Best National & International Security
Comprehensively and for the first time, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll recounts the history of the covert wars in Afghanistan that fueled Islamic militancy and sowed the seeds of the September 11 attacks. Steve Coll is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars and the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, and from 2007 to 2013 was president of the New America Foundation, a public policy institute in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is the best book for understanding the roll of the CIA in Afghanistan and the war on terror."
"There were no apparent gaps in the connected dots and most connections made solid sense."
"If you have interest in covert operations and the intelligence agencies of the united States, this is an amazing book."
"Great product, would definitely recommend to others."
""Ghost Wars" is a fresh, detailed, and fascinating assessment of the United States' experience with Afghanistan from 1979 to the eve of 9/11/2001. Coll's recounting of this twenty year saga goes far to explain the roots and development of the United States's inability to deter the danger that became so graphically evident the day after this book's narrative ends. Yes, the book is detailed, but it would be a disservice to back away from the intricacies of the story -- just as it has proven to be a mistake for the United States to have backed away from the complexities of Afghanistan once the Soviets withdrew. While one might wish to disengage from such interwoven complexities, the risk of ignoring a failing state such as Afghanistan is to allow the creation of a untamed country in which an extreme regime such as the Taliban and a group as dangerous as that sponsored by Osama bin Laden can take root and thrive. I do wish that Coll had carried through with an epilogue to shed light on the events in Afghanistan of the past two to three years and the relationship of the U.S. to that sad country today. I know Coll has more to say about how the United States' response to 9/11 in Afghanistan has affected our relations with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia."
"If you want to know what really happened, you need to read this book."
"There are no 'Ghosts' to be found but a lot of hauntings as Coll brings into focus a series of turns and events in a troubled part of the world where tribal histories and passions have produced and fueled some very determined fighters."
"Steve Coll has done an outstanding job in presenting the history of our relationship with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the Afghan freedom fighters and shows how that history foretells what is occurring in the world today."
About the Peloponnesian War that devastated ancient Greece, the historian Thucydides explained: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.” Over the past 500 years, these conditions have occurred sixteen times. Yet, stressing that war is not inevitable, Allison also reveals how clashing powers have kept the peace in the past — and what painful steps the United States and China must take to avoid disaster today. A NATIONAL BESTSELLER. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR. A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE. AN AMAZON "BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2017 SO FAR" “Thucydides’s Trap identifies a cardinal challenge to world order: the impact of a rising power on a ruling power. In Destined for War , Allison lays out one of the defining challenges of our time—managing the critical relationship between China and the United States.” — JOE BIDEN, former Vice President of the United States. If Graham Allison is right—and I think he is—China and the US must heed the lessons in this superb study in order to build a strategic relationship that avoids a war which neither side would win.” — General (Ret.). [ Destined for War ] argue[s] persuasively that adjusting to this global power shift will require great skill on both sides if conflagration is to be avoided...[ Destined for War is full of] wide-ranging, erudite cases studies that span human history...[A] fine book. "A brief but far-reaching book in which potted history is incisively deployed…Perhaps we can avoid war, Mr. Allison says, by negotiating a long peace with China. I can only hope that all senior policy experts read this timely book to prevent our country from falling into the trap Professor Allison so ably warns us against." “In Destined for War , Graham Allison has again done a great service. With an incisive review of the wars of yesterday and a deep understanding of today’s international politics, Allison has provided American and Chinese leaders not just with a stark warning about the consequences of falling into the Thucydides’s Trap, but also the insight to avoid it. “In dissecting—and suggesting ways to bend—the dangerous arc of the US-China relationship, Graham Allison has written the most important foreign policy book of our time. “Reading Destined for War and drawing from its lessons could help to save the lives of millions of people.” — KLAUS SCHWAB, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum “Steeped in history and propelled by one of the most transformative developments in modern times—the rise of China—Graham Allison has written a gripping book that decision-makers and citizens alike must read, digest, and act upon. He mines the recent and distant past to offer essential insights into the future — in so doing, changing the way we think about how America should act in the present.” — SAMANTHA POWER, former US Ambassador to the United Nations and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Problem from Hell “If any book can stop a world war, it is this one. Graham Allison makes a clear and compelling case that serious conflict between the United States and China is looming, but not inevitable. “Might Destined for War be the policy book of the year? Deftly presented, clearly structured, and with a fine concluding exploration of the endless historical debate between great forces and contingency, Destined for War seems itself destined for much attention, argument and constant classroom use.” — PAUL KENNEDY, author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. Surely another classic in the making, Destined for War is a brilliant example of 'thinking in time', which—as the author shows—is against us.” — BRENDAN SIMMS, author of Europe: The Struggle for Supremacy “Graham Allison has been a source of inspiration for me as a student and diplomat. As with Essence of Decision , Destined for War again provides us with his penetrating insights into global politics in the 21st century and beyond.” — BAN KI-MOON, former Secretary General of the United Nations “Managing our strategic rivalry with a rising China will be the number one challenge for US foreign policy in the decades ahead.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Allison primarily frames the USA vs. China rivalry in the well-known paradigm of superpower rivalries going back to Athens vs. Sparta, Britain vs. {every European Empire + Russia + Japan + USA}, and finally the USA vs. the Soviet Union. The implication is that we should not allow ourselves to be drawn into war with China over petty incidents that are vital to China’s prestige, but not to ours. The USA and China have historically been in alliance against other expansionist powers, especially during WWII when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor after we demanded that the Japanese withdraw from their brutal conquest of China. Nevertheless, the possibility of war between the USA and China cannot be ignored. Allison outlines the scenarios of possible USA / China war: a conflict in the high seas around China that China claims as sovereign territory; a conflict over the trade imbalance; a declaration of independence by Taiwan; and of course a renewal of the conflict in Korea that could accidentally involve both the USA and China in a war neither wants. Allison makes no bones about China’s intentions: =====. China is ready to use the carrots and sticks of its economic power— buying, selling, sanctioning, investing, bribing, and stealing as needed until they fall into line....China enjoys such superiority in its balance of economic power that many other states have no realistic option but to comply with its wishes, even when the international system is on their side....The fact is that China’s economic network is spreading across the globe, altering the international balance of power in a way that causes even longtime US allies in Asia to tilt from the US toward China. =====. I thus learned more than I expected from the book. I would also recommend another book as a companion to this one, that portrays the USA / China relationship in more historical depth, and with a more positive spin: THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY (the USA is called "the beautiful country" by Chinese) AND THE MIDDLE KINGDOM (China) BY John Pomfret. My takeaway from both is: “We can manage our relations to China constructively so as to have a fascinating and prosperous future of mutual benefit to us ad all humanity; but only so long as we are very careful not to disrespect each other, underestimate each other, or do something stupid that will provoke a war, that does not need to be fought.”. Of course that idea is self-evident, but the books delve into the specific details of policy on HOW the vision of cordial relations and mutual prosperity between the USA and China can be achieved by both nations."
