Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Staple-bound government publication. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great
One of the best history sources for all aspects of Ireland.Many 'tidbits' I have not seen before.A great job by Joyce!

Every thing I ever wanted to know - and more !
It is amazing to have all these topics covered in this 2 book set.I found I was stopping to read it just for lessons in Irish history.Every 4 or 5 pages was another topic I had to find out about. Glad that this onehas been published again. Three cheers for the publisher ! ... Read more

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Is the United States a force for democracy?

In this classic and unique volume that answers this question, William Blum serves up a forensic overview of U.S. foreign policy spanning sixty years.

Remarks from the previous edition:

"Far and away the best book on the topic."—Noam Chomsky

"A valuable reference for anyone interested in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy."—Choice

"I enjoyed it immensely."—Gore Vidal

"The single most useful summary of CIA history."—John Stockwell

"Each chapter I read makes me more and more angry."—Helen Caldicott

"A very useful piece of work, daunting in scope, important."—Thomas Powers, author and Pulitzer Prize--winning journalist

"A very valuable book. The research and organization are extremely impressive."—A.J. Langguth, author and former New York Times bureau chief

For those who want the details on our most famous -actions (Chile, Cuba, Vietnam, to name a few), and for those who want to learn about our lesser-known efforts (France, China, Bolivia, Brazil, for example), this book provides a window on what our foreign policy goals really are.

William Blum is the author of Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower.

Customer Reviews (32)

biased
This book presents American foreign policy in a very negative light. Blum is a fierce critic of U.S. interventions and sometimes his ideology hurts the credibility of his book. The fact that the book ignores the millions who died under Mao Zedong while covering America's policy towards China over the years is inexcusable. Blum also fails to mention the human rights abuses by Fidel Castro's regime. That being said, the book does offer countless examples of why American policies our criticized by people residing in other countries. American policy in Southeast Asia, Central and South America has been particularly appalling over the years. In conclusion, if you choose to buy this book, purchase it knowing the information in it is presented from an extreme leftist perspective.

The Seychelles? Really?
'Killing Hope' is probably the best book on the topic, bar none. Despite it's girth, I managed to read the whole book casually in a matter of 2 days.

One thing I wasn't expecting was the lack of embellishment on the part of William Blum. I knew the topic of the book, and I know how these books are typically written, so it was a surprise to me to see the author display considerable restraint in his adjectives.

Unlike fraud books like 'From Time Immemorial', Blum uses sources accurately and correctly. I would guesstimate that 99% of the sources Blum cites are all from mainstream publications.

Even though I would say I already know quite a bit about the topic, the book was still a monumental eye opener. I still can't believe the CIA would be as so pathetic to actually ponder a coup of the fricken Seychelles.

This book is great for anyone just diving into the topic of American foreign policy and for people who think they know quite a bit themselves. Definitely something to keep on the bookshelf.

Hope is Hard to Kill
Killing Hope: U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions Since World War II--Updated Through 2003

THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK!

I had no idea that the United States was as active as it has been since WW II. The military and the CIA have been in overdrive everywhere for 65 years. Killing Hope deals with events after 1945. Before that, of course, there was WW II, the interwar period (1918 to 1939), WW I, the run-up to WW I, the Spanish American War and the building of the Panama Canal with interventions in Central America and Colombia. Washington was not asleep before the 20th Century, either. The United States has been up to its neck in everything throughout its history. You can look that up in Appendix II.

After looking at things through the eyes of our enemies, I believe we in the West have all been the victims of a never-ending series of elaborate hoaxes that have been perpetrated by our élites. Our enemies were never as big and scary as we believed they were. We, on the other hand, were always very big and scary.

The Twentieth Century looks to me like a giant power grab with the Anglo-American empire (that's us good guys, you know) taking over the world. We were trying to forestall losing our preeminent position as others caught up to us. Before WW I, the British were desperately afraid of Germany which was making better stuff and selling it for less. Before WW II, the United States was desperately afraid of Japan for the same reason. Nobody imagined that India and China would ever get up off the floor where we put them, but they have.

The Chinese can thank Richard M. Nixon for opening the door to China in 1972. Samuel Gompers must have been spinning in his grave. Everyone is catching up: It was inevitable because people are smart and they learn from each other.

