Rating: 
Summary: A Time for Reality.
Review: "Study of Revenge" presents an outstanding argument that Saddam Hussein is still America's #1 threat. Although the past few weeks have heightened the fear of other terrorists ..., Hussein was/is the great threat. "Revenge" is the follow-up to Mylroie's co-authored effort, "Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf." In "Revenge," Mylroie directly and indirectly asserts that Hussein had a hand in 1993 WTC bombing. This was, in part, due to the fact that he never "mentally" recovered from The Gulf War, that he was embarassed. (Perhaps the U.S.'s greatest folly in The Gulf War...not finishing the job.) The author's premise was that the ultimate plan would be to take both towers down like dominoes. It didn't happen but that didn't stop Hussein. Mylroie gives us additional theories of terror involving Hussein however, the "main idea" here is the WTC bombing. Ramzi Yousef is Mylroie's villian. An Iraqi agent, Yousef is considered the figurehead in this terrorist act. While the political aspect of this act is germane to Mylroie's theories, I didn't necessarily agree with the spin. Mylroie asserts that Clinton's poor management of the issues and circumstances associated with the bombing led to the rise of a great western misconception regarding terrorism (specifically that based in the Middle East). This misconception centered around the theory that the majority of the terroism being carried out today is sponsored by splinter groups and individuals. In other words, state sponsorship of terrorism had all but ceased. While this has been proven false to a certain degree, it cannot be qualified as a general statement of fact. The author tells a good story albeit fact-based. This is a very enjoyable read and quite timely.
Rating: 
Summary: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Review: After a war in which we dominated the battlefield we as Americans need to realize that to our enemies we look invincible. In that light it isnt strange at all to consider that two or more enemies would band together to attempt to defeat us. In WW2 we banded together with the Soviets to defeat the Germans, from our side that was an uneasy relationship but consider that from the Soviet Side it looked terrible. After all our political philosphy was completely contrary their own. And yet the Soviets swallowed their poltics to defeat the larger threat. For the longest time we have heard from the "establishment" that it was inconcivable that Saddam and Osama would band together. That always seemed absurd to me since we are by far a much larger threat to either of them then they are to each other. Dr. Mylroie lays out the case of why the facts confirm the logic of it. This is a must read book for anyone remotely concerned with the "War on Terror".
Rating: 
Summary: Crudy of Revenge
Review: Don't believe the other reviews. This book is extremely poorly written and therefor difficult to read. It is repetitious. It is amateurish. It is speculative. Did I mention it is repetitious. Don't buy a new copy. Don't buy an old copy.
Rating:
Summary: Exposing the incompetence of US intelligence agencies
Review: Given the 9/11 commissions politicization, we will probably never get a true story of what really went wrong, but Mylroie was verbally abused by one of the commissioners when she testified about the ineptness of the FBI and CIA. Those agencies failed to even read incriminating evidence, sitting in boxes in the District Attorneys offices in NY, which remained untranslated and un-investigated for years after the first World Trade Center bombing. The FBI and CIA bureaucrats must hate the fact that reconstruction of the WTC is taking so long because the gaping hole in the ground there now is a monument to their ineptitude. Mylroie is able to show a very plausible case of how Saddam assisted in the first WTC bombing. But since this goes against the grain of the bureaucrats and politicians in Washington, they do everything they can to discredit her findings. But it is very difficult to argue with the facts that were available to the agencies which pointed to a direct link between Saddam and Al Qaeda. Who was "the Iraqi" who suddenly appeared and assisted the bombers? Why were there so many phone calls made by him to Iraq while the planning was going on for the bombing? Why were the chemicals used in the bomb a formulation which Iraq was noted for? These and dozens of other facts make a very convincing case that despite the politically correct propaganda spewed by unnamed, and most definitely incompetent, "sources" at the CIA, Saddam had no problem working with his fellow terrorists, no matter what their name, including Al Qaeda. With all the bureaucratic finger pointing and rear-end covering, they still have not been able to dispute the facts Mylroie exposes in this book. It would be interesting to see what kind of help she could be to the US if allowed to be a bureaucrat oversight manager in one of our intelligence agencies. But of course that is covered in her newer book "Bush vs the Beltway" which is another indictment of our inept and incompetent intelligence agencies.
Rating:
Summary: Loose network with a common thread?