"It has fought in Korea and Vietnam and protected Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, and the sea lanes in the region. Allison picks sixteen similar examples of great power conflicts over the last 500 years, only four ended peacefully. America started to apply the Monroe Doctrine and regarded the Western Hemisphere as its backyard. Teddy Roosevelt made it clear to the Europeans that the US would not tolerate interference in the Americas and it would fight to protect its interests. Foreign policy experts such as Ian Bremmer and Robert Kaplan have advised appeasement and suggested that we should terminate our obligations to Taiwan and Japan. He calls this “offensive realism.” The neo-cons who worked for the first President Bush wanted the US to become a global hegemon and they created the Wolfowitz Doctrine, which Allison does not mention. Allison believes that both America and China assume that they are special and inherently superior to other nations. China has made it clear it does not want be part of a world order dominated by the US and its liberal democratic values. Allison believes that there will soon come a time when the US would probably lose a military confrontation in the South China Sea. Some of Allison’s chosen historical lessons were not particularly relevant to the coming conflict with China and I often disagreed with his analysis. Germany’s decision to go to war in 1914 was mainly about its rivalry with Russia and maintaining hegemony over the European mainland, something Britain never had any interest in. Allison's list of key players in 1914 (e.g., Churchill, Edward VII, Bethmann Hollweg, and the Kaiser) is also wide of the mark. On the British side, Sir Edward Grey (Foreign Secretary) and David Lloyd George ultimately called the shots."
"This work, by looking at the past and how competition between countries often leads to war—like a game of road chicken-tries to suss out what both the US and China need to do to prevent war between our nations."
"This can be a scary book, but keep reading."
"Excelent analysis of historical data with comparative analysis and deep knowledge of decision making under pressure."
"Clearly we are sleeping in America while the huge totaliarian state of China begins to isolate America through the use of soft power."
How in No Go Zones a blind eye is being turned to polygamy, female genital mutilation, sexual assault, segregation, and even honor killings Why Muslim ghettos in the West aren't the equivalent of Little Italy or Chinatown, but a serious cultural and political threat How the welfare state actually funds and supports a Muslim subculture of resentment How to identify extremist mosques A matter of numbers: how mass migration could transform Europe into a Muslim-dominated continent within our own lifetimes The alarming speed at which No Go Zones are coming to America Compelling in its reporting, shocking in its detail, Raheem Kassam's No Go Zones is one of the most frightening true stories you will read this year.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As Kassam details, Europe has appeased Islamists who have taken over Islamic communities and created a state within a state, encouraging Muslims not to assimilate, spreading lies about the police and the citizens, and using the threat of violence and actual violence to instill fear in the locals to get what they want. Fear, guilt, and naivety has made the regressive left, political and media elites, submit to the radical Islamic right, to their Ultra Conservative Imams and religious scholars and self-proclaimed 'community leaders' who form and enforce the No Go Zones to enforce Sharia (Islamic law)."
"Much as I wonder at giving a 'like' rating to a book that expresses so much potential darkness for the future of Western Civilization, the author earned this evaluation."
"I, a West London boy who studied politics at the University of Westminister, arguably should not be the one telling these stories from the United States, or Belgium, or France, or Swedon. But the failure of the mainstream media to produce real reporting on No Go Zones has left me with no other choice but to bring this topic to light." -- page 235. Did you know that while Saudi Arabia has consistently refused to welcome Syrian refugees into their own country while at the same time they have pledged to build 200 mosques in Germany? Clearly there is something sinister afoot in Europe and unless we shift gears forthwith here in America the same sort of egregious problems will be coming to a town near you. As editor-in-chief of Breitbart London, Raheem Kassam has been aggressively and courageously covering these and a whole host of other troubling stories regarding the march of radical Islam through Europe and now to the shores of America."
"Many immigrants are fine, who could object to Hindu's or Sheikhs but one group refuses to assimilate and second and even third generations are do not speak English as their first language."
"Great, very informative."
"Good Read, and a lot of information."
"Seriously entertaining and urgent."
"Very informative book."
Best Chinese History
that invented totalitarianism thousands of years ago whose economic power rivals our own that believes its superior race and culture give it the right to universal deference that teaches its people to hate America for standing in the way of achieving its narcissistic "dream" of world domination that believes in its manifest destiny to usher in the World of Great Harmony which publishes maps showing the exact extent of the nuclear destruction it could rain down on the United States. Steven Mosher exposes the resurgent aspirations of the would-be hegemon–and the roots of China's will to domination in its five-thousand-year history of ruthless conquest and assimilation of other nations, brutal repression of its own people, and belligerence toward any civilization that challenges its claim to superiority. Steven W. Mosher is president of the Population Research Institute and an internationally recognized authority on China.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Steve Mosher demonstrates his total command of China, its history, culture, politics, and, most importantly, present intentions."
"In the West’s recent memory, however, China was wracked with turmoil and dominated by the main Western powers and Japan – certainly since the Opium Wars of the mid-1800s. DeVore is the author of "The Texas Model: Prosperity in the Lone Star State and Lessons for America" and the co-author of "China Attacks.""
"Whatever elements of capitalism and study abroad the People’s Republic of China adopts, its Great Han Chauvinism transforms them as means of imposing its will on other nations."
"Mosher shows that while many people view China as another nation among many, political leaders within China view it as a superior power destined for hegemony."
Best Civil War Antietam History
For the sesquicentennial of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign, D. Scott Hartwig delivers a riveting first installment of a two-volume study of the campaign and climactic battle. "The first volume of this two volume set is so very well written and all-inclusive on the detailed facts of this Maryland Campaign that it looks like this two volume set just might be the very best ever written on this campaign and battle." (Harry S. Laver Civil War Book Review ). "By far the best work done on the Maryland Campaign, To Antietam Creek will set the standard for many, many years to come." (Thomas G. Clemens, Save Historic Antietam Foundation). "A new and monumental study of the origins and initiation of the Maryland Campaign of 1862... To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 is a tour de force which will stand as the preeminent and final word on the subject... A must read for any serious Civil War student interested in the crucial events leading up to the Battle of Antietam.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I knew from day one that I wanted to write a review of this book. But I think my experience as a long time Antietam Battlefield volunteer and guide who has walked the battlefields of the Maryland Campaign, give me a different and useful perspective from the usual rank and file book reviewer. Like this book, I attempt to interpret the Maryland Campaign and Battle of Antietam objectively and factually. But the book's completeness, numerous insights, deep analysis and great stories will add a new richness and depth to my tours and programs that I would not otherwise have had I not read the book. I can now say unequivocally that this is the best book I have ever read on the Maryland Campaign. And I have read many books. And we learn that there were several very good Union cavalry regiments that fought well in the Campaign and they are not the ones who fought their way out of Harpers Ferry. You will miss out if you skip them. To some who would dismiss this book as just a story of the events up to Antietam, I would answer that this book is a necessarily foundation to understanding the tactical battle that Hartwig will treat us to when the second volume comes out. If you want to learn more about the Maryland Campaign than you can from any other book, you must move this one to the top of your reading list. If you have hesitated to get this book because of its massiveness, get over it and buy the book. From the first to the last, To Antietam Creek will reward you with the best-told story of the Maryland Campaign ever produced."
