Defeat: Why America and Britain Lost Iraq

by Jonathan Steele

From the publisher:
As the dreadful reality of the coalition's defeat in Iraq begins to sink in, one question dominates Washington and London: Why? In this controversial new book, Jonathan Steele provides a stark and arresting answer: Bush and Blair were defeated from the day they decided to occupy the country. Steele describes the centuries of humiliation that have scarred the Iraqi national psyche, creating a powerful and deeply felt nationalism and spreading cultural landmines along the road to winning Baghdad. Steele shows for the first time how the invasion and occupation were perceived by ordinary Iraqis, whose feelings and experiences were completely ignored by Western policymakers. The result of such arrogance, Steele demonstrates, was a failure that will forever resonate with such dark chapters of American and British history as the Vietnam War and the Suez Canal crisis. Blending vivid reportage, informed analysis, and sweeping historical narrative, Defeat is the definitive post-mortem on this pivotal catastrophe.

The Globalization of Terror: The Challenge of Al-Qaida and the Response of the International Community

by Yoram Schweitzer and Shaul Shay

From the publisher:
The terrorist destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 was the climax of a course plotted by Osama Bin-Laden to bring about his apocalyptic vision of a decisive clash between the Western and Moslem worlds. This timely volume details the organizational workings and belief system of Bin-Laden's brutal campaign. The authors explore the background and objectives of the attacks, the elaborate planning that went into them, and the process of their practical execution. In addition to its factual account, "The Globalization of Terror" makes a significant contribution to scholarly and theoretical research dealing with international terror. The book offers a unique analysis of the Afghan "alumni," who had previously fought the Soviets in the 1980s, within the overall tapestry related to modern international terror. The authors detail how their activities evolved from a movement of national self-defense to the militant worldview identified with radical Islam. The book reveals, as well, the organizational structure so carefully erected by Bin-Laden and his associates, in order to realize the vision of a worldwide Islamic Caliphate in practical terms.
The book is intended to work as a set of guidelines for newcomers to the world of international terrorism including anti-terror task forces, heads of security companies as well as professionals in the field.The importance of "The Globalization of Terror" lies in its clear presentation and precise analysis regarding the dimensions of the danger international terror poses to the free world, and in its recommendations for the necessary strategy to prevent the recurrence of acts of large-scale terror.

Therapy After Terror: 9/11, Psychotherapists, and Mental Health

by Karen M. Seeley

From the publisher:
Therapy After Terror examines the 2001 World Trade Center attack from the perspectives of New York City mental health professionals who treated the psychologically wounded following the attack. Therapists discuss the attack's effects on their patients, its personal and professional consequences for them, and the ways it challenged fundamental aspects of clinical theory and practice. The book describes crisis mental health services that were established after the attack, as well as longer-term treatments. It also examines notions of trauma, diagnostic procedures, and the politics of psychological treatment. Karen M. Seeley is a social worker and psychotherapist who teaches in the Anthropology Department at Columbia University. Utilizing her unique interdisciplinary background she provides a detailed study of the post-9/11 mental health crisis, including depictions of the restricted "hot spots" such as the Lexington Avenue Armory, Family Assistance Centers, and Respite Centers at Ground Zero, where mental health workers delivered aid.

Karen M. Seeley's interests lie at the intersection of psychology and anthropology. She is a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University, where she teaches courses on culture and mental health, trauma, disaster, and psychological anthropology, and she teaches cultural psychology in the Psychology Department at Barnard College. She is also a psychotherapist with a private practice in New York City. She has a Master's in education from Harvard University, a Master's in social work from New York University, and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in cultural psychology. Dr. Seeley's interdisciplinary training informs her approach to mental health. She has brought anthropological perspectives on culture, society, and power to bear on clinical practice, and has critically investigated western theories of mental health, the culture of psychological clinics, and the dynamics of intercultural psychological treatments. She also has developed new modes of ethnographic inquiry that foreground cultural material in intercultural clinical encounters. Dr. Seeley writes, lectures, and consults on culture and mental health. She is the author of Cultural Psychotherapy: Working with Culture in the Clinical Encounter. In addition, she has published articles in a number of journals, including Social Work, the Psychoanalytic Review, and Psychotherapy and Politics International.

