Customer Reviews

Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible

5 star:		(5)
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1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a frightening book. Victor Bout, the Russian merchant of death, is a guy who pushes the "free marketplace" ethos as far as it can go. Each year he black-markets millions of dollars' worth of weapons, from pistols to missiles, to any government or group with the scratch to pay for them. Ideology means nothing to him. He's perfectly happy to sell weapons to both sides in a civil war, for example. He's simply, as he describes himself, a "businessman" looking for the best deal. (Diabolically, he also calls himself a "humanitarian" because of his occasional highly publicized "charities"--which always, by the way, earn him huge profits.)

We all know that arms merchants, legal or otherwise, are big global players (the Nicholas Cage flick, "Lord of War," publicized the industry). But what may be less known is that many of them, with Bout at the top of the list, operate with the at least implicit complicity of governments around the world. So long as Bout markets his stuff as "weapons in the war against terrorism," so long as he sells to thugs whom governments approve, he seems to have lots of friends in high places who shield him from international police warrants and criminal prosecution.

So one of the more chilling subtexts of Farah and Braun's book is that creeps like Bout aren't really outlaws so much as allies of governments. He's like one of those slightly embarrassing cousins that you don't especially want at family reunions, but which everyone in the family secretly turns to when they need something. The Bouts of the world come and go. But their perennial presence in our midst is guaranteed by oceans of surplus weapons built by past and present superpowers, and the willingness of the remaining superpowers to turn a blind eye so long as those weapons are sold to the right people. Dirty hands all the way around.

If you've ever wondered how all these poor impoverished nations waging civil wars can get their hands on seemingly endless supplies of weapons, you'll find some answers here... Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible by Douglas Farah & Stephen Braun. It's an interesting look into the murky world of arms merchants, and a big player in that game... Viktor Bout.

Contents: The Delivery Man; Planes, Guns, and Money; A Dangerous Business; Continental Collapse; At a Crossroads; The Chase Begins; The Taliban Connection; Black Charters; Gunships and Titanium; "Get Me a Warrant"; Now or Never; "We Are Very Limited in What We Can Do"; Welcome to Baghdad; Blacklisted and Still Flying; Epilogue; Notes; Index

Farah and Braun dig into the history and background of one Viktor Bout, a Russian who has built an empire in transporting cargo. Using old Soviet-era planes, often barely airworthy, he flies anything and everything into global hotspots related to war and combat. While many of the loads do involve legal items like appliances and food, quite often the trips are much more clandestine and involve massive amounts of weapons. This can be anything from crates of AK-47s to full attack helicopters. And he's not terribly selective in who he sides with. On a number of occasions, he's actually supplied the weapons for both sides of the conflict. So long as someone will pay, he'll deliver the goods. Using global shell companies and partnerships, he can change plane registrations, launder money, and operate in violation of numerous UN sanctions and restrictions. Based on the research here, it doesn't look like any of the resolutions and embargoes have had much effect on his operations. He's well-known to many governments that pay lip service to stopping him, but few have actually done anything other than posture and talk.

The interesting part of the book is towards the end, when the authors start dealing with the Iraq war and the supply of US troops. A number of the contractors who fly in supplies will subcontract with others who actually own and fly the planes. And guess who owns a number of the subcontractors? Bout. Again, it's a matter of the government knowing that this is going on, but not wanting to do anything about it as it would limit the supply line into Iraq. The US government also will not put pressure on the Russian government to shut him down, as they don't want to create waves in other areas. This is a classic example of where right and wrong is clear, but expediency and politics turn it all grey.

The only issue I have with the book is that it becomes a bit repetitive at times. The research is thorough, but after awhile it seems like an endless litany of companies, corrupt leaders, and operations in various countries. Still, it's hard not to be dismayed that people and operations like this are allowed to exist, and that it's nearly impossible for international sanctions to be effective...

If you're buying this book to get a novelized version of the "Lord of War" film, look elsewhere. This book is a very, very non-fiction account of a wealth of data that has been assembled.

Don't get me wrong, this was a fascinating and interesting read. The mountain of data the authors have collected is amazing. The story this data weaves is engaging and scary all at once.

For a dry, VERY non-fiction book, it's still a very easy read.