"To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of September 1862, D. Scott Hartwig, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012, 8 black and white images, 17 maps, 3 appendices, bibliographic notes, essay on notes, index, 794pp., $49.96. Both literally and figuratively, all other treatments of The Antietam Campaign may well stand in the shadow of Scott Hartwig's To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of September 1862. Tom Clemens of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation states "By far the best work done on the Maryland Campaign ."
"Although I do not count myself as a fan of George McClellan, I do submit that it is time to take a closer look at his tenure with the Army of the Potomac and, if merited, challenge the conventional wisdom that surrounds and informs the historical view of his generalship. However, Hartwig is not afraid to level criticism when it is due and McClellan (often), along with Burnside, Franklin, Hooker, Lee, Miles and others are rightly taken to task when the occasion warrants it. Furthermore, Hartwig led me to truly appreciate the outstanding performance of Lafayette McLaws in relation to Harper's Ferry and to grasp the extent that William Franklin's loss of moral courage helped to seal the garrison's doom. Finally, Hartwig's writing with regard to the eve of battle is a thing of beauty--it compares favorably to Bruce Catton's work in Mr. Lincoln's Army (to me thre is no higher praise) and paints a picture of a night of foreboding before that which was arguably the worst day in American history."
Best Military Policy
From the remotest air bases in the Pacific Command, where he discovered that the authority to initiate use of nuclear weapons was widely delegated, to the secret plans for general nuclear war under Eisenhower, which, if executed, would cause the near-extinction of humanity, Ellsberg shows that the legacy of this most dangerous arms buildup in the history of civilization--and its proposed renewal under the Trump administration--threatens our very survival. "The Doomsday Machine is being published at an alarmingly relevant moment, as North Korea is seeking the capability to target the United States with nuclear missiles, and an unpredictable president, Donald Trump, has countered with threats of 'fire and fury.'". "One of the best books ever written on the subject--certainly the most honest and revealing account by an insider who plunged deep into the nuclear rabbit hole's mad logic and came out the other side." "Ellsberg’s brilliant and unnerving account makes a convincing case for disarmament and shows that the mere existence of nuclear weapons is a serious threat to humanity." When the author hurriedly copied the contents of his RAND Corporation safe to reveal, in time, what would become known as the Pentagon Papers, that was just the start of it. "History may remember Ellsberg as the whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers and helped end the Vietnam War, but his alarmingly relevant new book should also assure his legacy as a prescient and authoritative anti-nuclear activist. The Doomsday Machine , which takes its title from Dr. Strangelove, reads like a thriller as Ellsberg figures out that America's pledge never to attack first was fiction and that the so called 'fail-safe' systems are prone to disaster." "Ellsberg presents his thoughts on how best to dismantle a program that could lead to global annihilation, while once again proving how deeply disturbing and radically ignorant our country's leaders are when it comes to thermonuclear warfare." "In the era of barbed insults regarded as precursors to nuclear threat, the warnings yielded by The Doomsday Machine have become required reading. The Doomsday Machine is essential reading--both a terrifying ‘Doctor Strangelove’ saga and a hopeful consideration of future scenarios." The Doomsday Machine is not for the faint of heart, but its sense of urgency should make it required reading, and―more importantly―a call to action." "This long-awaited chronicle from the father of American whistle-blowing is both an urgent warning and a call to arms to a public that has grown dangerously habituated to the idea that the means of our extinction will forever be on hair-trigger alert." He introduces us to the men who have coldly and with a God-like sense of righteous entitlement, put in place a plan that can, on a whim--not virtually, but literally--annihilate life on Earth. "A fascinating and terrifying account of nuclear war planning by a consultant from the RAND Corporation at the highest levels of government in the Kennedy administration.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"While Ellsberg confesses to having held dangerous and delusional beliefs that he no longer holds, to having worked within an institution plotting genocide, to having taken well-meaning steps as an insider that backfired, and to having written words he did not agree with, we also learn from this book that he did effectively and significantly move the U.S. government in the direction of less reckless and horrific policies long before dropping out and becoming a whistleblower. In any case, we now have a book that draws on Ellsberg’s memory, documents made public over the decades, advancing scientific understanding, the work of other whistleblowers and researchers, the confessions of other nuclear war planners, and the additional developments of the past generation or so. Here we read an up-close account from within the White House and Pentagon of a group of people making plans for nuclear wars based on a completely false conception of what nuclear bombs would do (leaving the results of fire and smoke out of casualty calculations, and lacking the very idea of nuclear winter), and based on completely fabricated accounts of what the Soviet Union was doing (believing it was thinking offense when it was thinking defense, believing it had 1,000 intercontinental ballistic missiles when it had four), and based on wildly flawed understandings of what others in the U.S. government itself were doing (with levels of secrecy denying both true and false information to the public and much of the government). This is an account of extravagant disregard for human life, outdoing that of the creators and testers of the atomic bomb, who placed bets on whether it would ignite the atmosphere and burn up the earth. Ellsberg’s colleagues were so driven by bureaucratic rivalries and ideological hatreds that they’d favor or oppose more land-based missiles if it benefited the Air Force or hurt the Navy, and they’d plan for any combat with Russia to immediately require the nuclear destruction of every city in Russia and China (and in Europe via Soviet medium-range missiles and bombers and from the close-in fallout from U.S. nuclear strikes on Soviet bloc territory). Combine this portrait of our dear leaders with the number of near-misses through misunderstanding and accident that we’ve learned of over the years, and the remarkable thing is not that a fascistic fool sits in the White House today threatening fire and fury, with Congressional committee hearings publicly pretending nothing can be done to prevent a Trump-induced apocalypse. “The declared official rationale for such a system,” Ellsberg writes, “has always been primarily the supposed need to deter—or if necessary respond to—an aggressive Russian nuclear first strike against the United States. The nature, scale, and posture of our strategic nuclear forces has always been shaped by the requirements of quite different purposes: to attempt to limit the damage to the United States from Soviet or Russian retaliation to a U.S. first strike against the USSR or Russia. threats of ‘first use’—to prevail in regional, initially non-nuclear conflicts involving Soviet or Russian forces or their allies.”. But the United States never threatened nuclear war until Trump came along! They have used them in the precise way that a gun is used when it is pointed at someone in a confrontation.”. U.S. presidents who have made specific public or secret nuclear threats to other nations, that we know of, and as detailed by Ellsberg, have included Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump, while others, including Barack Obama, have frequently said things like “All options are on the table” in relation to Iran or another country. Not only did Congress just hear from a lineup of witnesses who each said that there might be no way to stop Trump or any other president from launching a nuclear war (given that impeachment and prosecution should not be mentioned in relation to anything so trivial as apocalypse prevention). Here’s Ellsberg: “Nor could the president then or now—by exclusive possession of the codes necessary to launch or detonate any nuclear weapons (no such exclusive codes have ever been held by any president)—physically or otherwise reliably prevent the Joint Chiefs of Staff or any theater military commander (or, as I’ve described, command post duty officer) from issuing such authenticated orders.” When Ellsberg managed to inform Kennedy of the authority Eisenhower had delegated to use nuclear weapons, Kennedy refused to reverse the policy. Ellsberg recounts his efforts to make civilian officials, the secretary of “defense” and the president, aware of top nuclear war plans kept secret and lied about by the military. It has been reported by insiders and scholars to have been a critical influence on U.S. strategic war planning ever since.”. Ellsberg’s account of the Cuban Missile Crisis alone is reason to get this book. While Ellsberg believed U.S. actual dominance (in contrast to myths about a “missile gap”) meant there would be no Soviet attack, Kennedy was telling people to hide underground. While everyone who nudged this crisis in the right direction may have helped save the world, including Vassily Arkhipov who refused to launch a nuclear torpedo from a Soviet submarine, the real hero of Ellsberg’s tale is, in the end, I think, Nikita Khrushchev, who chose predictable insults and shame over annihilation. Of course, Germany had already bombed civilians in Spain and Poland, as had Britain in Iraq, India, and South Africa, and as had both sides on a smaller scale in the first world war."
