America's Secret War: Inside the Hidden Worldwide Struggle Between America and Its Enemies

Rating:
Summary: A Tremendous Insight
Review: The book was excellent. Friedman, founder and owner of Stratfor, set out to explain, in the lens of strategy/realpolitik, the events of al Qaeda and the U.S. over the past twenty five years. The book, although it has other extremely interesting ideas and premises, has two main concepts: one, that Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's ultimate goal, as an extension of Islamic fundamentalism, is to bring the Muslim world back to a pure way of life, with God at the center of all life, and with this, reestablishing the Sunni caliphate, establishing Shar'ia law, and uniting the Muslim world under it.

Friedman proposes that bin Laden recognized in the late eighties that what was standing in the way of this happening was the religiously-corrupt regimes throughout the middle east. Because of this, he knew that he had to some how overthrow these regimes, whether it be all of them at once or the more likely one at a time. Bin Laden, after the fall of the Soviet Union, saw the only thing keeping these regimes in control of their societies was the United States. Thus, in order to "cleanse" the ummah and to reach his goals, Osama bin Laden had to either severely weaken or destroy the support the U.S. gave to the regimes to keep them in power.

Friedman's theory of bin Laden's strategy is quite interesting. Bin Laden, looking at the failure in Vietnam, Beirut, the Gulf War (a failure in his mind any way), and Somalia, held the U.S. in contempt as a weak and impotent power. This view had sympathies within the middle east, and to completely undermine the support the U.S. gives to the regimes, bin Laden had to turn this view into an idea in all parts of the middle east. After undermining what allowed the regimes to retain their control, bin Laden then had to have a way to begin overthrowing the regimes and to put in place an Islamic regime and raise the caliphate.

These two goals all intersected on the point of getting the U.S. into a war with the middle east, according to Friedman. He writes that bin Laden's strategy was to attack the U.S. in such a way that it would be forced to become embroiled in a war in the middle east that would on the one hand reveal the U.S. to be the paper tiger bin Laden viewed it to be and on the other anger (and also by showing the U.S. to be weak give hope to them that the U.S. can be defeated) the Muslim people so much that it would lead to a mass Islamist revival of sorts and rising against the regimes that would result, in the end, in the wet dream of all Islamists: a united middle east under a new caliphate ruled by Shar'ia law.

This explanation of the goals of Osama bin Laden and the strategy he employs is credible. If you would read Bernard Lewis's new book, The Crisis of Islam, he goes in to depth on the motivation of Islamic fundamentalism and their goals. Lewis writes that the fundamentalists' do not look outside but within; their goals are all eternal. Islamic fundamentalists seek to purify the Muslim world, to bring it back to where they believe it belongs, with God at the center of all things, and with the caliphate reestablished and Shar'ia law implemented.

The second interesting thing that Friedman proposes is the reasons for the war in Iraq. Friedman writes that after the war in Afghanistan and after forcing Pakistan to confront al Qaeda as much as we could, the U.S. realized that there was much more to do. Significant funding and other support for al Qaeda comes from Saudi Arabia, and the Saudis were reluctant to crack down on al Qaeda within their country because of eternal problems. Friedman proposes within the book that the reasons for the war in Iraq were two fold: one, to force the Saudis to confront al Qaeda by placing 130,000-150,000 troops on their border and shocking them in our actions, and two, on the one hand, to show the rest of the regimes in the region that we are serious in this war against al Qaeda, that we will win, and that, basically, Osama bin Laden's premise that we are weak is a barell of BS, and on the other hand to establish a base of operations in the "pivot" of the middle east, on the border of such important players as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan and Syria, all to coerce them to either offer no support to al Qaeda or to offer the U.S. support. In this we have been successful; Saudi Arabia, immediately after the war in Iraq, began confronting al Qaeda; and no regime supports al Qaeda, and all either offer us minimal support or full-fledged support, with Qaddafi even giving up his WMD programs and ending any support of al Qaeda he offered.

I, personally, find much credibility in the theories Friedman proposes, as it jives very well with reality, is not a partial theory (i.e. it holds true in spite of other evidence that comes out, such as the idiotic view that the war in Iraq was for oil) and is, in fact, very coherent.