In times going back long before Marco Polo, all the good stuff was coming from India and China. The great goal in Europe was to get to India, China and Japan. The Portuguese went around Africa. The Spanish went west and ran into the Americas. Then they continued on across the Pacific. The British and Dutch were fast on their heels.

Five Hundred years after Columbus, China and India are important again. Japan and Germany have been leading economies for decades -- after they were bombed into the stone age and crushed in 1945. If one doesn't count Grenada and Panama, we haven't won a war since The Great Victory of '45. Whoda thunk that would happen? We have been doing our best, but hope is hard to kill.

Killing Hope: U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions Since WW II-Unpdated Through 2003
An actual historical view of the unnecessary wars and interventions by the US.Very informative but also disconcerting for the killings and atrocities commited by the US in most cases wasn't over Democracy or Terrorism but for special interests seeking greedy gain....either in power, advantageous positioning, or someone elses resourses.Greed again in most cases was the common demoninator.

"the greatest strategists"
As head of the US State Department planning staff in 1948 George Kennan wrote: "we have about 50% of the world's wealth, but only 6.3% of its population... Our real task... is to... maintain this position of disparity... To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming... We should cease to talk about vague and... unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better." After a careful reading of Killing Hope one should be able to grasp the significance of the praise heaped on Kennan by the current US Secretary of State as she spoke of his "profound influence" on her, his "inspiration to generations of men", and his legacy as "one of the greatest strategists in the history of American foreign policy." I honestly don't know which is more disgusting, scumbags like Kennan and Rice or goose-stepping, flag-waving one-star-reviewers. ... Read more

Product Description

September 11, 2001, distinguished Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis argues, was not the first time a surprise attack shattered American assumptions about national security and reshaped American grand strategy. We've been there before, and have responded each time by dramatically expanding our security responsibilities.

The pattern began in 1814, when the British attacked Washington, burning the White House and the Capitol. This early violation of homeland security gave rise to a strategy of unilateralism and preemption, best articulated by John Quincy Adams, aimed at maintaining strength beyond challenge throughout the North American continent. It remained in place for over a century. Only when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 did the inadequacies of this strategy become evident: as a consequence, the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt devised a new grand strategy of cooperation with allies on an intercontinental scale to defeat authoritarianism. That strategy defined the American approach throughout World War II and the Cold War.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11, Gaddis writes, made it clear that this strategy was now insufficient to ensure American security. The Bush administration has, therefore, devised a new grand strategy whose foundations lie in the nineteenth-century tradition of unilateralism, preemption, and hegemony, projected this time on a global scale. How successful it will be in the face of twenty-first-century challenges is the question that confronts us. This provocative book, informed by the experiences of the past but focused on the present and the future, is one of the first attempts by a major scholar of grand strategy and international relations to provide an answer.

Customer Reviews (32)

A little gem of a book
This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the American foreign policy and grand strategy. Gaddis focuses on three great strategy surprise (the sacking of Washington during the War of 1812, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11) and three men who were forced by these events to redefine American grand strategy (John Quincy Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, and GW Bush). Each surprise attack made clear that American's traditional perception of safety was far too optimistic and swept away all previous assumptions. Each man, according to Gaddis, effectively redefined the course of American foreign policy for generations to come.

John Quincy Adams, living at a time when America was surrounded by hostile European powers, adopted a foreign policy based upon three principles: Preemption, Unilateralism and Hegemony. Preemption because the USA was so vast and surrounded by so many potential enemies that it could only defend itself by expand to eliminate all possible threats. Unilateralism because there was no possible ally who shared our interests and values. Hegemony because only by eliminating all possible threats from North America and Latin American could the USA be safe from attack. This grand strategy was so successful that it did, in fact, eliminate all threats in the New World and catapulted the USA into becoming a super-power.

After Pearl Harbor Franklin Roosevelt adopted a foreign policy that sought global hegemony based upon international consent. Multilateralism had to replace unilateralism because FDR wanted the Europeans to do most of the fighting and he understood the need for international institutions to preserve the peace after the war. Preemption had to be abandoned because the US needed to maintain the moral consent of its allies. The other nations had to attack first, so America could act. And the USA always had to preserve the belief that there was something worse that American hegemony or its coalition would fragment.