Killing Civilians: Method, Madness and Morality in War

by Hugo Slim

From the publisher:
When civilians suffer in war, it is often a deliberate act. Massacres, rape, displacement, famine, and disease are the strategic decisions of political and military leaders who make civilians their targets in order to gain the upper hand in battle. Yet there still exists the precious and fragile belief-ingrained in modern international law-that unarmed and innocent people should be protected in war, even if, in practice, the principle of civil immunity is often ignored or rejected.

Hoping to rectify this injustice, Hugo Slim uses detailed historical and contemporary examples to reveal the many ways civilians suffer in war. A leading commentator on international humanitarian action and the protection of civilians in war, Slim analyzes the anti-civilian ideologies that encourage and perpetuate suffering and exposes the exploitation of moral ambiguity that is used to sanction extreme hostility. At what point does killing civilians become part of winning a war? Why are some methods of killing used while others are avoided?

Bolstering his claims with hard fact, Slim argues that civilian casualties are not only morally reprehensible but also bad military science. His book is a clarion call for action and a passionate defense of civil immunity, a concept that is more urgent and necessary today than ever before.

SAS Urban Survival Handbook: How to Protect Yourself Against Terrorism, Natural Disasters, Fires, Home Invasions, and Everyday Health and Safety Hazar

by John "Lofty" Wiseman

From the publisher:
John "Lofty" Wiseman is the author of the bestselling SAS Survival Handbook, the definitive guide to survival in the wild from Britain's Special Air Service. Now he has compiled a complete guide to survival in the urban jungle. Every year in America there are thousands of fatal accidents in the home—more than on the roads, and many more than in the great outdoors. Fire, electricity, water, gas, sharp knives, poisons, chemicals—these valuable tools can quickly become dangerous weapons when not treated with proper respect and understanding. Add to these the risks of travel, terrorism, muggings, rape, tsunamis, and earthquakes. We are constantly reminded that the world is a dangerous place. Wiseman shows readers how to think realistically and practically about these perils in order to avoid them, whether they are at home, on the street, in school, or in transit. From self-defense techniques to home security systems to coping with natural disasters, this book will teach readers to recognize risks, make quick decisions, and live confidently in the modern urban world. 100 color illustrations.

John "Lofty" Wiseman served for twenty-six years with Britain's SAS as their Chief Survival Instructor. He is the foremost authority on SAS training techniques for civilians. He lives in Hereford, England.

Jack Bauer for President: Terrorism and Politics in 24

by Richard Miniter

From the publisher:
This collection of essays sheds some light on the underlying issues in 24, one of the most gripping, dramatic, and addictive shows on television. With contributors drawn from fields including philosophy, psychology, political science, and counterterrorism, the essays reflect, distort, and comment on our modern political landscape.

Using our current political climate to enrich viewers’ experience of 24, this book addresses how much of the show is realistic and what it has to say about modern politics and foreign policy in America’s fight against terrorism. Essays look at issues including the show’s images of terrorism, the ethics and effectiveness of the characters’ counterterrorism practices, the portrayal of government and politics on the show, whether it takes a terrorist to fight a terrorist, how much “the people” have a right to know in life-threatening circumstances, and how effective we really want our heroes to be.

Richard Miniter is the author of two New York Times–bestselling books, Losing Bin Laden and Shadow War, and is an internationally recognized expert on terrorism. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

In Defense of the Bush Doctrine

by Robert G. Kaufman

From the publisher:
Noted historian Robert G. Kaufman contends that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, shattered the optimism so prevalent in the United States during the tranquil and prosperous 1990s. President George W. Bush's controversial grand strategy for waging a preemptive Global War on Terror has ignited passionate debate about the purposes of American power and the nation's proper role in the world.