This book on Bout is basically a case study on what global crime has evolved into today. Drug cartels, traffickers, counterfeiters, terrorists and basically every illicit business uses a organizational structure such as is described in this book. It is quite terrifying what they can do and how they use globalization against us. I just read a book about how this fits into the big picture (Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers and Copycats are Hijacking the Global Economy by Moises Naim). I would definitely read both to get a clear picture into what's going on.

On a side note... there is awesome news. Viktor Bout has recently been arrested in Thailand as part of a DEA sting and is awaiting deportation. Goodbye Viktor Bout!!!

This was a fascinating book. I have none of the doubts shared above regarding the credibility of the information... these are experienced, well-informed media professionals -- they are not, however, novelists.

Read this book for a fascinating look at black market arms trafficking from Russia to the tip of Africa and the "business" of one amoral opportunist -- but don't expect engaging prose or a creative and well-structured story; the book reads like a 250+ page news article.

I thought that I would love this book. As it turns out, I only made it through about 100 pages. The information contained in the book is interesting to say the least, but it seems like it was less about Victor Bout and more about the coutries he was supplying with weapons. Every once in a while Bout's actions would be mentioned, then a long history of the civil war in some African nation would follow. The timeline is also somewhat confusing. On one page its 1993 then 3 pages later, its back in 1985. Then the next chapter its 2001, then to 1998.

I didnt hate the book, I just found it difficult to read. I think a more linear timeline, and less info about war torn nations would have made for a better book. Just my opinion tho.

This well-written book was delivered on time and in good condition. My review title is light-hearted, the subject of the book is not. This is an inside look at the rise of Victor Bout, a former Soviet Air Force officer, as the superstar of modern gun running. The details of how he did it, and how the US and other nations and NGOs tracked and treated his organization, are all in the book. This is an eye-opener for the common citizen on one of todays most pressing transnational threats. >Sam

An incredibly eye opening look at the most infamous gun runner, Viktor Bout. The book is incredibly well researched, although severely in need of an update after Bouts arrest and subsequent imprisonment in Thailand as part of a DEA sting in 2008 and extradition to America late last year

This is the story of Victor Bout, a former Soviet air force officer, possibly with ties to Soviet military intelligence. He was able to take advantage of a fortuitous time: the collapse of the Soviet Union meant a vast drawback of the Russian army from many of its far outposts. It also meant a lack of money and oversight of military equipment. That in combination with Bout's pilo skills learned in the air force, as well as a faculty for languages possibly nurtured while he worked as a translator for Soviet intelligence, led to a bonanza for Bout.

Bout essentially stole abandoned Soviet cargo planes right off their runways, then stole or bought on the cheap old military equipment, then flew his planes to warzones to sell to the highest bidder. Bout would sell materiel to both sides of a conflict and to terrorist groups. He spent time with the Taliban, and was involved in many still cloudy operations with moneymen in the Persian Gulf states.

Many in European and American government and law enforcement agencies began to Bout as a threat to stability in the 1990s. American intelligence and state department officials tried to interdict him, but were roundly refused by the Russian government, who became a protector of Bout. At the time of the publication of the book Bout was still free, though in 2010 he was finally detained in Thailand and deported to the United States for trial on charges of funding terrorism.

Probably the biggest headline to come out of this book is that even though many recognized Bout as an outlaw and supporter of terrorism, it did not stop the US military in contracting logistical work through him during the early days of the Iraq war in 2003.

This book by acclaimed investigative journalist Douglas Farah has many such anecdotes about the doings of Victor
Bout. This is a great read, and I highly recommend the book.

This is a fascinating look into the world of international arms dealer Victor Bout. He provided arms to Afghanistan and conflicts in Africa, often serving both sides of the same conflict. He made millions while thousands of people died. Now he's in US custody, awaiting trial for providing arms to terrorist groups. This book describes the details about how he was able to build his operation and continue it with impunity for so many years. These details are the fascinating part.

The writing, however, is not. As others have noted, the timeline jumps back and forth, making it difficult to keep facts straight. There are some misspellings (actually, correctly spelled words used incorrectly), sections that are repeated verbatim within a page or two, and plenty of just plain weak writing. It needed the attention of a first-rate book editor to whip it into final shape.

Despite all this, it's a page-turner. For anyone interested in international affairs, it's a must-read.