Highlights of America's Secret War
March 27, 2008 | 0341 GMT
Al Qaeda’s war plans and how they led to 9/11
The threat of a suitcase nuclear bomb in New York and how that changed the course of the war.
The deal the U.S. made with Russia and Iran which made the invasion of Afghanistan possible – and how those deals affect the United States today.
How fear and suspicion of the Saudis after 9-11 tore apart the Bush-Saudi relationship and why Saudi Arabia’s closest friends in the administration became the Saudi’s worst enemies.
The real reasons behind George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq and how WMD became the cover for a much deeper game.
How the CIA miscalculated about Saddam Hussein’s and Iran’s real plans, leaving the U.S. bogged down in the war.
How the war in Iraq began with a ruse, pretending that a “target of opportunity” attack on Saddam Hussein had presented itself.
The real story about why the U.S. raises and lowers its alert status and why the United States can’t find and destroy al Qaeda.
The strategic successes that are slowly leading the United States to victory.
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Well, Finally
Since 9-11 I have always maintained that the operation was well planned and executed from a "military" perspective. Too much was accomplished too well for it to have been anything less. As Americans fell head first into the tired morass of "we didn't do anything to deserve this...why would 'they' do this to us?", those of us with an alternate analysis were shuffled to the sidelines as "non-patriots." Now Dr. Friedman's nicely written essay of events can allow us to emerge from the closet with a more rational assessment of United States policies.
Excellent primer
The 9/11 Commission cited "failure of imagination" as a major factor leading to the events that day. More accurately, jihad expert Dr. Walid Phares has called it a "failure of education". What we don't know CAN hurt us. This book goes a long way in rectifying that situation. It is an excellent primer on the interlocking pieces of the geopolitical puzzle.
Dr. Friedman presents the facts and his analysis using clear prose and straight logic. Although I initially read the book when it first came out, I still refer to it. Not only did this book whet my appetite to learn more, it was also an introduction to the expertise of StratFor.
It has been said that citizens have the government they deserve. If that is true, American ignorance of world affairs surely hastened our arrival at the current precipice. An informed electorate demands more from its leaders. "America's Secret War" both informs and inspires. Reading it is time well spent.
Good Read So Far
I've just finished reading the portion of the book dealing with the battle of Tora Bora. Very insightful, and I must admit I am looking at the situation with a different point of view now.
Great Read
I loved the book! Dr. Friedman was my Morpheus and this book was the blue pill of Geopolitics. I guess that implies that im the "chosen one" lol, not likely.. But this book was a page turner and very enlightening. Once you take off that cloudy and scratched up lens of mainstream news mediums and upgrade to the (Hubble type) clarity of Friedman's foresight, New worlds appear before you. Bravo Zulu Dr. Friedman
You are right, I am wrong
Your right on with your assessment, it is actually a great read. I have always thought of myself as one who is able to think outside of the box, but this book as you say, is very enlightening. Amazing to say the least.
Fascinating
You are right. This is a nonstop page-turner from start to finish. I read this book about a year ago and came away with a quite different view than the one presented by the mainstream media. This book certainly didn't do Rumsfeld any favors nor the early strategy of the Iraq invasion. However, you have to appreciate Friedman's nonpassionate analysis of the events that unfolded after 9/11 and the eloquence in which he proposes it. I also happen to agree with a great deal of his analysis in this book which certainly contributed to my liking it. I wish more Americans would read this book as it so helpful in understanding the current struggle with Islamic Jihad specifically, and geopolitics generally. My only problem with this book was that there were no citations. I assume that he got much of his information from Stratfor's intel collection. Anyone have any ideas?