"This book exposes for the first time the secret plan developed by the government and approved by the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to launch a nuclear strike against Russia and China, under a range of possible circumstances, that they knew was likely to kill 600,000,000 people worldwide."
"Daniel Ellsberg made history by leaking the Pentagon Papers, and it is possible that he is the person most responsible for ending the atrocity of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg reveals that he personally wrote plans and reviewed strategies for the US to fight a nuclear war, against the Soviet Union or China. In the SIOP, for massive retaliation and Mutually Assured Destruction, Ellsberg reveals the the US planned to attack both the USSR and China in the event of war, no matter who started it or why. This extraordinary book reveals that he believed in the Communist threat and the domino theory enough that after he left academia, he actually went to RAND and then the Pentagon and personally wrote plans for waging nuclear war. As a metaphor, he went to Hell and made an alliance with the Devil, developing plans to end life on earth...and then he changed and became nearly a saint."
Best Energy Policy
Alone among the world's powers, only the United States is geographically wealthy, demographically robust, and energy secure. Just as the global economy tips into chaos, just as global energy becomes dangerous, just as the world really needs the Americans to be engaged, the United States will be...absent. Geopolitical Strategist Peter Zeihan is a global energy, demographic and security expert who marries the realities of geography and populations to a deep understanding of how global politics impact markets and economic trends, helping industry leaders navigate today's complex mix of geopolitical risks and opportunities.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In 2014, the author wrote a fascinating book “The Accidental Superpower.” It described how the U.S. benefits from a combination of geographic factors including maritime advantages (navigable river ways, natural harbors making for a network of low cost transportation), an ideal location from a security standpoint (an island-continent protected by huge oceans on each side, and surrounded by two friendly neighbors integrated in NAFTA). Its labor force will continue growing unlike in Japan and Russia where it is shrinking catastrophically rapidly. Zeihan also added near the end of the book that the emergence of shale oil production will render the U.S. increasingly energy independent. The U.S. will become less (financially) supportive of NATO and worldwide maritime routes security (end of Bretton Woods era). Zeihan indicated in his newsletter that if Hillary had won the election, the U.S. policy path would be identical but carried out at a slower pace. Within “The Accidental Superpower” Zeihan explored the fate of various countries and supranational entities including Russia, China, Japan, Europe and the Euro Zone in particular. U.S. shale oil has improved its efficiency by developing new technologies including micro-seismic exploration and multilateral drilling that leverages Big Data live information. Because of those improvements, even though the industry was closing down many shale operations during the price war, the remaining survivors produced a lot more oil per rig than ever before (graph pg. This is an advantage that may contribute to the reindustralisation of the U.S. And, lower energy costs (petroleum and natural gas) have implications affecting numerous part of the consumer, chemical, pharmaceutical, and industrial product sectors (diagram on pg. As a consequence of the emergence of U.S. shale oil, the international oil markets will fragment into at least two (if not more) separate markets: a) a US domestic one where prices will be chronically low and not volatile; and b) the traditional international one where prices will be a lot more volatile and have frequent spikes at or above $100 even $150 associated with Gulf crisis, wars, etc. In the Twilight War, he describes how Russia in order to preempt its unfortunate geography (flat and vulnerable to attacks) and demography (rapidly shrinking population) will attempt to rebuild the USSR by either invading or controlling former satellite countries (he designates 11 such countries on pg. By attempting this land grab, Russia will have much friction with both Scandinavia and Turkey; but such prospective conflicts will experience stalemate without shift in borders or control from existing arrangements. The Next Gulf War is really about the tension between Iran (Shiites) and Saudi Arabia (Sunnis) who both compete for supremacy in the Region. Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon … will lose the ability to maintain populations more than one-third their current size.” (pg. The tension between China and Japan in protecting their respective access to oil energy will affect the entire Far East. Zeihan frequently refers to the “Asian premium.”. The last chapter of the Part II: Disorder is on the international private major companies. By contrast BP has been pretty much wiped out in the aftermath of its Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The U.S. will continue to maintain close trade and direct investment ties with this region to recreate supply chains to replace or diversify away from relying on China’s manufacturing. And, Latin America needs the income that will be generated by the U.S. Dollar diplomacy to repay its foreign debt and feed its people. 385, he shares a graph that depicts a time series of the estimated temperature increase caused by a doubling of CO2 based on studies completed between 2001 and 2014. However, when looking at the Bureau of Economic Analysis time series focusing on the trade of goods only (not services) imports have risen from 1.6% of GDP in 1942 to 12.7% in 2015. This is not an isolationist nation, but instead one that is increasingly becoming a hub of industrial design whereby the actual goods are manufactured and assembled out of the U.S. By the same token, the U.S. runs a resulting chronic large Current Account Deficit. This has to result in a shortage of American engineers, mathematicians, and scientists that has unfavorable implication in the current Big Data-Artificial Intelligence race."
