book will know, created a strong sense of blackmail that will keep Candidate Trump in line as he makes his way through the Republican primaries. The reader also learns that Russian ties to Paul Manafort exist, one of Trump’s 2016 campaign managers, who will eventually fall on charges of bribery and witness tampering when the Mueller Investigation takes centre stage in the United States.
Abramson explores other actors who develop close relationships with the campaign, all while representing foreign governments and trying to shape upcoming US foreign policy. George Nader, a convicted paedophile, emerges repeatedly as a representative for the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (UAE) and pushes forward many strong views that could benefit the region. While the complexities of these benefits can, at times, surpass my understanding and easy explanation, Abramson does a wonderful job laying them out repeatedly. The UAE seeks stability in the region, something that cannot be done with Iran treated so fairly by the American Government, stemming from a nuclear del negotiated by President Obama. Nader serves bridge the gap and seek to push Emirati views in the early stages, which are already echoed by others within the Red Sea Conspiracy.
Erik Prince is a mercenary whose policy ideas come unsolicited to the Trump Campaign. His ties to armies for hire will become a highly important position for the UAE and Saudis, as they seek to neutralise some of their regional enemies, small fish in the larger sea of the Middle East. Prince has ways of making progress and can help curry favour between Trump and these Middle East partners, though it will not be easy. Abramson posits that Prince will also be key in securing an American withdrawal from Syria (much to the benefit of Russia), seeking to install a mercenary army answerable only to President Trump, but off the books and thereby outside the purview of the US Congress.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law to Trump and a real-estate tycoon will play a strong role in the entire debacle. He has no foreign policy background, but is looking for money to fund his numerous enterprises. He looks to the Emir of Qatar, who has been a strong financial ally in the past. However, those days appear over and Kushner is not happy about the lack of money flowing into his hands. He uses his animosity to help develop a policy to sink the Qataris, longtime allies of America, by ensuring the Emiratis and Saudis get what they want and uses his keen business sense to violate proper channels and speak directly to members of the Red Sea Conspiracy to make promises that will completely turn US foreign policy on its head. Protected by Trump himself, Kushner has little fear of reprisals, as those with the titles fall by the wayside and earn the repeated ire of the president. The reader will see just how dangerous Kushner proves to be as it relates to legal and diplomatic processes within the United States, though no one has reined him in, even though scores of security reports have red flagged his actions.
The tome explores not only the actors, but the decisions that occurred to help create the 2016 electoral win and subsequent changes in US policy that leave some baffled to this day. Abramson presents proof that it was an Israeli software program the Russians used to ensure they could hack into the Democrats emails and lay the groundwork for social media disruptions throughout. As the Kushners have strong ties to the Israeli prime minister, this is no leap to make the connection. Israel has long sought an ally when it comes to the Middle East and Trump could be used to push back against those who might try to push for a softer solution, carving Israel up even more than it has already been.
Of particular interest is that Trump issued the travel ban list early in his presidency, those six countries whose citizens were no longer welcome to visit any part of the United States. Abramson tries to understand the list, with none of the six having citizens accused of plotted any domestic terrorism on US soil for the preceding four decades. By contrast, one country left off the list is Saudis Arabia, where a number of the September 11th terrorists were born. That may be because there were plans for Trump to head out to see the Saudis and sell them over $100 billion in arms for their upcoming push to defend the region. It would seem that money talks and policy walks in that direction, no matter who is at the helm.
The attentive reader will recognise many of the names that repeat themselves throughout the discussions in the book, which builds on a larger group being complicit in turning the Trump candidacy into a collection of collusive acts to ensure massive changes would occur to US foreign policy in the months after the 2016 election. The were also numerous violations of the Logan Act (a piece of legislation that bars private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments with whom the country has an active dispute) by many close to Trump, especially Jared Kushner and brief National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Abramson proves much of it through his research and testimony made to the Mueller Investigation. While rarely enforced, there was no chance that anyone would be prosecuted in a Trump Justice Department, just as the pleas for Russian interference fell on ignorant and deaf ears.
Sitting in power, President Trump knew those who had done him favours and it was time to pay the piper. Abramson shows how the tune changed and the tweets turned docile towards some and venomous when directed at others. If the reader needs any examples of this, Abramson offers a thorough and intense discussion surrounding the murder of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. As he did when Putin dismissed claims of Russian election interference, Trump assures Americans that the Saudis were not involved when their government denies any ties to the killing. Even when the truth came out, Trump refused to take action and blocked any move by American investigators to get answers. It is both mind-blowing and sickening to read this!
It is with the aforementioned evidence and substantiation that things begin to make a little more sense and some of the decisions the Trump Administration made can be explained away (but not accepted). The Red Sea Conspiracy has deep roots and can surely continue to work effectively for as long as Trump is in the White House. There may only be a short time left before Election Day, but you can be sure it’s no holds barred when it comes to keeping the puppet in the Oval Office, even if it means blurring the lines and making the impossible occur. With this information, I am a little more worried. I’ll turn to Seth Abramson’s third book on the corruption that befell America, to see how things can be explained there. I am hooked and cannot wait to see what else there is to learn.
This reading journey has opened my eyes to much, with Seth Abramson’s books serving to expand my understanding of a great deal more. While many may be used to hearing Trumpers spewing conspiracy theories with nothing to back them up, Abramson presents a narrative that cannot easily be dismissed, substantiated with countless documents and admissions under oath. Whereas the first book was filled with information about which I was aware, much within these pages was completely new and jaw-dropping to me. Each chapter is broken down into a time period, which makes the larger narrative palatable, though still stunning with every turn of the page. The chapters offers both the substantial arguments and then an annotated section to include more information, creating long chapters for the reader. This should not be overly daunting to the curious reader, as the writing is clear and easy to understand. There are many characters and dates, which can get a little intense at times, as well as much overlapping and repetition. Some may find this annoying, but with so much to cover and things intertwined on numerous levels, there is a need to revisit portions of the narrative on occasion. I am eager to continue into some of the deeper and darker areas of the Trump story, sure to be blown away yet again, particularly as we enter the domestic chaos that comes from much of the meddling from these first two books. Seth Abramson does a masterful job and had me spellbound throughout as I read it. This is a tome that deeply dedicated political junkies will want to read, leaving them stunned and wanting more.
Kudos, Mr. Abramson, for a stunning continuation of your political trilogy. Glad I left some of the heavy mental lifting until now, as much of what you reveal is best told to voters as close to Election Day as possible!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
davidsteinsaltz's review
3.0
A lot of very interesting and doggedly assembled information, sometimes half digested and not very well structured, sometimes sensationalised or misrepresented. Well worth reading — important even — but could have used a more critical editor.
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