Customer Reviews

Conversations With Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence, and Empire

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an interesting and important book. Erlich does an outstanding job of exploring the complex historical and political terrain we call the "Middle East". Weaving together interview material with several political leaders of the region and factual historical documentation, the author cuts through many of the stereotypes and propagandistic views the US and other western powers have perpetrated about this region. He explores major motives and actions of key players to explain what lies behind recent and present difficulties in finding peaceful solutions to Middle East conflict. Perhaps most significant, Erlich calls upon us to re-think the concept of "terrorism" and what it means to be a "terrorist", arguing that terrorism is a tactic used by many groups and countries at various times, including the US. He exposes the folly of the whole notion of a "war on terrorism", which in his view is a major misconception. The book presents a very fair, balanced, and judicious discussion of the political, social, cultural, and religious antagonisms plaguing the area. A must read, especially for those seeking a better understanding of flawed US policy toward the region. A major piece of journalism, the book is very clearly written.

Reese does us a favor with this trenchant book. From the victim's point of view there is little difference between a "state-sponsored" bomb or a "terrorist's" bomb. State-sponsored players "assume" the high ground by disparaging what are often the liberation struggles of others as "terrorism." Reese takes us behind the veil, fairly, dispassionately, and analytically, to show us living breathing people holding far more complex positions then our press would suggest. I was with him for two of these interviews---with Khalel Mischel and Ayatollah Fadlallah and can testify that he's a tough interview and in no one's pocket. He enters the room well armed with history and fact, and his questions are probing, hard-but-fair. I really enjoyed this book, despite having been there. Reese "organized" it to make a long interview trenchant and coherent, and easier read than uninflected transcript. I think you'll find it instructive too.

Buy this book, read it and pass it on. What is a terrorist? Reese tells stories about "terrorists" from his hours of interviews with them in a highly readable, educational, conversational tone. Without judgments, his writing allows and especially encourages us to look at the information presented from many angles, challenging us to draw our own conclusions, a most worthy personal developing discipline.

As we head into yet another era of turbulent relations around the world - we should all be reading Conversations With Terrorists to understand how we are all capable of being both "good" and very "bad" guys depending on the perspective...and to those who say this does not matter and a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist...remember you should not throw rocks in glass houses and subtle terror and manipulation can be evermore damaging in the long run.

Companion reading for this book that I found enlightening to the complexity of our cross cultures - Arabs and Israel for Beginners. It is really no wonder the Middle East is so pissed off at us.

Given the title of the book you would assume Erlich was traveling the world and chatting in the bunkers and safe-houses of the worlds most well known militants. This is only half true. He certainly does sit down and and interviews all of the figures he names, the only question that remains is, why did he not put more of the interviews in the book? In any given chapter 85-90% of the words are Erlich's own opinion or background information. The background info is certainly informative, but to those of us who know the background, more dialogue and direct quotation with the "terrorists" would have been preferable.

Ignoring the fact that the book has very few "conversations", it will make you well informed on the origins, tactics, and objectives of all of the groups mentioned. The fact that Noam Chomsky does the afterword is very telling; the book is written in a very Chomskyian style. I would recommend this book to those who are new to the debates regarding terrorism. For those looking for actual "Conversations with Terrorists" you will be a bit disappointed.

Regardless of the reader's opinion of Reese Erlich's politics and positions personally or espoused in the book (He states that based on universal definitions, America practices 'terrorism' and that groups such as Hamas are not strictly 'terrorist organizations' even if they have used it as a tactic in the past), my main problem with the book is that there are no recorded interviews or conversations in it's pages. In a book titled, "Conversations with Terrorists" even if I strongly disagree with their words, I do expect to find actual recorded interviews or conversations with said 'terrorists.' The writer simply tells us that he talked with this or that individual and his take on that position or conversation. Disappointing.

Some of his 'interviews' are with:

Khaled Meshal, Chief, Political Bureau, Hamas

Geula Cohen, Stern Gang, Israeli Parliament

Bashar al-Assad, President, Syria

Imam Mohammed Fadlallah, Grand Ayatollah, Lebanon

Mohsen Sazegara, Founder of Revolutionary Guards, Iran

Mohammed Nizami, Head of Afghan TV and Radio, Taliban

The book also includes a foreword by Robert Baer, former CIA

and an afterword by Noam Chomsky