"There is some great in depth explanation and analysis of the US shale oil industry abd the technology coming online to make it extremely productive and competitive."
"The thesis of the book is that as the US becomes energy independent, it will be less interested in world trade (true, since most of our imports are either oil or from China) and less interested in military intervention. My book, Baltic Attack, gives a fictional take at how stealth Air Power could affect that war (I was an aircraft engineer)."
Best International Diplomacy
Based on unprecedented access to previously classified documents and dozens of interviews with key policymakers, here is the untold story of how George H. W. Bush faced a critical turning point of history—the end of the Cold War. Amazingly, when the Soviet Union--with its 20,000 or so nuclear weapons--collapsed, the world became (for a time, anyway) more peaceful and prosperous, thanks in no small part to the wisdom, vision, and restraint of President George H.W. Bush. “The Cold War’s end offered peril and promise, and Jeffrey A. Engel’s revealing and deeply researched new history demonstrates that George H.W.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As the rumors spread, the flailing Communist regime was suddenly gripped by terror that controlling the thousands of East Berliners at the gate, and the thousands of West Berliners waiting to embrace them, could end in a river of blood as it had in Tienanmen Square just weeks earlier. But more than anything the story that Engel weaves is of President Bush, in the face of Right Wing resistance, cautiously embracing the realization that the end of the Cold War was at hand and the challenge of not getting in it's way.When the World Seemed New: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War."
"It is subtitled ‘George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War’ but actually reviews Bush’s overall record on the world stage, which also includes the US interventions in Panama and Somalia; the First Gulf War; and negotiations for NAFTA and the expansion of NATO, although Engel regards Bush’s keeping lines of communication open with China despite the horrors of Tiananmen Square as “his single greatest diplomatic achievement”. Now it is obviously perfectly possible to make out this case if, like Engel, you admit that others (most notably Gorbachev) may have had as great, or even a greater, impact upon events; if you characterise Bush’s vision in relatively modest terms; if you admit that Bush was fallible; and if you are flexible regarding the application of time-scales in which to assess his achievements. And so, we don't need to be out there trying to micromanage the desire for change.”. That is to say, it is central to Engel’s revisionist appreciation of Bush that a large part of his success consisted of benign inactivity and specifically in counselling no crowing over America’s “winning” of the Cold War and the spreading of “its” democratic values, yet in making the case for Bush Engel cannot always resist the temptation to express patriotic pride. Thus one sentence (ignoring the British Empire) postulates that “If one ranks the American empire as the world’s most powerful, rivalled only by imperial Rome in its heyday, then for a brief moment … George H. W. Bush was the most powerful man in human history.” More tellingly still, Engel at one point refers to the Soviet Union having “surrendered”. Since we did not, a moral outrage was committed and Saddam Hussein stayed in power, and the US had to keep forces in Saudi Arabia to defend against a renewed strike on Kuwait by a reconstituted Republican Guard.”. In short, Engel puts up a spirited defence of Bush which makes interesting reading but ultimately his attempted enhancement of Bush’s reputation on the world stage is achieved by dodging some difficult questions. In bigging up Bush, Engel is thus sometimes guilty of beating around the bush."
"Interesting bit on page 390 that the end of the Cold War was rather in 1990, than 1991, when the Soviet Union decided not to help Iraq."
"Bush's foreign policy and underlying strategic views."
"I was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s, which meant I knew there was once a Cold War, I knew the west had won, and every history professor I ever had assumed I knew how it happened because I was alive when it occurred - never mind that I was three years old when the Berlin Wall Fell."
"In this time of upheaval in the American presidency, and antagonism on the world stage, it is refreshing to read about a time when the President acted presidential, understood the ramifications of his actions, and worked to avoid (rather than encourage) international upheaval."
"I found this to be both an insightful and entertaining read."
Best International Political Treaties
Jay Sekulow—one of America’s most influential attorneys—explores a post Obama landscape where bureaucracy has taken over our government and provides a practical roadmap to help take back our personal liberties. The bureaucracy violates the rights of Americans without accountability—persecuting adoptive parents, denying veterans quality healthcare, discriminating against conservatives and Christians for partisan purposes, and damaging our economy with job-killing rules. Jay Sekulow is widely regarded as one of the foremost free speech and religious liberties litigators in the United States, having argued twelve times before the US Supreme Court in some of the most groundbreaking First Amendment cases of the past quarter century.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Every American who is concerned about the direction of the country in the midst of almost unimaginable change can learn a great deal from Sekulow's careful, scholarly and nonpartisan analysis of the. bureaucracy that grows more powerful daily."
"Love the ability to listen while I drive."
"I consider myself a well informed American but my socks were blown off when I started reading this book."
"This book explains, in easy to understand detail, what our current government has plunged our country into and the steps we need to take to reclaim our American Heritage."
"Do all you can to save this country; the LORD could use your time, your talents and your treasure to Jesus the evil are numerous: but "the laborers are few, PRAY ye the LORD of the harvest to send laborers (paraphrase-of which you need to be one) into HIS harvest field."."
"Jay "tells it like it is" in a "no-holds-barred" fashion."
"The style of writing is engaging and easy to follow considering the complexities and intrigue that characterize the massive exploitation by government agencies. It will be an invaluable tool for those of us who want to shrink the massive growth of the federal government and restore checks and balances that will not allow executive agencies to have so much unconstitutional power."
"We are losing our freedoms and thank the Lord we have someone like Jay Sekulow fighting for us."