GW Bush, living in time when the USA was the uncontested military and economic power, went back to basic principles of John Quincy Adams: Preemption, Unilateralism and Hegemony. Gaddis convincingly shows that Bush's foreign policy is far from the radical rejection of American traditions that his critics often claim; it is actually "getting back to our roots." The difference was that American hegemony was no longer restricted to the New World. Now it was to be global. Bush believed that unchallengeable strength combined with universal liberal Democratic values would cause the world to follow its lead voluntarily.

Obviously, to the modern reader the key question is whether Bush's basic principles are sound for the 21st Century. Gaddis makes clear that it is far too early to jump to conclusions, but he is generally supportive of Bush's strategy. He does, though, list out a number of possible problems that might be revealed in the near future.

Most interesting is his claim that the USA might be wise to pursue a policy of international federalism. Just as our Founder and many conservative today claim that highly centralized power is a danger to our values, unilateral American power may also be such a threat. The answer may be the very multilateral institutions that FDR sought to create (the UN, World Bank, IMF, etc) and that the Bush administration often criticizes. Multilateralism, rather than undermining American power and values, may be globalization of American Federalism. An intriguing idea...

Undoubtedly, many readers and reviewers will get hung up on Gaddis's views on the Bush administration. But this is more a piece of historical analysis, not a partisan diatribe. This book is a must read for anyone interested in American history or American foreign policy.

Putting contemporary US Foreign Policy into its historical context.
Gaddis does an excellent job putting current US foreign policy into its historical context. I especially appreciate the way he begins the book by noting that there are certain periods in history where the historical (i.e. historical events) intersect with the personal. Three such events are three surprise attacks made against the US in our history:
- the sacking and burning of Washington DC by the British in 1814;
- the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; and finally,
- the 9-11-2001 attack by Al Qaeda terrorists on US soil.
Gaddis notes that each event was a humiliating experience for that generation of Americans, and caused the US to redefine its foreign policy. From this, he divides US Foreign Policy into three periods, each with three elements:

1. 19th Century; major figure: John Quincy Adams (as Secretary of State, not President or Congressman); elements:
- preemption within the American hemisphere (e.g. Florida, the Southwest all the way to the Pacific ocean, later in Latin America such as the Panama Canal) but not globally;
- hegemony (preponderance of power, not balance of power in alliance with other nations) on the North American Continent; and,
- unilateralism in our hemisphere (no tangling alliances, the Monroe Doctrine).


2. 20th Century; major figure: FDR; elements:
- act only on clear and present dangers (scrappreemption); link military action to morality since democracies don't start wars;
- hegemony by consent (strategy of containment - preponderance of power globally);
- multilateralism globally (with consent of our allies; scrap unilateralism; interests cannot exceed capabilities e.g. NATO, Bretton Woods).


3. 21st Century; major figure: George W Bush; elements:
- return to preemption, but this time globally in order to combat terrorism and its supporting states - expand democracy globally;
- hegemony (the capacity to act without interference from rival states); and,
- return to unilateralism (consent of allies is not necessary) but this time globally; multilateral action if possible.

Through these periods, Gaddis reminds us that hegemony, which is the preponderance of power (rather than balance of power), is a consistent feature of US Foreign Policy throughout each period. Indeed, the US response to each surprise attack has been to expanded our sphere of responsibilities, rather than contract them in a Jeffersonian way.

Again, Gaddis shows how Bush's strategy of preemption and unilateralism is actually not new to US Foreign Policy. However, Gaddis provides an excellent critique of the Bush Doctrine concerning consent. Whereas American hegemony was limited to the American hemisphere during the 19th century, and hegemony was possible during the Cold War through consent of our allies (i.e. communism was seen as being even worse than US hegemony), the Bush administration has relied on unilateral "shock and awe" policies to build momentum and compel nations to support our foreign policies. Thus, Gaddis argues that consent has not been given sufficient attention in this grand strategy, and it is necessary to consolidate the benefits of the new strategy. His point is that the US cannot sustain hegemony without consent.

There is much more in this excellent book dealing with US Grand Strategy and force projection, and other matters. I recommend you read this book if you have interest in contemporary and historical US Foreign Policy. The reason I give it four stars is that it is based on his 2002 Joanna Jackson Goldman Memorial Lectures at the New York Public Library, and as such, should be expanded into a larger, more detailed work.

