Three events came together this week, I watched Georges Bush’s White House press conference and picked up some more ‘Bushisms‘ – a) “Sloganeering! Something that describes P5, that’s the UN Security Council and Germany!, b) “Blowing up people and they end up on your TV”! Also managed to listen to Tony Blair’s speech at the Press Association, how many more times will he try and convince everyone that he has read the Koran all the way through and also still keeps it by his bedside!!!
I also finished Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror by Michael Scheuer. As I said in a previous post this was a ‘heavy-duty’ book full of many facts and well researched information, I tend to agree with most of what Scheuer puts forward (written in 2004), comparing how the ‘West’ was once able to send it Armys (and all of its peripheral attachments) to deal firmly with immediate threats; with the current situation that through political interference and appeasement to media led public option are now constrained to fight a ‘clean’ – for ‘clean’ read ‘low collateral damage’ war that they can never ‘win’! Not that I think that this war should have been started in the first place.
Scheuer paints a very informative portrait of Bin Laden (and he should know through his CIA analysts career) and states the point that the conflict from his (Bin Ladens) point of view, is not aimed at a way of life that he wants to destroy; but more at avenging and changing the successive USA (and Western) ongoing policies towards the middle east as a whole.
His impassioned criticism of his Intelligence and Political lords and masters, make me wonder how the book managed to be published in the first place, however under the pseudonym ‘Anonymous’ I suppose that it was possible. Of course Scheuer no longer works for the Intelligence organisations, but continues to publicly air his views.
I am sure that this book will have created many ‘hot spots’ for numerous people in both the USA and UK administrations, some of which can be seen already as people start to distance themselves from the original decision to invade Iraq.
A brilliant book that anyone with an point to make on Iraq should read. Whatever your opinion, this book will be sure to change some of it.
Some quotes from the book:
“If there is a single power the West underestimates, it is the power of collective hatred” Ralph Peters. Fighting for the Future: Will America Triumph? Stockpole Books 1999.
“If you wish to conduct an offensive war you must know the men employed by the enemy. Are they wise or stupid, clever or clumsy? Having assessed their qualities, you prepare appropriate measures” Sun Tzu. The Art of War, OUP London 1963.
“There is no lack of bravery in our armed forces, but bureaucratic cowardice rules in our intelligence establishment (as well as the highest levels of military command)”. Ralph Peters, Beyond terrorism: Strategy in a changing world. Stockpole Books 2002.
Another related subject link.
M.
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