In Defense of the Bush Doctrine offers a vigorous argument for the principles of moral democratic realism that inspired the Bush administration's policy of regime change in Iraq. Kaufman connects the Bush Doctrine and current issues in American foreign policy to the deeper tradition of American diplomacy, drawing from positive lessons as well as cautionary tales from the past. Two key premises shape Kaufman's case for the Bush Doctrine's conformity with moral democratic realism. The first premise is the fundamental purpose of American foreign policy since its inception: to ensure the integrity and vitality of a free society "founded upon the dignity and worth of the individual." The second premise is that the cardinal virtue of prudence (the right reason about things to be done) must be the standard for determining the best practicable American grand strategy.

In Defense of the Bush Doctrine provides both scholars and lay readers a broader historical context for the post-September 11 American foreign policy that will transform world politics well into the future.

Robert G. Kaufman, professor of public policy at Pepperdine University, is the author of numerous publications, including Henry M. Jackson: A Life in Politics. He is a former Bradley Scholar and current adjunct scholar at the Heritage Foundation.

Neverending Wars: The International Community, Weak States, and the Perpetuation of Civil War

by Ann Hironaka

From the critics:
Ethics and International Affairs: In Neverending Wars, Ann Hironaka sets the record straight by pointing at the responsibility of the international community. Not only have superpowers, former colonial metropoles, and regional powers often directly interfered in other countries through outright intervention--they have also done so indirectly by fostering international norms to which all states are obliged to conform. The originality of Hironaka's argument and the strength of her book rest in the examination of the relationship between civil wars and the structure of the international system. -- Caty Clément

Journal of Peace Research: Most studies consider how internal factors can explain prolonged wars. Sociologist Ann Hironaka's timely book points out that the focus has neglected an important influential drive of war: the international community. The decolonization following World War II encouraged the creation of many weak states...Hironaka argues that civil wars are prolonged not because of local factors like ethnic hatred, but that "the political salience of ethnic identities results from the absence of institutionalized political identities in weak states." -- Helga Malmin Binningsbo

This book will undoubtedly have a major impact far beyond the world of comparative sociology, and is likely to be well received by political scientists who study international relations, and by serious policy analysts who grapple with the problems of a disorderly world in a more practical way. Neverending Wars makes an important and timely argument about contemporary civil war. -- Daniel Chirot, University of Washington

Neverending Wars will be a contribution to both the discussion of civil war and the broader literature on the contemporary world system. It also provides further motivation for the engagement of sociology and political science. -- Ron Jepperson, University of Tulsa

Iran in World Politics: The Question of the Islamic Republic

by Arshin Adib-Moghaddam

From the publisher:
How has the Islamic Republic developed ideologically since the revolution of 1979? What are the best ways of comprehending the country at this critical juncture in its history? In his book, Arshin Adib-Moghaddam combines theory and lived experience to explain the foreign relations and domestic politics of post-revolutionary Iran. He guides the reader through the country's complex identity and actions, from the nuclear issue to Iran's perpetual political standoff with the United States, from the future of Iranian democracy to Iranian-Arab relations, from American neoconservatism to Islamic utopian-romanticism, and from Avicenna to Ayatollah Khomeini.

An Iranian born in Turkey but educated in Germany and England, Adib-Moghaddam shows a unique empathy towards the understanding of both Eastern and Western cultures. His thoughtful analysis engages the existing literature on Iran and Islam and exposes the limitations of mainstream representations of the country and the wider Muslim world. He addresses not only what caused the war between Iran and Iraq but also its dangerous consequences; the impact of neoconservative policy on Iranian political rhetoric; and the pluralism of Iran's civil society, in which factionalism among the ruling class and peripheral representation in government have encouraged free discourse among its people.

Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think

by John L. Esposito, Dalia Mogahed

From the publisher:
In a post-9/11 world, many Americans conflate the mainstream Muslim majority with the beliefs and actions of an extremist minority. But what do the world’s Muslims think about the West, or about democracy, or about extremism itself?

Who Speaks for Islam? spotlights this silenced majority. The book is the product of a mammoth six-year study in which the Gallup Organization conducted tens of thousands of hour-long, face-to-face interviews with residents of more than 35 predominantly Muslim nations — urban and rural, young and old, men and women, educated and illiterate. It asks the questions everyone is curious about: Why is the Muslim world so anti-American? Who are the extremists? Is democracy something Muslims really want? What do Muslim women want? The answers to these and other pertinent, provocative questions are provided not by experts, extremists, or talking heads, but by empirical evidence — the voices of a billion Muslims.

Wahhabi Islam From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad

by Natana DeLong-Bas

From the publisher:
Until September 11, 2001 few Westerners had ever heard of "Wahhabism." Now most of us recognize the word as describing an austere and puritanical type of Islam, mentioned frequently in connection with Osama bin Laden and Saudi Arabia and often named as the inspiration behind the 9/11 terror attacks.

The word "Wahhabi" stems from the name of the founder of this system of thought, Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1702-1791), companion and religious adviser to Muhammad Ibn Saud, founder of the House of Saud. In this book Natana DeLong-Bas offers an in-depth study of the written works of al-Wahhab. She focuses on four areas: theology, legal theory, proselytizing through education and jihad, and law on women. Through a close reading of al-Wahhab's texts she demonstrates that many aspects of 20th- and 21st-century Wahhabi extremism do not have their origins in his writings. Examples of this extremism include the emphasis on jihad, martyrdom and militancy, and misogyny. The strict division of the world into dar al-Islam and dar al-kufr, according to which only Wahhabi adherents are considered to be true Muslims and all others are non-Muslims who must be fought, is entirely absent from al-Wahhab's work. Instead, argues DeLong-Bas, all of these themes were only added to Wahhabi teachings in the 19th century following armed engagement with the Ottoman Empire.

DeLong-Bas's study fills an enormous gap in the literature about Wahhabism by returning to the original writings of the founder of the movement. She debunks the common journalistic portrayal of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab as an illiterate, rural bumpkin with no scholarly formation. Her revisionist reading of al-Wahhab's thought will be controversial but impossible to ignore. The book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Islam as well as for those interested in the background of this dangerous modern ideology.

For Love of a Soldier: Interviews with Military Families Taking Action Against the Iraq War

by Jane Collins

From the publisher:
For Love of a Soldier contains the stories of 29 people whose family membersspouses, siblings, childrenare serving or have served in the American military during the Iraq War. The families tell their stories and explain why they believe that taking action to end American military involvement in Iraq is the best possible way to support the troops who are so dear to them.

Undoing Saddam: From Occupation to Sovereignty in Northern Iraq

by Wayne H. Bowen

From the publisher:
Undoing Saddam tells the story of northern Iraq during the transition from U.S. occupation to local sovereignty. During 2004, U.S. and Iraqi government forces faced numerous challenges: insurrection, reconstruction, the creation of a new government, and how to portray the nation, its people, and the governments actions accurately.

Wayne H. Bowen was a U.S. Army Reserve civil affairs officer in charge of higher education and antiquities in the provinces of Nineveh, Dohuk, and Erbil, where he played a critical role in promoting peace and stability. He managed reconstruction projects, served as a key intermediary between Iraqi educational leaders and U.S. forces, and assisted in the search for weapons of mass destruction.

Undoing Saddam goes beyond the attacks and violence to detail the day-to-day problems of rebuilding a nation, including constructing schools, digging wells, completing roads, and building new power plants. Bowen also examines functioning village, city, and provincial councils as they endeavor to practice democracy. Based on Bowens diary, this book presents the daily fight to build a new Iraq despite terrorist attacks, ethnic conflict, and missteps by the Coalition Provisional Authority and U.S. forces. Undoing Saddam will be of interest to everyone interested in the Iraqi occupation and reconstruction efforts.