American ethnocentrism.Intellectual weakness
John lewis Gaddis displays a lot of the most annoying features of the scholars who want to be remembered for their 'version/vision of history' rather than to take upon the (much more demanding)task of building knowledge through careful-if less appealing- empirical inquiries. This book thus exhibits overtly grotesque (especially when you know the author is a historian at Yale, no less!) instances of ethnocentrism in its generalizations about 'the American experience' and what seems to be haunting Gaddis: the undeniable superiority of American democracy and values over that of other countries. Since the author claims to be taking lessons from history in his analysis of the current strategical posture of the USA, maybe he should have remembered that America, for all its successes, remains an 'unfinished nation' as Alan Brinkley has demonstrated, and that its position of preponderance now is historically contingent to say the least, and owes nothing to a fantasized unique American genius. Ironically, what comes to mind when reading Gaddis is the pathetic pamphlets of French and German intellectuals before WWI, aimed at providing a ready to use intellectual rationalization of the most stupid nationalism.

WELL WRITTEN AND ACCURATE
PROVIDES WELL WRITTEN AND ACCURATE ANALYSIS OF U. S. NATIONAL SECURITY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY'S HISTORY. DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO PANDER TO POPULAR OPINION. CONCISE, YET THOROUGH, HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE PLACED IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH.

Right idea? Mabye. Wrong tactics - unquestionably
What John Gaddis omits is that the strategy he outlines has to be bold, innovative, imaginative and lead by a gifted communicator - George Washington. Lincoln. FDR. Kennedy; all of them come to mind.

Why an occupation and military force in an age where knowledge sharing, intelligence gathering, collaboration and education are the most powerful tools available? Instead of Generals and the Secretary of Defense, shouldn't an effort of this magnitude be lead by people at Google? If a visionary is needed to articulate the goal, why not Tom Friedman?

What would $300 billion do to remake Palestine? the Gaza Strip? Jordan? Afghanistan? What models should we be creating -- one forced on a country already deeply divided over religious matter by a Christian Army? Or one built by kids using the New Tools? Why not bring Oxford and Cambridge, Stanford and Harvard to the Region by way of the Internet? Why not bring 100,000 bright young Arabs to Paris, London, New York, Nebraska? Why not send 100,000 very motivated college graduates from England, Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States -- to teach English and learn Arabic? Farsi? Pustan? What values? what knowledge? would they bring home with them? What relationships would they build? What intelligence would they gain?

The idea of pre-emption is fine if one is willing to use 4th or 5th generation war to achieve the goals of changing minds and winning hearts. The idea of pre-emption is horrible if it is done at the tip of a spear.
John Hibbs
skipper@bfranklin.edu
http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Stang nails Insider's treason with a knockout plot.
Anybody who wonders how U.S. Domestic Duplicity might work under Patriot Act 1 and 11 guidelines will find a 'how to' outline guide in Pestroika Sunset, as concerns the Century Long Prisoner of War Abandonment Policy aptly and historically told in a blockbuster gut wrenching fiction plot by master story teller Alan Stang.Well read students of this subject matter will find all the factual details woven into a 'can't put it down yet' book that angers and saddens as it unwraps the evil designs of which New World Order devotees are capable. Get this book, have ten friends read it, and you will have replaced another brick in the wall to rebuild the U.S. Constitution.A conspiracy cannot survive if enough free citizens are alerted and take effective action to see it exposed to the light of freedom.

The Truth Through Fiction
Alan Stang has once again brought historical truth to the forefront through the format of a fictional novel.

As one who has covered the POW topic for years as a talk radio host, I found the information in the book to be very believable and reliable.
I am a Vietnam era veteran, having served the National Security Agency as a U.S. Naval Communications Techinician. Our people used SIGINT, Signals Intelligence, COMINT, Communications Intelligence, and ELINT, Electronics Intelligence to monitor the movement of POW,s from Vietnam to the Soviet Union and other locations.

Alan Stang has stirred up my emotions as I confronted once again the horrible fact that our government has intentionally left our POW,s behind for political reasons.

I loved the reality of this emotional and intrigueing novel.