Best Caribbean & Latin American Politics
Through oral histories, personal interviews, eyewitness accounts, congressional testimony, and recently declassified FBI files, War Against All Puerto Ricans tells the story of a forgotten revolution and its context in Puerto Rico's history, from the US invasion in 1898 to the modern-day struggle for self-determination. A meticulous and riveting account of the decades-long clash between the Puerto Rican independence movement, led by Pedro Albizu Campos, and the commonwealth's U.S.-appointed stewards, national police force, the FBI and, ultimately, the U.S. Army" Ray Monell, New York Daily News. "[Nelson Denis] provides scathing insights into Washington's response to Albizu Campos's nationalist party and its violent revolution in 1950 that still has broad implications...his perspective of largely overlooked history could not be more timely." "In searing and well-researched prose, former New York assemblyman and El Diario editorial director Denis covers a much-neglected side of U.S. imperialist and colonial practice in Puerto Rico...The historical account he adeptly weaves unabashedly reveals the government's racist and often predatory actions toward its Caribbean colony...This timely, eye-opening title is as much a must-read as Juan Gonzalez's Harvest of Empire ." Denis provides a more detailed account, thanks to exclusive interviews conducted over a span of decades, as well as thousands of public records, including recently de-classified FBI documents." Here we have a full-throated eulogy of brave heroes, men and women of conviction, who devoted every drop of their blood to a people and a principle...Denis packs 258 pages (plus another 71 pages of notes) with detailed accounts of government corruption, police abuse, Wall Street greed, scientific experimentation, politicking, graft, racism, wholesale slaughter, surveillance, assassinations, eugenics, propaganda, espionage, forgery and falsification all within the span of half a century, and on an island no bigger than Connecticut." A patient, calibrated, fully-researched study of the mendacious, hypocritical way the United States treats its Caribbean colony, castrating its leadership, bombarding its villages, experimenting biologically with its population. As more than a half century of failed US policy toward Cuba comes to a slow end, Nelson Denis's fascinating new book is a timely reminder of that other island in the Caribbean that the United States took possession of in 1898: Puerto Rico.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was stunned and astounded by Nelson Denis’enthralling book, “ War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony.” This book documents a "secret history" of Puerto Rico that is not taught in our schools - not in the US, and definitely not in Puerto Rico. Yet these events did happen, and they are presented this meticulously researched book with nearly 100 pages of footnotes as well as many intriguing photos of that epoch. By the end of the book, the entire US government has been placed on the witness stand, cross-examined, and found guilty of stealing an entire island."
"War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony may very well be "The Definitive Guide" to Puerto Rico's independence movement and Pedro Albizu Campos but it's not for any sense of objective completeness. You'll read about the USA's bombing its own citizens; performing irradiation on political prisoners; systemically purchasing the private property and disenfranchising Puerto Ricans of land ownership; converting the island into a sugar monocrop; the process of sterilization of 1/3 of Puerto Rican women; examples of obvious propagandizing and racism leading up to the invasion of the Puerto Rico; and the assignment of puppet governors on the island to control the people while maintaining the aura of democracy."
"Everybody should read this book, Puerto Ricans and non-Puerto Ricans alike."
"It is a historical book; it exposes the tragic history of my country and how it was raped and pillaged by the US empire."
"This is a comprehensive and enthralling book detailing the injustices endured by Puerto Ricans, particularly during the earlier decades of the American occupation of Puerto Rico."
"This book have gave me a better understanding of the present situation regarding the island status and chaos."
Best Australian & Oceanian Politics
Penguin the Magpie is the extraordinary true story of recovery, hope, and courage as one injured bird and her human family learn to heal and celebrate life, featuring the gorgeous photography of Cameron Bloom and a captivating narrative by New York Times bestselling author of The Blue Day Book Bradley Trevor Greive. The connections that Sam and her family make through love reveal a triumph of the human and of the bird spirit. This is a remarkable story of human suffering and a rescued bird who returns the love she received.” (Frans de Waal, author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?). "This beautiful, profound, life-changing book carries the message that wild birds have a depth of emotion, intelligence, individuality, and personality with which they can communicate empathetically and profoundly with people. I find myself returning to this healing story again and again to marvel at and be inspired by the gorgeous souls of Penguin the Magpie and her human family." “From the instant Penguin tumbles from her nest down to the pavement, this book embodies the discovery of how another being can bring new depth and meaning to our lives, even in the darkest times.Through nuanced photographs and unassuming prose, it reveals an insight both familiar and fantastical—hope and healing are within our grasp when we look beyond ourselves.” (Vint Virga, DVM, author of The Soul of All Living Creatures).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is an absolute treasure."
"'On a wing and a prayer', and with incredible photos, you, too, will fall in love with this beautiful family."
"I was extremely moved by this story of love, family, compassion and perseverance."
"I just finished reading it and am in tears but also filled with joy and awe at the beautiful journey and inspirational story it tells."
"A beautiful story of how we grieve during times of loss and how the love of family and a quirky little bird has the power to bring joy and purpose back into your life."
"Inspiring, amazing and vert sweet."
"This was a very warm story and the photos are beautiful throughout."
"I loved this book and prayed we adopt a little wounded bird someday."
Best Middle Eastern Politics
“One of the very best books to come out of the war in Iraq,” (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, bestselling author of On Killing ), The Last Punisher is a gripping and intimate on-the-ground memoir from a Navy SEAL who was part of SEAL Team THREE with American Sniper Chris Kyle. “A rare glimpse into the mind of a Navy SEAL,” (Clint Emerson, New York Times bestselling author of 100 Deadly Skills ) Kevin Lacz brings you onto the battlefield and relays the tough realities of war. An instant classic that will be of enormous value to future warriors, scholars, and anyone who cares about our military and our veterans.”. (Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, bestselling author of On Killing). "[Lacz's] pungent, plain-spoken account has lots of butt-kicking and some tears, and serves to remind civilian readers again that war is another world...an unapologetic tribute to the habits and attitudes of the professional warriors of SEAL Team THREE...a late but worthy arrival to the Navy SEAL memoir genre." The finest story of a SEAL team in combat: alternately violent, thoughtful, funny and raw. Serving with the elite Navy Seals, Kevin faced bullets and bombs to stop terrorists from coming toward us. In The Last Punisher, Kevin tells his story in a compelling and earthy way that brings the challenges of the soldier to every page. "A remarkable tribute to the power of teamwork and a rare honest glimpse into a brotherhood where the stakes are life and death. (John Rocker, retired Major League Baseball pitcher and director of public affairs for Save Homeless Veterans).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"That said, I've never met Mr. Lacz so I have no personal connection with him though I learned, after reading his book that he apparently lives in my old stomping grounds in the Panhandle. I figured it would be like all the other books out there where authors talks more about their accomplishment, with perhaps some embellishments here and there, mix in a little CDI (chick dig it) lingo and presto "I'm a hero." Mr. Lacz gives the ground truth of war and the warriors who fight to protect our freedoms along with his own experiences, warts and all. The Last Punisher will put you under the helmet and in the books kicking of moon dust as you walk the streets of Ramadi. If you've seen the movies; American Sniper, Lone Survivor, 13 hrs, and so forth, you can easily visualize where Lacz is taking you. (Forgive me Dauber but Amazon censors). Lacz does not get into the politics of war save for the REMFs (get the book for the definition) who were calling the shots putting people in harms way oftentimes with poor judgment."
"A good account of the training and growth of Special operators."
"Continued thoughts and prayers for your fallen Brother's and their families. Be safe Brother!!!!!"
"Having just attended the 10 year anniversary of Marc Lee's death, I can honestly say everyone should definitely read such a touching, authentic and compelling account of one Teamguy's experience."
"After reading the whole book and reflecting on it I felt like Kevin was living in the shadows of Chris Kyle."
"While reading certain parts of the story where I'm caught up in what is happening and on the edge of my seat, the author would throw a description of for example the smell of their quarters that catch me and I laugh out loud."