Military Transformation and Modern Warfare: A Reference Handbook

by Elinor Sloan

From the publisher:
Military transformation can be understood as comprising three overlapping and sometimes competing "layers"--the conventional-force dominated revolution in military affairs, a more recent irregular warfare emphasis, and a wider dimension including homeland defense, space and nuclear policy.

The Western world is currently focusing its attention on transformation's middle layer, while China and Russia are focusing on the RMA and transformation's wider aspects. This dynamic indicates the United States and its allies should continue to prepare for the full range of conflicts.

This book establishes the meaning of "military transformation," assesses the manner in which certain countries are transforming their military forces, discusses the relevancy of transformation efforts to modern conflict and, in drawing out the key areas of emphasis on the part of various countries, provides a window on the future global security environment. It is divided into seven chapters, plus a conclusion. The first chapter focuses on the meaning of military transformation, establishing a framework through which national militaries can be examined. This comprises transformation's revolution in military affairs components, its newer special operations forces, counterinsurgency, and stabilization and reconstruction aspects, and its wider homeland defense, space and deterrence dimensions. The book devotes two chapters to the United States and one each to China, Russia, and NATO. It also has a chapter that looks individually at each of Australia, Britain, Canada, France and Germany. An assessment of the relevancy of force transformation to modern warfare is integrated into the discussion of what transformation means, how the United States is responding, and the concluding chapter.

The book contains a biographical sketch of Andrew Marshall, Andrew Krepinevich, William Owens, Arthur Cebrowski, Donald Rumsfeld, and Thomas Barnett, all of whom have been involved in some aspect of military transformation.

ELINOR SLOAN is Associate Professor of International Relations at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where she teaches international security studies. A former Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces, she is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and received her PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, in 1997. From 1996 to 2002 she was a defense analyst in Canada's Department of National Defense where she focused on U.S. defense policy. She is the author of Bosnia and the New Collective Security (1998), The Revolution in Military Affairs (2002), and Security and Defence in the Terrorist Era (2005).

Terrorism, Economic Development, and Political Openness

by Philip Keefer and Norman Loayza (editors)

From the publisher:
To what extent are terrorism and development related? What are the relative weights of the economic, political, and social aspects of development? What is the development impact of different responses to terrorism?

This volume addresses these crucial questions, synthesizing what we know about the development links with terrorism and pointing out what we do not. Contributors to this volume examine the economic and fiscal costs of terrorism and the response to terrorism. They conclude that the economic costs of terrorism in rich countries are low, relative to the economic costs of combating terrorism; both are likely high in poor countries. They also report evidence on how development affects terrorism. This work supports the hypothesis that political development - political openness and the quality of government - is inversely associated with the emergence of terrorist organizations, but not that poverty per se is directly responsible for terrorism.

The Five Dimensions of Global Security

by Nayef Al-Rodhan

From the publisher:
This book sets out a new and innovative security principle that is highly pertinent to our times: The Multisum Security Principle.

This principle aims not only to promote cooperative interaction between states, but also peaceful coexistence between cultural groups and civilizations. It combines a proposed new classification of global security that comprises five dimensions of security human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security and the idea that justice is a prerequisite for security. Specifically, the multisum security principle states that: "In a globalized world, security can no longer be thought of as a zerosum game involving states alone.Global security, instead, has five dimensions that include human, environmental, national, transnational, and transcultural security, and, therefore, global security and the security of any state or culture cannot be achieved without good governance at all levels that guarantees security through justice for all individuals, states, and cultures."The Five Dimensions of Global Security" takes a fresh look on the frontiers of international security.

It innovatively expands the sectoral approach, broadening the scope way beyond military matters. Its most important novelty is the introduction of justice in the international security discourse. With this it represents a new point of departure and will contribute to re launching the debate." - Pal Dunay, Director, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs.