By the way, I recommend that you all read "The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror" by Bernard Lewis (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679642811/qid=1105047420/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-8511204-6599357), because although Friedman's book explains quite well the strategic reasoning of al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, it does not explain, at all, the motivations of Islamic fundamentalism, and although you can see the logic in his theory without understanding Islamic fundamentalism, it does not fully make sense without it.

Rating:
Summary: politics is war carried out by other means
Review: A great book surpassed only by a great website www.stratfor.com - No doubt friedman is straight to the point and explains the smallest details with such accuracy and simplicity, that not only he instructs educated and uneducated people equally, but making things simple also clears up the obscure corners in one's own mind. A must for any serious reader who wishes to understand facts and diminish panaoa, and most of all avoid being another number in the huge brainwashing techniques that are still carrie d out today amongst the masses by the elite few.
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Rating:
Summary: I'M NOT SUPRISED
Review: How typical it is to see reviews here blaming Israel in one way or another. This appears to be the voice of many in America. In France or Gemany this wouldn't suprise me...But, so many here? I suppose these people also suspect Israel of warning Jews not to go to work at the WTC on 9/11? I guess the ones that were killed (including Fire Fighters) ignored the warning?

Friedman (yes, likely a Jew himself), lays it out for all to see. Sorry folks, but radical Islam wants you (Christians) dead as much as they want Jews dead. Is that news to you? Hatred for the West started long before Israel became a state. Nazis had a great time with Arabs. Check your history folks. The blame Israel crowd can forever rant and rave. But the truth is folks, UBL, Hamas, Saddam Hussein, and Iran would not stop at the destruction of Israel, Christians around the world would be next. Infedels all. You and I. Israel is the only democracy in the middle East. Who should we be funding? Egypt, Syria? Hamas perhaps? To those who weep for the plight of those in Gaza and/or their homocide bomber brothers and sisters, I offer you this advice. Go there. Be a missionary. Sympathize with them and their feelings for the evil Israeli oppressors. Tell them about your God. Do these things. Just don't speak against Islam or go near one of the daughters. You won't come back alive. If you want freedom of expression and religion, go to.....Israel. Or that other hated place....the USA!

Rating:
Summary: Valuable Information For Both Red & Blue State People!
Review: I just finished reading this book and came away fascinated and humbled by what's been going on in the world. It truly is a global chess game with many secret agendas and clever players trying to survive.

I've read many of the reviews posted here and rather than repeat what I've seen here I'll just suffice to say that this is essential reading for anyone who wants to make any strong statements for or against the United States foreign policy....whether you're a Blue State or Red State mentality.

I disagree with the reviews that talk about all of this being in the news already. I follow the news and I sure must of missed this kind of analysis. In fact I'm convinced that the American public cannot be fully told what's really going on strategically because it simply "can't handle the truth!"

If we're going to play hardball in world politics with the likes of Iraq, Iran, Russia, China, France, Al-Quada, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Pakistan, then we have to be sure that everyone can't read our hand so easily. We have to deal with all the other players on an even playing field....the masses can't really know our complete strategy.

Enough said....great book and I highly recommend it. It will bring meaning to your watching of the news.

Rating:
Summary: Final conclusion being overtaken by events?
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It explained to me the complexities involved in the struggle against terror, and the successes and mistakes made. However the author's conclusion, in the final chapter posted on the internet,claims that neither side is winning but Al Queda is losing. I can't grasp how the author, having learned and communicated to his readers the huge amount of data in this book, can reach such a conclusion. Perhaps his conclusion has, as I stated in the title of this review, been overtaken by recent events, but I feel that time is clearly on Al-Quedas's side, and the lack of any Muslim support for them, stated by the author as a main reason for Al-Queda's failures, can only reverse itself as the U.S. continues to wallow in Iraq while losing support from a growing number of Western States. This seems to be 180 degrees from the author's conclusion. His premise that Muslim States will see strength in our resolve seems very hollow to me, given that our resolve is arguably producing no results. A first class read though, and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A lucid analysis of the current conflict - essential reading
Review: I was going to say "brilliant", but the war isn't over yet, so we don't know if Friedman is brilliant or not. But he is indeed lucid, clear as a bell. You know what he thinks and why, whether or not you agree with him.

It is not a comforting book to read. "Homeland Security" is an illusion, El Qaeda is undefeated. Our government is run by fallible humans, not God-like omniscient beings, and they have made alot of mistakes. Friedman provides grounds for guarded optimism, but makes it clear the conflict is far from over.

