A Devil's Triangle: Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Rogue States [Hardcover]

Brookes Brookes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742549526 | ISBN-13: 978-0742549524 | Publication Date: September 21, 2005

The bad news is that with the end of the Cold War, threats to international peace and security became less predictable and more diverse. The rise of international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles, and the troubling actions of rogue states replaced the US-USSR superpower rivalry as the central organizing theme of the new national security environment. The idea of a "peace dividend," consisting of years of international tranquility and stability, were dashed on September 11, 2001. The threats of the Cold War were supplanted by new national security environment characterized by unpredictable, motivated, capable adversaries posing multiple threats. Peter Brookes, one of the most respected national security experts in the United States, reminds Americans that the world continues to be a very dangerous place, filled with people and groups eager to topple the United States. This devil's triangle-the intersection of terrorism, Chemical/Biological/ Radioactive/Nuclear weapons, and state sponsors-raises the timely question, What should America do about these new security challenges? America is at war and there is no other course but action. The United States can face these threats squarely and emerge victorious if we have the will and resolve to carry it through. Terrorism can be defeated. Proliferation can be curtailed. The behavior of rogue states can be modified. The United States is in an epic struggle in the defense of freedom and our way of life. A failure to identify, understand, and meet these security challenges head on could lead to an incident that would make the unspeakable horrors of 9/11 seem like a minor tragedy. With resolve, determination and a willingness to lead, America will successfully meet these challenges, and freedom will prevail.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book will scare you to death--but you must read it. Peter Brookes paints a frightening picture of the evil over which America must triumph--and will, if policy makers are smart enough to follow his advice. (Chavez, Linda )

A Devil's Triangle is a valuable read for anyone wanting to understand the emerging threats to American national security--terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and rogue states. With an insider's resume, Brookes has written an insightful book that makes sense of the complex, global security environment we face today, and explains what to do about it. (William Bennett )

A Devil's Triangle is a valuable read for anyone wanting to understand the emerging threats to American national security--terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and rogue states. With an insider's resume, Brookes has written an insightful book that makes sense of the complex, global security environment we face today, and explains what to do about it. (William Bennett )

Here at last is the book we needed, but--preferring peaceful sleep--didn't want [to read.] Peter Brookes brings his considerable experience in national defense and intelligence to describe the vast threat the civilized world faces from rogue states, outlaw regimes and terrorist groups [who have increasing access to ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.] He reminds us that 9/11 was only the beginning of a prolonged war that will test our national will and determine whether we have a future to fashion. Never has it mattered more that we understand the scope of these dangerous new challenges, nor a book more timely and necessary to that understanding. (Kathleen Parker )

Of all the essays, books, and treatises on the new world order of 'Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Rogue States,' Peter Brooke's A Devil's Triangle is by far the best. He not only presents a cogent guide for understanding this dangerous new environment but he offers solutions to the only nation who can lead the world's battle for survival. A must read. (Senator Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) )

Of all the essays, books, and treatises on the new world order of 'Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Rogue States,' Peter Brooke's A Devil's Triangle is by far the best. He not only presents a cogent guide for understanding this dangerous new environment but he offers solutions to the only nation who can lead the world's battle for survival. A must read. (Senator Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) )

A field manual for 21st century survival. Brookes, a Heritage Foundation foreign-policy analyst, has produced a comprehensive, highly readable and fact-filled summary of the threats that confront America and the West. (Gordon Cucullu New York Post )

About the Author

Peter Brookes is a senior fellow for National Security Affairs and Director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. He also has a weekly column on foreign policy and defense issues for the New York Post. He has served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Office of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and was a Republican staffer on the House Committee on International Relations. Brookes also served as an Intelligence Officer with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations and worked on international economic issues for the State Department at the United Nations. His military background included active duty in Iraq/Kuwait (Desert Storm); Haiti (Restore Democracy); and Bosnia (Joint Endeavor). He flew reconnaissance missions in East Asia and the Persian Gulf while stationed in Japan covering military matters related to the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran, and Iraq. While serving in Panama, he worked Latin American and Caribbean counter-narcotics and issues related to insurgencies/counter-insurgencies in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Brookes is also a Commander in the Naval Reserves and is assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency where he serves as an Associated Professor in the Masters-level Postgraduate Intelligence Program at the Joint Military Intelligence College. He has also performed reserve assignments as a staff officer, defense attaché, intelligence analyst and collector, and interpreter/translator with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, unified and specified commands, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Naval Intelligence, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Vice President and in support of the National Security Council. His military decorations include: the Joint Service Commendation Medal; the Navy Commendation Medal; the Navy Achievement Medal; several naval and joint unit awards; the Defense Language Institute’s Kellogg Award; the Joint Chiefs of Staff service b