"Got my kindle on a Friday after Prime Day, had a few books I downloaded to read for a short trip to the West Coast."
"While no man will ever have the legendary story of Chris Kyle I'd actually say The Last Punisher is a more well-written book than American Sniper."
Best Russian & Former Soviet Union Politics
It was a massive attack on America but the Russian hacks appeared to have a singular goal―elect Donald J. Trump as president of the United States. New York Times bestselling author of Defeating ISIS , Airey Neave Memorial Book Prize finalist for Hacking ISIS , career intelligence officer, and MSNBC terrorism expert correspondent Malcolm Nance’s fast paced real-life spy thriller takes you from Vladimir Putin’s rise through the KGB from junior officer to spymaster-in-chief and spells out the story of how he performed the ultimate political manipulation―convincing Donald Trump to abandon seventy years of American foreign policy including the destruction of NATO, cheering the end of the European Union, allowing Russian domination of Eastern Europe, and destroying the existing global order with America at its lead. The Plot to Hack America is the thrilling true story of how Putin’s spy agency, run by the Russian billionaire class, used the promise of power and influence to cultivate Trump as well as his closest aides, the Kremlin Crew, to become unwitting assets of the Russian government. “ The Plot to Hack America is an essential primer for anyone wanting to be fully informed about the unprecedented events surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Subsequent developments show that Nance, the experienced intelligence operative, was way ahead of the curve .”. –Michael Lipkin, New York Journal of Books. “ Every single assertion Nance offers is backed by material from the PUBLIC record, clearly documented in end notes.”. –Kenneth J. Bernstein, Daily Kos. “If you had read this book as I did in November 2016 after Trump’s surprising, even to him, election, you would have known all this and all the characters now appearing who were in the Trump orbit and campaign… Thanks to the hero of the day, Malcolm Nance, we all now see where Mueller’s investigation is going and how its widening net includes interviewing White House insiders and Trump’s family members... By reading this book, at the urging of some of my key European advisors, I was forewarned of exactly how the Internet and all our media would be used by the Kremlin hackers to exploit the gullibility of US voters, so as to create today’s confusion and further divisions in our society.”. –Hazel Henderson, Ethical Markets. “In his detailed and informed study Nance argues that, in effect, America's War on Terror created a new breed of vicious terrorists who wear the mask of Islam like actors in a Kabuki theatre while carrying out horrifically un-Islamic acts.”. ―Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC News, from his foreword. The absurd claims were immediately refuted directly by a presidential candidate’s family.”. ―Dmitry Peskov,Russian government spokesman. “In the era of corporate dominated mainstream media and feckless herd reporting, Skyhorse's willingness to tackle tough issues that other publishers won't touch has made it a critical cog in our democracy .”. –Robert F. Kennedy Jr., New York Times bestselling author.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In chapter five, the author discusses Russia’s new model of coordinating all aspects of intelligence, propaganda, and cyber operations, which he calls “hybrid warfare.” We learn about advanced persistent threats or APTs, which are “a description of malware toolkits used by hackers.” These hacker groups have been active in other countries as well, such as Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, and others. For example, we have the leaks prior to the Democratic National Convention which ended up pitting Bernie supporters against Hillary supporters; after Trump’s speech on immigration after the Mexico visit, DCCC documents from Pelosi’s computer on immigration and other items were released; within days of the NY Times stating that anything Trump said needed fact-checking, the Cyber Bears hacked the news organization; a similar thing occurred with Newsweek, and we could go on. Nance concludes by saying that, “Russian use of cyber weapons to perform criminal acts and damage our electoral process was intended to remove faith in America itself.” He sees politics itself under attack due to hacking and demagoguery."
"OMG Malcolm nailed it."
"They REPORT the news they DON'T MANUFACTURE the news."
"Mr. Nance nailed the factual truth with supportive information."
"This book makes me afraid and angry at the same time."
"Wow."
"It has never been more important to use critical thinking in the consumption of information."
"People still fawn over Obama and Hillary thinking Trump is the problem."
Best Political Trades and Tariffs
By the middle of the nineteenth century, the British East India Company faced the loss of its monopoly on the fantastically lucrative tea trade with China, forcing it to make the drastic decision of sending Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to steal the crop from deep within China and bring it back to British plantations in India. "The plot for Sarah Rose's For All the Tea in China seems tailor-made for a Hollywood thriller...a story that should appeal to readers who want to be transported on a historic journey laced with suspense, science and adventure." "In For All the Tea in China , the most eventful era of the tea plant gets the inspired treatment it deserves." "In this lively account of the adventures (and misadventures) that lay behind Robert Fortune's bold acquisition of Chinese tea seedlings for transplanting in British India, Sarah Rose demonstrates in engaging detail how botany and empire- building went hand in hand." Sarah Rose conjures up the time and tales as British Legacy Teas are created before our eyes. " For All The Tea In China is a rousing Victorian adventure story chronicling the exploits of botanical thief Robert Fortune, who nearly single- handedly made the British tea industry possible in India.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Methinks the reviewers who attack the book on scholarly grounds have no concept of the Journalistic license popularized, but not invented, by Truman Capote ["In Cold Blood"] in the non-fiction novel genre. [The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction."
"I'm only half way through but this a wonderful book on so many levels: history, natural history, scientific history, economics, botany and not the least of all, a must for any tea lover."
"This book tells the story of a botanist who traveled through portions of China digging up tea plants, learning how best to cultivate them and how to make the best tea."
"This is an entertaining book which covers botany, tea, and the history of the English "theft" of tea."
"Loved this book."
"I drink a cup of tea w/new respect and knowledge."
"In the 1840s the British Empire and the British East India Company were rising powers, while China was in the first stages of a century long decline. Tea was a drink which had become increasingly important to Europeans, especially the British, and a small group of opportunistic and amoralofficials in the East India Company engaged in some skulldeggery and outright theft to obtain tea plants which could then be cultivated in Britain's "jewel in the crown," India."
"I liked the fact that this book had two titles, for the sole reason to advertise and appeal to United States verses European audiences."
Best Canadian Politics
Further, these pages hold a detailed discussion of Trump-style solutions for national security, education, health care, economic growth, government reform, and other important topics. The very essence of Trump's mission is a willingness to enact policies and set goals that send our country in a bold new direction - one that may be "unreasonable" to Washington but is sensible to millions of Americans outside the Beltway. He is a Fox News contributor and author of 34 books, including 14 New York Times bestsellers.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Excellent excellent excellent."
"Bought this for my husband for Christmas, he said it was a very good book."
"In any case, this book goes a long way toward articulating the ideological trends that drove Trump to a historic victory in the presidential election, giving context to the man himself, and looking forward to give us a glimpse of what we can expect in the future."