Review: Having read the diverse reviews of this book I'm further convinced that every one has an opinion, just like a certain part of the human anatomy. After reading this very interesting book I came away further convinced of the current danger, future threat and just how far Hussein may go to avenge his defeat in the Gulf War. Before the horrifying events of 9/11 this book was released under the titile "Study of Revenge." That is exactly the point Laurie Mylroie goes to extensive research to try and prove. The fact is she can't exactly pin Hussein down but she presents a credible case. Considering the CIA, Feds and Government have the same suspicions but haven't been able to prove it either, Mylroie ties some loose ends together for the reader to be the judge. One of the interesting parts of the book is how the various agencies seem to be their own worst enemy, each withholding information from one another instead of sharing for the common good. The information presented concerning the first WTC bombing is a fascinating study about an International conspiracy that quite possibly needed the intelligence of state sponsorship since some of these characters are little more than petty criminals prior to the bombing. Her point is that Hussein is able to discreetly sponsor without direct state involvement, thus placing any fingerprints on the dupes who carried out the actions. The information is presented complete with court documents, photographs and text from the trial of those responsible for the WTC bombing in 1993. The book is easy enough to follow, with a 2 year chronology of related events and a list of characters involved, including a mystery man who arrives to supervise the final stages of the bombing. Could this have been a member of Iraqi intelligence? Who really knows, what is clear is that Hussein feels there is unfinshed business to avenge the Gulf War. The author does have an agenda, presents her case, and maybe if someone in the governmnet had listened to her the WTC might be standing today. The warning signs appeared to have been everywhere. Mylroie sets the stage and takes the reader through a series of events that eventually lead up to the 1993 WTC bombing, all the while pointing in the direction of a greater evil. Even if you don't agree with her case, and the behind the scenes culprit being Hussein, the information provided concerning the 1993 conspiracy is concise, accurate and allows the reader to come to their own conclusion. Highly recommended for anyone interested in current events, terrorism or Saddam Hussein.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful
Review: I heard the author interviewed on the Dennis Prager radio show and was impressed. She is an expert in Iraq and its meglomaniac leader. Her insights into the failed policies of the Clinton adminstration make an insightful read. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Central to current events
Review: I liked this book so much, I started a discussion list about it (Iraq911 at yahoogroups.com). I think it ought to be read in conjunction with Simon Reeve's THE NEW JACKALS, which contains a biography of Ramzi Yousef, the 1993 World Trade Center bomber. Mylroie argues that Yousef is an Iraqi agent, and that Reeve has fallen for his cover story. I'm not quite persuaded, but she does make a good circumstantial case for Iraqi sponsorship of the original attack.
Rating:
Summary: Raises excellent questions to be answered...
Review: I love history. I was a senior in high school when "Operation Desert Storm" began on Jan 17th, 1991. I had followed the situation since August 2nd, 1990 -- when Iraq invaded Kuwait. I followed it closely during the "Operation Desert Shield" phase, during the buildup of US forces in the Saudi Arabian desert. When the air campaign began, I was (like most Americans) overwhelmed by our air superiority and watched hours of footage of laser-guided GBU's fall down ventilation shafts on CNN. (Of course, since then I have become to realize that the majority of ordnance dropped then was dumb gravity bombs, not "smart weapons".) Regardless, the events of "Operation Desert Storm" was probably one of the main factors that lead me to enlisting for four years in the military are HS. After "Desert Storm", I followed the current events of the WTC93 bombing as it unfolded, including the capture and trial of Ramzi Yousef. Everything in the book was precisely as I remember reading in the media at the time. She simply gives a linear presentation to those that did not follow it. The hard facts that she presents are cited with credible sources. Much of her sources are the actual evidence presented at the trial, which was good enough for a jury to convict Ramzi Yousef. While she does make some assumptions, she is upfront when she begins speculations -- which come across as being more "footnotes" than evidence for her case. During this time, I had done a few rotations to the middle east in support of "Operation Southern Watch". Nothing in my experience would conflict with what she presents in her book (regarding the several air "contingencies" that occured with Iraq during this time period.) In fact, quite a few things would even further support her case. While there is no clearly visable fire, she gives credibility for a *LOT* of smoke in her book -- and usually when there is smoke there is fire. The morning of 911, my girlfriend had the television on and caught the "Breaking News" of the first aircraft that hit the WTC. On my way out the door, she told me to see what was on TV -- just in time to catch the second aircraft hit the WTC live. My very first reaction was: "Damn, the US will be going to Baghdad."
