3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Introduction to the Past, Present and Future of Terrorism, December 19, 2005
This review is from: Understanding the War on Terror (Paperback)
In "Understanding the War on Terror," Foreign Affairs Magazine has compiled an extensive array of articles examining not only the war on terrorism, but on the past, present and future of terrorism. The book covers a multitude of topics including the political, social, cultural, wealth, power, and religious struggles that have plagued the Middle East for decades; struggles that have created an atmosphere of instability in the region as well as for the rest of the world, especially America. While the publisher has done an admirable job, the book does fall short of its intended goal of explaining the War on Terror. Readers looking for answers to hardball questions on the 9/11 attacks will not find them in this book, but it are still worth reading.
"Understanding the War on Terror" begins with the chilling account of what transpired on that fateful day of September 11, 2002 when 19 terrorists hijacked four airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, a field in Pennsylvania, and into America's mind set.
The book covers, in general, terrorist acts, such as those committed in Yemen, Somalia where two Black Hawk Helicopters were shot down), the first World Trade bombing, attacks against the US in Saudi Arabia, the Khobar Apartments (killing 18 Americans), the USS Cole. . . . Many feel that those attacks were part of Osama bin Laden's "Jihad", or Holy War against the West. Some articles discuss "national security" where some writers feel that economic competitiveness or globalization plays a significant factor in US vulnerability; competitiveness in international trade has forced border security to perform fewer inspections and to relax regulation enforcement in order to speed commerce.
Richard K. Betts, writes about security and its breakdown within US security agencies like the FBI, CIA, NSA and so on (no mention of the FAA), and how these lapses must be corrected. Some of the areas that must be looked at as part of national security updating are spying, technologies, information gathering and analyzing and manpower, or field agents; increase funding like the CIA's 30 billion dollar budget increase is a good stating point, but it should not end there.
In his article, "Promoting Democracy and Fighting Terror", Thomas Carothers writes of the conflict between promoting democracy and enhancing internal security. He writes of the Bush administration's effort to build a stronger coalition with non democratic countries and autocratic leaders, or friendly tyrants -- countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Niyazov. These countries have little to no interest in promoting democracy, but Washington has demonstrated great restraint in the promotion of democracy in order to avoid terrorists from making those countries headquarters and/or escape routes for terrorists. The same is true, according to Carothers, of Southeast Asia where human right violations are common, yet the US has kept on friendly terms with governments even giving fifty million dollarsin aid to Malaysia. The author contends that it has become more important to assure security than to promote democracy. Washington has gotten friendlier with Russia and China for the same reasons. Many of the countries that Washington is courting have long histories of human rights violations or are oppressive states run by regimes that believe in autocracy and not democracy.
There are articles on religious groups, especially Islamic fundamentalists (radical and extremists Islamic groups). Some authors write of US foreign policy flip-flopping, efforts on reconstructing Afghanistan's political system. Fareed Zakaria writes of the Middle East's disillusionment with America (the West) and how this "is at the heart of the Arab problem[s]". His article illustrates the Middle East's rejection of modernization. Other writers tell of corruption, regime change, and the questions of which America's allies are. Still others write about warlord systems, the corruption of wealth and power, Gamal Abdel Nasser's failed dream of independence for the Middle East, Pakistan, al Qaeda, the Taliban, jihad, martyrdom, and factions in the Middle East. The book concludes with updates on the Bush administration's war in Iraq and on terrorism.
"Understanding the War on Terror" is an excellent primer for those unfamiliar with the past, present and future of America's relationship with the Middle East and on the war on terrorism, but it is in no way conclusive in its explanations of America's war on terror. Many of the articles seem to whitewash important factors that contribute negatively to America's relationship with the Middle East. Nevertheless "Understanding the War on Terror" is still worth reading.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FASCINATING, March 12, 2006
This review is from: Understanding the War on Terror (Paperback)
For those of you seeking credible sources to make sense of issues like terrorism, look no further than Foreign Affairs. With each carefully crafted essay, like Fareed Zakaria's influential report on "Why They Hate Us" you will learn about the roots of terrorism and understand the best ways to deal with the challenges that terrorism presents.
This collection of essays and articles are brillantly written, thorougly researched, and authored by exteremly qualified policy analysts. Also, unlike many media sources, who increasingly use polemics when presenting a biased view of important topics, these essays present arguments from a variety of angles--which, in the end, is the best way to learn.
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