"OK, so it seems I posted my review on the wrong book- this is by far the BEST book on both the 2016 election and Donald Trump I've seen yet- and I've read over 2 dozen."
"If you love Trump, then you have an opportunity to find out why so many people are exploding with hatred for him. Similarly, if you hate him, it would be interesting to find out what it was about him that appealed to enough voters to win the election. Praise: In the front of the book, Gingrich explains the methods behind some of Trump's crazy habits. When a radio interviewer asked him to name some leaders in the middle east conflict, he quickly admitted he couldn't do that, but he'd know all about them when he needed to. I work in a technical job, where there are too many domains and details to hold in consciousness all the time; they will literally paralyze me. I practice Trump's method, holding on to what I need to know about the job at hand, confident I can throw new data in when necessary. I can't offer a solution but I'd like to say this: We'll never get anywhere until we admit that our present costs are unacceptable and that other countries do this MUCH better than we do."
"He includes parts of speeches given by numerous people as well as Trump speeches. He also includes numerous excerpts from written material."
"Thoroughly enjoyed this book."
Best Asian Politics
Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and to realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. ‘Hyeonseo Lee brought the human consequences of global inaction on North Korea to the world's doorstep … Against all odds she escaped, survived, and had the courage to speak out’ Samantha Power, U.S. representative to the U.N. Recently graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, she has become a regular speaker on the international stage fostering human rights and awareness of the plight of North Koreans.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Being so close to the border they could also get Chinese cell phone service and calls could be made to North Korea using Chinese cells. She withstood an interrogation by the Chinese police and was able to convince them she was Chinese due to her ability to speak Mandarin and her mastery of Chinese Characters, which she attributes to her father pushing her to study while she was in school. She has dangerous interactions with gangs, which she survives, was assaulted badly by an unknown assailant with a 1 liter beer bottle, an incident that did put her in the hospital and other adventures. They chose Laos, a backwater whose insufferable bureaucracy and corrupt civil service made things hard."
"The book is divided into parts, describing the author's life in North Korea, then her life in China (an entire decade), escape to South Korea, and finally, the ordeal of getting her mother and brother out of North Korea. In China, she makes a life and barely avoids deportation, being captured by human traffickers, and an arranged marriage to a complete zero."
"Few people that live outside North Korea (myself included) can fully understand the brutal horror that is a daily reality for the average people who are enslaved there."
"As tensions between the U.S. and North Korea escalate, I cannot fathom a more pertinent story to inform the rest of the world of the plight of North Koreans...in their own country as well as much of Asia, and the rest of the world really. And no, it was not lost on me that this brave young woman and her family could not just stop to take a breather while living this gut-wrenching saga. You are an extraordinary young woman, daughter, sister, and world citizen with a voice for oppressed persons the world over."
Best African Politics
13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. Written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, this riveting book takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country. The Annex Security Team consists of the five surviving CIA contract operators who responded to the September 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The fast paced, down to earth account given by the survivors made me swell with pride that there are good guys out there, willing to take on evil to protect others and what we should all hold dear."
"It is the account of what happened during the attack on our diplomatic outpost and CIA annex by the heroic defenders of the compounds."
"Excellent book."
"The leadership at the State Department was squarely at fault for the lack of adequate security, failing to pull the mission out of Benghazi in time, and the reliance on local militias as the go to defense of our own people."
"It's hard to believe that Chris Stephens told the State Department about the lack of security and they did nothing."
"The story doesn't delve into the political battle concerning Hillary Clinton and the lack of preparation or support from the State Department - that's not the focus of this story - this is the story of those men on the ground, the decisions they faced, the effort they gave and the blood they shed."
"It made me very mad to read just how this whole thing could have been avoided or at least the danger diminished but the powers to be just wouldn't do the right thing."
"I did find it interesting that he makes a brief mention of when the facts as relayed to him by the men don't line up with other official or unofficial reports."
Best Arms Control
The book reignited the American conservative movement and made Barry Goldwater a political star.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"All conservatives must have this book."
"To me, it's clear Goldwater is not advocating victory through force, but is suggesting the US should collaborate with policies that would be illegal for us, and should not support a system that truly was inhumane."
"It says Conscience of a Conservative, but reads like Conscience of a Libertarian."
"When I first read the subject book years ago I thought it read like a manifesto for the liberal philosophical position."
"This is an excellent book that lays out sound reasons why we should favor private markets over the welfare state and why capitalism is the moral system that respects human dignity and the human spirit."
"I found the basis of a lot of conservative thought that exist today within the text of this writing."
"This was during the height of the cold war and his foreign policy is remarkably relevant to our current international political scene."
"Goldwater made a Conservative out of this Liberal, some fifty or sixty years ago...."
Best European Politics Books
Settling Accounts became Mein Kampf, an unparalleled example of muddled economics and history, appalling bigotry, and an intense self-glorification of Adolf Hitler as the true founder and builder of the National Socialist movement. For in its pages Hitler announced -- long before he came to power -- a program of blood and terror in a self-revelation of such overwhelming frankness that few among its readers had the courage to believe it ... That such a man could go so far toward realizing his ambitions, and -- above all -- could find millions of willing tools and helpers; that is a phenomenon the world will ponder for centuries to come." Mein Kampf must be read and constantly remembered as a specimen of evil demagoguery that people whenever men grow tired of thinking and acting for themselves. In his translation Ralph Manheim has taken particular care to give an exact English equivalent of Hitler's highly individual, and often awkward style, including his occasional grammatical errors. We believe this book should stand as the complete, final, and definitive English version of Hitler's own story of his life, his political philosophy, and his thwarted plans for world domination. The book details Hitler's childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the desire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I am not here to criticize or defend Hitler, but as a historian, professor, author and a journalist, I am here to release a factual, fair, unbiased and objective analysis of this book, yet first to make a few points: I. In America we don’t ban or censor information (like this book is banned in Germany), on the contrary we allow public to read Communist, Fascist, Islamic, Nazi and all other ideologies’ texts, and then judge for themselves about these texts. As much as Hitler is criticized and hated in the West, yet he is admired and adored in many parts of the world such as East Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary), Middle East (Turkey, Iran, and many Arab nations) and other areas. Like it or not, Hitler is the architect and creator of a global political and economical ideology named National Socialism (Nazism) which any free thinker or curious person must study like he studies any other ideology. There is also a fine introduction by Bob Carruthers (Scottish historian, scholar, filmmaker and author) included."
"If you read this book with focus, objectivity, and equip yourself with the tools for critical thinking, you will gain much insight into the causes of these endless wars and social upheavals that plague the planet today."
"Interesting book."
"Yaay colorized pictures on the back and it's easy to write essays with, thanks to its annotations and organization."
"It is not the easiest book to understand."
"very eye opening, you really get a sense of what was going on in his head."