Peter Brookes is a senior fellow for National Security Affairs and Director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. He also has a weekly column on foreign policy and defense issues for the New York Post. He has served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Office of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and was a Republican staffer on the House Committee on International Relations. Brookes also served as an Intelligence Officer with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations and worked on international economic issues for the State Department at the United Nations. His military background included active duty in Iraq/Kuwait (Desert Storm); Haiti (Restore Democracy); and Bosnia (Joint Endeavor). He flew reconnaissance missions in East Asia and the Persian Gulf while stationed in Japan covering military matters related to the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran, and Iraq. While serving in Panama, he worked Latin American and Caribbean counter-narcotics and issues related to insurgencies/counter-insurgencies in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Brookes is also a Commander in the Naval Reserves and is assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency where he serves as an Associated Professor in the Masters-level Postgraduate Intelligence Program at the Joint Military Intelligence College. He has also performed reserve assignments as a staff officer, defense attaché, intelligence analyst and collector, and interpreter/translator with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, unified and specified commands, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Naval Intelligence, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Vice President and in support of the National Security Council. His military decorations include: the Joint Service Commendation Medal; the Navy Commendation Medal; the Navy Achievement Medal; several naval and joint unit awards; the Defense Language Institute’s Kellogg Award; the Joint Chiefs of Staff service b

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (September 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742549526
• ISBN-13: 978-0742549524
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,123,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Primer For What's Wrong In The World, October 30, 2005

By 

A. Blasko "jazz fan" (Arlington VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Devil's Triangle: Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Rogue States (Hardcover)

If you don't follow the news often (like many of us who lead busy lives), this is a good, short book that explains how and why the world is so messed up today.

Brookes explains in detail how we got to where we are today with this "devil's triangle" of terrorists, available weapons of mass destruction and rogue states. Brookes, a former CIA analyst and U.S. Navy officer, writes with experience and authority on the subject.

The book is well-written among volumes of this genre. It has nice vignettes to introduce each chapter and well-researched history lessons (His "Quick History of Terrorism," for example, begins in the first century AD with Roman-occupied Judea).

However, be prepared to tackle some unfamiliar -- but not unintelligible -- acronyms such as CA, CW, BW, CWC, BWC, JRA, HEU, NPT, DPRK and MILF (teenagers, please stop snickering). There are a lot of them in this book and this makes reading it a little tricky in some parts.

But it's not impossible. Those who really want to know what's wrong with the world -- and how to fix it -- will get through them, and be smarter for it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historical and Modern Political Overview of "Terrorism" and "Terrorist Networks", March 24, 2007

By 

Marjorie M. Chase (Keauhou, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Devil's Triangle: Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Rogue States (Hardcover)

This book provides basic, yet informative overviews of historical and current agendas within "influential terrorist groups" that have made a profound impact on world-wide political, religious, financial and power agendas. The book mainly addresses fundamental Islamic issues with specific regard to popular political and religious radical groups motivated by influencing media, military and political Middle East agendas.

The information provided is something you might find on a reading list for a CIA class on "Terrorist History 101" with a primary context of "basic Middle Eastern political agendas, resources and overview of strategic weapons acquisition and uses." In great detail, the book covers many aspects of various radical groups, both successful and unsuccessful endeavors and methods of influencing the political arena, as well as associated business/financial aspects of related connections. Detailed information on weapons trade is also included.

Aimed towards fundamental Islamic political agendas in particular, the book lacks in-depth research of other related regional contributors to the world-wide aspect of global arms business, although there is some brief mention of related radical influences of Asian, Russian, European, African and Australian regions with regard to political interests and resources.

As the author represents a conservative think tank organization in Washington DC, readers must consider the book's agenda when reading certain elements of its political persuasions in popularizing political agendas. The overall essence of the book gives particularly good insight into certain political undertones.

It's a great resource book to have on hand with a brief history of Islamic religious, political and historical originations that have led to many current ideologies and factions that are interrelated or juxtaposed to current political agendas in the Middle East. It also briefly covers radical political examples during the Renaissance Era that influenced warring factions between Christian and Jewish religious oppositions.
The book offers basic historical and current research of related "terrorist factions and interests" and is a very easy read (1-2 days).

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A must not read, April 16, 2007

By 

Sebastian Haselbeck "SebH" (Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Devil's Triangle: Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Rogue States (Hardcover)

This book is very badly written, hardly contains a useable amount of background information, uses the kind of language you would expect from a white house press secretary, looks at things from a very present and unilateral perspective and works in a very non-scientific way. Brookes echoes Bush administration phrases, hardly quotes from scholarly work at all, uses colloquial language and skims over thousands of issues like someone who pretends to just want to give you a quick overview, but essentially, Brookes doesn't have anything to offer but a quick cash-in into a currently hot topic with a quickly-written book that isn't worth its money.