Thinking Like a Terrorist: Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent

by Mike German

From the publisher:
As the fifth full year of Americas global war on terrorism continues, statistics concerning terrorist attacks show a disturbing trend: from a twenty-one-year high in 2003, attacks tripled in 2004 and then doubled in 2005. And as the incidence of terrorist attacks increased, so has the number of terrorists. While the primary leaders of the Taliban, al Qaeda, and al Qaeda in Iraq remain at large, a 2006 Department of Defense study reportedly identified thirty new al Qaedaaffiliated terrorist groups that have been created since September 11, 2001. We may not have metrics that measure our success in the war on terrorism, but these realities certainly illuminate our failures.

In Thinking Like a Terrorist, former FBI counterterrorism agent Mike German contends that the overarching problem is a fundamental failure to understand the terroristsnamely, what they want and how they intend to get it. When our counterterrorism policies are driven by misunderstanding and misperception, we shouldnt be surprised at the results. Todays terrorists have a real plana blueprint that has brought them victory in the pastthat they are executing to perfection; moreover, their plan is published and available to anyone who bothers to read it. Once the terrorists plan is understood, we can develop and implement more effective counterterrorism strategies.

A former undercover agent who infiltrated neo-Nazi terrorist groups in the United States, German explains the terrorists point of view and discusses ways to counter the terrorism threat. Based on his unusual experience in the field, Thinking Like a Terrorist provides unique insights into why terrorism is such a persistent and difficult problem and why the U.S. approach to counterterrorism isnt working.

The Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan

by Robert D. Crews and Amin Tarzi (editors)

From the critics:
Historian Crews and reporter Tarzi have assembled eight revealing essays on this widely reviled movement. The Taliban are ethnic Pashtuns who make up perhaps half the country's population and whose elite have traditionally ruled the country. This ragtag army of Islamic clerics and religious students presented itself as a superior alternative to ruling Pashtun elites and successfully manipulated tribal politics. Despite accusations of being a medieval throwback, the Taliban are Islamic counter modernists. Their use of mass spectacle, surveillance, the media and even their strict regulation of gender roles is consistent with other modern totalitarian movements. The authors' 58-page introduction adds additional clarity and context to Afghanistan's tortured history, making for an engrossing read that is more accessible than most academic collections.

Managing the Private Spies: The Use of Commercial Augmentation for Intelligence Operations

by Glenn J. Voelz

From the publisher:
The extensive use of contractor personnel to augment military intelligence operations is now an established fact of life and, occasional contracting scandals notwithstanding, any effective and efficient design for intelligence support to operating forces must provide for their use. In this study, the author suggests evaluation standards for the use of contractors and possible long-term initiatives to reduce dependence on traditional outside contractors.
From LWBN:
This is the first commercial hardcopy edition of a work previously available to the general public in electronic format only. The date of publication shown on Amazon represents the original publication date.

Educing Information: Interrogation, Science and Art

by the Intelligence Science Board

From the publisher:
"Educing Information is a profoundly important book because it offers both professionals and ordinary citizens a primer on the 'science and art' of both interrogation and intelligence gathering." - from the foreword.

This is a compilation presenting papers by 13 experts on the subject of interrogation. While not a textbook on interrogation, this is a review of the present state of the practice with an analysis of what works and fails and with recommendations for new directions. It was developed for and presented to the National Defense Intelligence College whose Press published it in 2006. The National Defense Intelligence College Press has made it available to the general public as a free electronic download (only). This is the first commercially available hardcopy edition of a work critical to understanding what interrogation is and where it is going in the years ahead.

From LWBN:
Strongly recommended. These white papers are highly readable and contain interesting and surprising general information about the past, present, and future of interrogation and debriefing as well as what we know or don't know about the effectiveness of polygraphs, torture, and body language. Note: The date of publication shown on Amazon represents the original punlication date.