Rating:
Summary: Raises excellent questions to be answered...
Review: I love history. I was a senior in high school when "Operation Desert Storm" began on Jan 17th, 1991. I had followed the situation since August 2nd, 1990 -- when Iraq invaded Kuwait. I followed it closely during the "Operation Desert Shield" phase, during the buildup of US forces in the Saudi Arabian desert. When the air campaign began, I was (like most Americans) overwhelmed by our air superiority and watched hours of footage of laser-guided GBU's fall down ventilation shafts on CNN. (Of course, since then I have become to realize that the majority of ordnance dropped then was dumb gravity bombs, not "smart weapons".) Regardless, the events of "Operation Desert Storm" was probably one of the main factors that lead me to enlisting for four years in the military are HS. After "Desert Storm", I followed the current events of the WTC93 bombing as it unfolded, including the capture and trial of Ramzi Yousef. Everything in the book was precisely as I remember reading in the media at the time. She simply gives a linear presentation to those that did not follow it. The hard facts that she presents are cited with credible sources. Much of her sources are the actual evidence presented at the trial, which was good enough for a jury to convict Ramzi Yousef. While she does make some assumptions, she is upfront when she begins speculations -- which come across as being more "footnotes" than evidence for her case. During this time, I had done a few rotations to the middle east in support of "Operation Southern Watch". Nothing in my experience would conflict with what she presents in her book (regarding the several air "contingencies" that occured with Iraq during this time period.) In fact, quite a few things would even further support her case. While there is no clearly visable fire, she gives credibility for a *LOT* of smoke in her book -- and usually when there is smoke there is fire. The morning of 911, my girlfriend had the television on and caught the "Breaking News" of the first aircraft that hit the WTC. On my way out the door, she told me to see what was on TV -- just in time to catch the second aircraft hit the WTC live. My very first reaction was: "Damn, the US will be going to Baghdad."
Rating:
Summary: Study of Revenge
Review: I read this book in order to get another perspective on any possible ties between al Qaeda and Iraq as the present administration has claimed. I was disappointed in the lack of any data or evidence tieing any of the persons Ms. Mylroie identified as proof of an Iraqi conspiracy to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993 or to the trajedy of September 11, 2001. Instead, she has assembled an incredible amount of information about passports, telephone bills, and memos to substantiate a bizarre story about a Ramzi Yousef, real or not, and an elusive person named Abdul Rachman Yasin, as proof of a connection between Iraqi Intelligence and the first (as well as second) bombing of the World Trade Center. Her evidence is based on a series of interviews she had with the FBI in New York, evidence never seen or shared with any of our intelligence officials in Washington because of inter-agency procedures, red tape, and rivalries. We would hope that this being the case, the Homeland Security reorganizations will have solved this problem and that any evidence that the New York FBI have to substantiate the claims of Laurie Mylorie and recently - again - Vice President Dick Cheney's that there is a connection between al Qaeda and Iraq are revealed. So far, nothing has been reported. I find it just as dangerous to not know who was responsible for those bombings and why as to make wild, unsubstantiated assumptions. That the Bush Administration - now just Dick Cheney - should have based their reasons for launching an attack on Iraq such slim speculations, groundless evidence, and circumstantial evidence is not only shocking and irresponsible but abhorrent and criminal. Book endorsements and quotes from Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Dick Cheney, and others suggests that this book may have influenced our decision to invade Iraq. Some of Ms. Mylorie's quotes about Abdul Rahman Yasin in her book and in an interview 10/18/01 with Frontline News are: "Abdul Rahman Yasin came from Baghdad before the bombing (1993) and returned to Baghdad afterward"; "Abdul Rahman Yasin was indicted for his role in the 1993 bombing of the Trade Center. He is still a fugitive. The indictment of Yasin stated explicitly that he helped mix chemicals for the bomb"; "FBI evidence can't be seen or shared with the National Security bureaucracy...the New York FBI believed Iraq was behind the Trade Center bombing"; "Bin Laden and Saddam are working together!"; "The anthrax attack on Senator Dashle's office (some indications came from our own bio/chem facility in Maryland)...high-grade military anthrax was used, strongly suggests that a state is involved in this...of course, Iraq is the number one suspect". All of these charges are groundless assertions without facts to back them up. I would only recommend this book as a useful exercise in misinformation.
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