Books tagged with '911': 21

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Charlie Wilson's War

by...George Crile     average rating...4.5 / 5
tags...911 afghanistan cia communism congress guns isi mujahideen nonfiction pakistan politics russia soviet ussr war
shelved by...juicey MeredittyAnne
viewable entries...1

'A'

entry by...MeredittyAnne     updated...Mar 28, '09     spoilers...n/a

Charlie Wilson begins as a dilettante Texan playboy; a Democrat with an Anti-Russian grudge. Wilson holds a coveted seat on the Defense Appropriations Committee, and through what seems to sometimes be sheer force of personality, enjoys a particularly powerful position there. He goes into cahoots with a rogue CIA agent, the Greek immigrant's son Gust Avrakotos, in order to fund, arm and train the mujahideen, a vast alliance of otherwise warring tribal factions in Afghanistan, to overthrow the Soviet/Afghan government "oppressors."

The plan miraculously goes well, and perhaps precipitates the fall of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain, ending the USSR's status as "superpower."

Unfortunately, because of a long history of tribal resentment and a tradition of revenge, the mujahideen alliance falters and begins to disintegrate, even before the USSR is completely out of the picture.

Because the CIA covertly funded the war the United States, despite its hefty (tide-turning) support, doesn't receive any credit for its massive funding, training and aid programs. Instead the fundamental Islamic movement sees its victory as "Allah's will" and the support as if it were supplied directly by Allah. So instead of making the United States a friend of the Islamic state, the United States begins to be viewed as another great world superpower which can be overcome.

This book provides a recent history of American relations with Islamic nations, and provides a context for the current wars in Afghanistan (directly) and Iraq (indirectly).

The bulk of this quite-bulky book focuses on the amazing, unlikely story of Charlie Wilson's fight to build and fund a massive program to help the seemingly romantic, heroic, anti-USSR mujahideen, who are grossly outmatched, and seem to be fighting a century or two earlier than their foes.

Only the epilogue provides specific relationship ties between the funding of the mujahideen and the current woes in Afghanistan.

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102 Minutes : The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers

by...Jim Dwyer     average rating...4.0 / 5
tags...911 america nonfiction
shelved by...bethied83
viewable entries...none
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Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

by...Steve Coll     average rating...4.0 / 5
tags...911 afghanistan mujihadeen nonfiction
shelved by...haneen juicey ms_read
viewable entries...1

'Reads like a spy novel'

entry by...juicey     updated...Jan 20, '08     spoilers...n/a

Great book so far. It provides a rich history of the struggles in Afghanistan prior to 9/11. It provides great insight into the mindset of the CIA, an organization that was created after WWII to make sure another Pearl Harbour doesn't ever happen again. The CIA was created to be watchful, suspicious, and yes, hawkish - by that I mean a take-it-to-them-before-they-take-it-to-us mentality. It was full of hawks at the time, yet arguably was not hawkish enough, because 9/11 happened. I'm not a big fan of the hawks, but there is a place for them in an intelligence agency such as the CIA. To complete later...

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Fear of Small Numbers: An Essay on the Geography of Anger (Public Planet)

by...Arjun Appadurai, Dilip Parameshwar Gaonkar     average rating...3.0 / 5
tags...911 philosophy
shelved by...rychusfeminist
viewable entries...none
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9/11: The Culture of Commemoration

by...David Simpson     average rating...4.0 / 5
tags...911 philosophy terrorism
shelved by...rychusfeminist
viewable entries...none
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Philosophy in a Time of Terror: Dialogues with Jurgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida

by...Giovanna Borradori     average rating...3.0 / 5
tags...911 philosophy terrorism
shelved by...rychusfeminist
viewable entries...none
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Precarious Life: The Power of Mourning and Violence

by...Judith Butler     average rating...4.0 / 5
tags...911 judaism philosophy
shelved by...rychusfeminist
viewable entries...none
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On Suicide Bombing (The Wellek Library Lectures)

by...Talal Asad     average rating...3.0 / 5
tags...911 nonfiction philosophy
shelved by...rychusfeminist
viewable entries...1

'Paradox:'

entry by...rychusfeminist     updated...Feb 11, '08     spoilers...n/a

A smart book that I'm none the smarter for having read...

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The Spirit of Terrorism, New Revised Edition

by...Jean Baudrillard, Chris Turner     average rating...4.0 / 5
tags...911 essays philosophy
shelved by...rychusfeminist
viewable entries...none
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Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates

by...Slavoj Zizek     average rating...3.0 / 5
tags...911 essays philosophy
shelved by...rychusfeminist
viewable entries...none