The unfavorable reviewers of this book have either not read it or are riding their own ideological hobbyhorses, and should be ignored.

Rating:
Summary: Grade = C. Some promise but major issues ignored
Review: Mr. Friedman's book discusses intelligently the background to the U.S. vs Al Qaeda struggle, and understands better than most bin Laden's probable aims, and some of our historical failures. The treatment of Iraq is weaker though and misses several key points while presenting our larger strategy of putting pressure on Saudi Arabia. Yet how can he profess to understand our Middle East strategy without regard to Israel and Oil, the former a key electoral group in the U.S and the latter as lifeblood of the world economy ? These glaring omissions prevent a worthwhile thesis from becoming a serious policy primer.

More objective treatment of our naive encursion into Iraq would also be appreciated - the overall positive evaluation of Rumsfeld's and Cheney's strategy (not Bush's)is laughable when the road from Baghdad Airport to the Green Zone is the most dangerous in the country. Hello Beltway Boys - that is the reality over there.

Rating:
Summary: Fraud
Review: Quite simply, this book is nothing more than a summary of everything that's been written about in the press (aka, open sources).

While the author does a good job of reviewing everything, the book offers nothing in the way of new insights into "America's secret war." When I bought the book, I was under the impression that this would be about what we're doing NOW to fight the war, not what happened in the past.

Why put the title in the present tense, as if we are going to get a peek at the current state of our secret war? I think that's incredibly misleading. The title should be: America's Wars: A look back at the recent U.S. struggle against terrorism.

I also have a major problem with the author not referencing ANY sources whatsoever. Where did he get this information? I know where he got it: the newspapers. That explains why there's nothing new here.

Rating:
Summary: Sleeper of the Year!!!
Review: The title belies the extraordinary clarity in which this book explains the current geopolitical situation. Regardless of your level of understanding and experience this book should be required reading for the students of the National War College as well as ROTC and first year Political Science students. I would even recommend this book for an Honors course at any HS.

This book explains clearly what "Of Paradise and Power", "The Pentagons New Map", "The Paradox of American Power" and "The Clash of Civilizations" have all attmpted to explain; How America has arrived at where it currently is within the context of globalization, America's actions and policies and the global war on terror.
Although each of the books that I mentioned offer important insights, they are unable to clearly synthesize the whole picture as clearly as Dr. Friedman has.
Although this book has been accused of being overly clinical and cold in its analysis, this is what makes it such a valuable contribution. Dr. Freidman eliminates the rhetoric and passion that confuse the difference between fact, fiction and feeling. It clearly explains the distinction between what we thought we were doing, what we wanted others to think we were doing and what others actually believed what the US was doing (paraphrased from page 52)
Once you begin reading this book and reflect on its contents and compare it with past events, media releases and the briefings that the Administration and or the Pentagon have been giving; the entire picture becomes all of a sudden, perfectly clear. Even those that have been directly connected with the planning and day to day military operations of the last couple of years will have a singular moment of ah ha when you realize that Dr. Friedman has parted the forest for the trees and the picture becomes crystalline.
As an ex planner and retired soldier (24 years) that was directly connected with Operation Iraqi Freedom, this book makes clear, even with the benefit of participation and hindsight, our actions, plans and decisions.






Rating:
Summary: The Elephant in the Room??
Review: This book is missing about 1/3 of its print matter by practically ignoring Israel in the Middle-East equation.


The book seams to go out of its way to not mention Israel. Was Israel feeding intelligence to the US during the buildup to the Iraq war (no mention)? Did Israel help the US with its interrogation techniques at Gitmo and other places (no mention)? Did the Iraq war eliminate a threat to Israel (no mention)? Did Bush enjoy an 80% approval rating in Israel during the Iraq war and very low numbers in the USA and other countries? How did Mosad help with the war in Iraq (no mention)?

Please give me an analyst with the access that George Friedman enjoys that can actually close his eyes and tell the whole story. He gets 3 stars for his access to information, but 2 stars are withheld for the inability to write anything that may put Israel in a bad light. I assume some of his valuable sources would dry up rather quickly if his analysis was as broad as it could be.

I would settle for a 1/3 refund for what was not included in the book.