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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.
amberfinnegan's review against another edition
5.0
This was an amazing read. Jeremy talked in depth about the covert wars the US government is engaging in, how Obama expanded the US covert war effort as opposed to retracting it after Bush, and the creation and subsequent overtaking of foreign tactical operations by JSOC.
Highly informative with quotes everywhere. His notes are also extensive. It is hard to finish this book and not wonder what kind of foreign policy we currently have in the United States, and what we need to change. With our current trend, the War on Terror is far from over, and will likely spread further across the world.
I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in current events, the path the United States is taking in foreign policy, and the 'threat' to American's safety. If you are unsure if you will learn from this book, watch the film first. It is also extremely well done, and gives a general overview of what the book covers.
Highly informative with quotes everywhere. His notes are also extensive. It is hard to finish this book and not wonder what kind of foreign policy we currently have in the United States, and what we need to change. With our current trend, the War on Terror is far from over, and will likely spread further across the world.
I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in current events, the path the United States is taking in foreign policy, and the 'threat' to American's safety. If you are unsure if you will learn from this book, watch the film first. It is also extremely well done, and gives a general overview of what the book covers.