A World Challenged: Fighting Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century [Hardcover]

E. M. Primakov (Author), Yevgeny M. Primakov (Author), Henry Kissinger (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2004 | ISBN-10: 0815771940 | ISBN-13: 978-0815771944

In this candid and sobering account, former Russian premier Yevgeny M. Primakov considers the threats posed by independent terrorist organizations to international security. Based on his own extensive experience and contacts in the Middle East - where he served for years as a journalist before his political career - he also examines the roles of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and extremist Islam in funding terrorism. As the attacks of September 11 made clear, the course of international affairs is no longer shaped exclusively by co-operation and confrontation among nations. Yet, the way states respond to terrorism - including America's war on terror - can have a profound impact on the structure of the international system. In Primakov's view, effective and co-ordinated responses to terrorism can limit its impact. However, he, argues, a unilateral American approach to the problem of international terrorism could make such co-operation difficult. In this context, Primakov explains Russian concerns about the US war in Iraq - and reveals new details of his final personal attempt to persuade Saddam Hussein to step down. Primakov urges Russia and the US to join forces more readily to share information and intelligence about emerging terrorist threats. More broadly, he writes, if America is prepared to work within a "multi-polar world", Russia can be a true and loyal partner. On the other hand, if the US tries to go it alone, it could face the consequences in isolation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Yevgeny M. Primakov served as Russian premier from 1998 to 1999, amid Russia’s most severe economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. He served previously as foreign minister, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and head of the Central Intelligence Service.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815771940
• ISBN-13: 978-0815771944
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,202,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful reflection on the menacing threats, August 9, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A World Challenged: Fighting Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century (Hardcover)

A collaborative publishing project of The Nixon Center and the Brookings Institution Press, A World Challenged: Fighting Terrorism In The Twenty-First Century is a thoughtful reflection on the menacing threats posed by independent terrorist organizations to global security. Russian premier Yevgeny M. Primakov expresses his critical concerns over such terrorist organizations obtaining weapons of mass destruction, especially when over 100 nations today are stockpiling such nuclear material. Strongly recommending that the global community develop a comprehensive Charter on Terrorism to facilitate criminal prosecution, and exhorting that Russia and the United States need to join forces and share information about emerging terrorist threats, A World Challenged is a critical and astutely written account of the dangers facing the world in the twenty-first century.