Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror by Michael Scheuer Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror
Book Review: A must read.
Summary: 5 Stars
Mr. Scheuer takes a serious look at why U.S. policy towards our Islamist enemies is failing and makes a compelling argument for a means to reverse this trend. As someone with years of experience in our "global war on terrorism," his discussion regarding how to deal with our enemy on the field of battle are the most illuminating I have heard since the war began. He argues that our war strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan are tantamount to Grant and Sherman occupying Richmond and Atlanta while leaving the Confederate armies marching around the Southern countryside. We need to strike out at our enemies and utterly eliminate them before we even think about nation building.Book Review: repetitive
Summary: 3 Stars
I really liked the first 100 pages of this book. That's all one should really read because there is nothing new after the first 100 pages. The most illuminating chapter was the second: An Unprepared and Ignorant Lunge to Defeat - The US in Afghanistan. A lot of info I didn't know about in there. Besides the fact that our war effort is run more by PCness than strategy, they hate us for what we do not who we are, there isn't much more to take from this tome. At time Anonymous sounds a bit too laudatory of Bin Laden and his criticisms are sometimes too uncharitable. He doesn't think we should necessarily give up our war effort. But he thinks we need to be more efficient in defeating the enemy (kill more, let God sort them out), and change our interventionist policies which will alleviate the anti-American sentiment around the Islamic world.
Anways, too darn long.
Book Review: Well Reasoned Argument
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Scheuer has been painted in some quarters as a crank. Of course, these people have not read this book. It is a well reasoned argument that the US should not do nation building in the Middle East (just look what happened in Iran when the US installed The Shah; Pakistan anyone?). His knowledge is vast, and he writes very well. Michael Scheuer's conclusion is not to run and hide. It is to stop invading Muslim lands to support corrupt regimes. But if the US is attacked to hit back with massive force in surgical strikes. His strategy is similar to the human body fighting off a virus. It will never go away, just hopefully contained. Cold War version 2.0.
Nation building is a very dangerous business. Better that the US go back to being a beacon of freedom lighting the way to happiness for the peoples of the world.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
"Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil." - Thomas Paine (Common Sense)
Book Review: Great writing
Summary: 5 Stars
Aside from obviously, as Bin Laden himself said, being an accurate summary of Al Quaeda's grievances, it is beautifully written. It's rare for someone to write so well and not be correct in what they write also so I would guess he is on the money. And it is unusual for an American to write so well (careful here....). I keep reading reviews of books saying they are very well-written and honestly they're not. But this one is. Scheuer is a naturally good writer and it's worth reading for that alone.Book Review: I will never read another book recommended to me by Osama!
Summary: 2 Stars
I was really looking foward to reading this book after all the hype surrounding it. This book seemed, to others in my family as well as myself, like a collection of what other people said in their books or newspaper articles. I just grabbed the book off of my bookshelf so that I could glance at it to help me with this review as far as what to write and I noticed something. A large percent of the pages that I flipped to had qoutes from other people. It seems like no matter what page I flip to I see *as so in so wrote in the New York times or just like so in so warned in 2002* it seems to never end. I personally just don't care for books like that, I think that it's cheap, not to mention the fact that it seems like if you've read one book about our present situation in the Middle East, you've read them all. I just couldn't get into this one.