What's the REAL Vietnam POW/MIA story?
Alan Stang delivers a scathing denouncement of the United States Government and its part in the MIA/POW cover-up and related issues during the Vietnam war and the Communist plot to block efforts to search for these men.We have already heard rumors that such a plot existed, and at least one politician in this story has to be based on a real person.Read the book, you'll recognize him.I came away with a whole new perspective of our involvement in Vietnam.

This was a very difficult book to read because of the subject matter and the psychological issues, but I couldn't put it down.Alan Stang takes us relentlessly to the surprising conclusion. The story is about the men who were missing in action, but also about the women who waited at home and their years of frustration, and knowing that they have been the victims of lies. Gay Fawkes is the daughter of the main character, Jason Fawkes.She's a college professor and Olympic gold medalist who lost her father at the age of eleven.This is the story of her heroic search for the father who was a prisoner of the VietCong for twenty-two years.

The battle scenes are realistic and bloody.The revenge scenes will have you cheering out loud.Stang's craftsmanship and storytelling is awsome.The characters are well developed;you'll feel their disappointments and pain.Stang has written ten books, mostly non-fiction dealing with scams and cover-ups.He's an author to watch for.

Did we?
The subject matter of Alan Stang's novel, Perestroika Sunset, addresses an issue that has always plagued me since the first time learned of this possible topic: did we leave POWs behind in Vietnam?And Korea?Did our government considered these brave heroes expendable to get out of the quagmire they had created?
That is the bottom line of this novel.However, whoever wrote the book jacket cover didn't read the book.Labeled as "A Daughter's Lifelong Search For Her MIA Father In Vietnam," only a portion of the book is devoted to this quest.The events surrounding her efforts are not credible and do not seem authentic, especially the revelation that she is a Marine at the end of the book it so surprising that it rings untrue.No hints are given throughout the book's 522 pages that this is a possible scenario.
The inside book jacket also says that the novel is about four men:Jason Fawkes, a Marine POW left behind; Dave Cord, who had promised to come back and get him after Fawkes saved his life on "The Day"; a Russian intelligence agent, General B. E. Kariloff, who is intent on toppling the United States government; and the fourth, a dead ringer for Fawkes and Soviet agent who will try to take his place when the U.S. brings the long-lost POWs home.The press release I received with the review request listed all of the major players (a total of eight) in this work.It's too bad that Stang didn't put include them in the novel; it might have been easier to follow.
The fact that the book addresses the issues of men left behind is the high point of the novel.Another is that readers get a good feel for life in Southeast Asia.
The events in the novel's first seven chapters happen to quickly to be believable.Fawkes's and Cord's exploits are well done and believable, but only from an outsider's point of view.I don't feel that the author ever visited Vietnam nor, I felt, did he speak with any of the POW/MIA families or former POWs themselves.
The ending of the novel is too "told."The old rule of fiction---show, don't tell---is missing in the very last chapter.It feels that Stang got tired of writing and just conveniently rapped up all the loose ends, which disappointed this reader to no end.
Perestroika Sunset makes readers wonder whether the possibility of soldiers still being held in captivity.However, most can wonder by themselves without having to wade through 522 pages.

Sweet Fictional Revenge
In Perestroika Sunset Alan Stang has skillfully woven much of what longtime students of the Soviet communists' system have known or suspected about the abilities and tactics they use to manipulate America's government, its leaders, its media and its people to do their bidding. Against this factual background Stang has created a fascinating tale about attempts to locate and rescue POW's left behind in Vietnam and how Soviet agents ruthlessly block those efforts. The efforts in America of patriots and the counter efforts of Red agents here are alternated with chapters set in Vietnam as the Soviets operating within the Vietnamese communists' framework manipulated, tortured and sometimes successfully conditioned some POW's to return and do their bidding. An astute reader will speculate on whether Stang modeled his fictional former POW who attains a high position in Congress on an actual political personage. Great reading with one bit of sweet fictional revenge by a Vietnam hero on those who sold us out will cheer the hearts of most patriots and cause them to say, "Oh, that it could be!" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

my copy is well-worn and highlighted
I have had my copy for many years and use it frequently. I have only read it through a few times, but I have read parts of it many times and in fact have read most of it many times. It is just loaded with interesting information about the contribution of small countries to World War II. The typography is a little small and therefore not extremely readable, but that is a small price to pay for a great resource. ... Read more