Japanese Childrearing: Two Generations of Scholarship

Book Description

This book integrates the past half-century of cross-cultural research on Japanese childrearing and socialization, placing current findings in their historical context and offering concrete suggestions for new research. Coupling retrospectives by influential senior scholars with reaction papers by younger-generation scholars, the volume illustrates the lasting value of past scholarship and mentoring at the same time as it explores how theories and methodology in the field have evolved over time. The volume concludes with a discussion of the implications of research on Japan for the general study of culture and development.

Amazon.com

In midsummer 1967, the United States aircraft carrier Forrestal, stationed off Vietnam, lost 134 men to fires and ensuing explosions after an errant missile from one of its own planes ruptured a fuel tank on a nearby jet. Gregory A. Freeman's Sailors to the End is a starkly illuminating account of the disaster which, like so many maritime tragedies, was perfectly preventable. Although a faulty detonation switch (similar to a surge suppressor) caused the rocket to fire, the crippling, deadly conflagrations were caused by exploding ordnance--"ancient ... thin-skinned" bombs of World War II vintage. The Navy never admitted its guilt in the matter, a point Freeman makes very clear. He has a knack for balancing instructive overviews with telling details (for example, each link in the ship's anchor chain weighed 360 pounds). Freeman does not shy from the grotesque detail, and many scenes, especially in the sick bay, are harrowing to read. The sad tale of the men of the Forrestal is a model of narrative clarity and honest reporting. --H. O'Billovich

Book Description

In the tradition of New York Times bestsellers In Harm's Way and The Terrible Hours comes a mesmerizing, high-adrenaline account of the heroic sailors who survived one of the worst accidents in U.S. naval history.

Sailors to the End tells the dramatic and until now forgotten story of the 1967 fire on board the USS Forrestal during its time at Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam. The aircraft carrier, the mightiest of the U.S. fleet, was preparing to launch attacks into North Vietnam when one of its jets accidentally fired a rocket across the flight deck and into an aircraft occupied by pilot John McCain. A huge fire ensued, and McCain barely escaped before a 1,000-pound bomb on his plane exploded, causing a chain reaction with other bombs on surrounding planes. The crew struggled for days to extinguish the fires, the five thousand men on board experiencing different kinds of hell -- some trapped in damaged compartments waiting to die, some battling rivers of flaming jet fuel in order to rescue their buddies. Almost all of them were innocent eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds, but in an instant they were thrust into a tragedy that nearly destroyed the ship and took the lives of 134 men.

Written with the intensity and excitement of a thriller, and based on never-before-disclosed information and extensive interviews with the fire's survivors, here is the first full, minute-by-minute account of the disaster. Told through the stories of a dozen sailors, including John Beling, the carrier's beloved captain who was made a scapegoat for the disaster, Sailors to the End follows the Forrestal from its home in Norfolk, Virginia, through its mission in Vietnam. Focusing on the fateful fire and its aftermath, this book provides a gripping tale of heartache and heroism as young men find themselves trapped on a burning ship with bombs exploding all around them.

Sailors to the End also corrects the official view of the fire, providing evidence that the U.S. government compromised the ship's safety by insisting on increased bombing despite the shortage of reliable weapons. For thirty-five years, the terrible loss of life has been blamed on the sailors themselves, but this meticulously documented history shows that they were truly the victims and heroes, deserving recognition for their efforts during a sweeping tragedy that until now has been only a footnote in history. Gregory A. Freeman dramatically brings this story to life, creating a work that is both riveting and moving.

Customer Reviews:

Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal..........2004-06-24

Riveting! One of the most well written books I have read in a long time. Having served over 20 years in the Military, this book and the men it honors, makes me proud to have served even more. We all owe a unpayable dept to the heroic men of the USS Forrestal. Should be included in the Military Professional Reading list.

Bravery, personified.......2004-04-08

The fire on the Forrestal was the major Naval event of my career up to that time. I knew some of the men who were a part of her ships company and airwing. I later came to know some who had survived that day.

At the time of the fire, I knew that a major catastrophe had overtaken the ship and its' crew. Over the remaining years of my military career, I came to learn what (I thought) was the cause of this tragedy. A 'training film' on the disaster focused on the mobile 'starter' unit left running under the Zuni rocket was the basic cause.

It wasn't until I read this great book by Gregory A. Freeman that I learned "the rest of the story". The mobile unit was only the causitive agent. Lack of communications and the bypassing of safety regulations were also contributing factors. But most importantly was the Johnson/McNamara administration's decision to intensify the bombing effort against the North Vietnamese. This decision meant using outdated, dangerous ordinance. This fact was kept from the public (and from the rank and file) for years. It goes to the heart of the prosecution of this vile war. In essence they said "damn the personal prosecuting the war, just prosecute it".

More importantly than the above political statement is the fact that this book brought so close to me the heroism of those sailors onboard Forrestal, from the flight deck Chief Petty Officer who raced into the conflagration to supervise the fire fighting efforts, to the Doctors and Corpsmen in sick bay who dealt with the massive casualties that overcame them, to the Damage Control Officer who took "speed" to save his ship, to the brave young men in after steering who died doing what they were trained and ordered to do, to the brave and heroic Commanding Officer who fought with all his skills and leadership and was eventually successful in saving this magnificent ship.

I am not sure in this day and age if anybody in the United States questions the skill and bravery of the young men who defend her, but if they do, just spend a few bucks and pick up this wonderful book.

When Things Go Wrong on Carriers.......2003-08-08

This story recounts how dangerous Aircraft Carriers may be even out of combat as the author describes how a series of failures on the USS Forrestal created one of worst naval accidents, killing 134 men in 1967, as the crew was preparing to launch an air offensive on Vietnam.

The story, which centers on a tragic fire, looks at the incident from various sailor's perspectives, and paints an excellent picture for the reador of real life on an aircraft carrier and the mindset of a group of young men battling for their survival againt two of a sailor's greatest enemies -- Fire and the Sea.

A Gripping Tragedy, And A Strange Whitewash?.......2003-07-06

"Sailors to the End" presents the events aboard the Forrestal in gripping detail, and pays homage to the brave men who fought the terrible fire in 1967. I certainly can't argue with the spirit in which it was written, or the strong prose. However, as I read the book, I found myself increasingly angry with the text's attempts to justify the actions of Captain John K. Beling. While Beling is presented here as a badly-wronged victim of circumstance (he was strongly reprimanded after the fire, and never again commanded a ship), there is a great deal of evidence in the book to support the idea that he got off too easily. Beling, it is clear, was a showboater who had the audacity to propose flying aircraft off the damaged ship as it sailed into its home port for the first time after the tragic accident, and a man who refused to accept responsibility for what was doubtlessly a preventable incident. Freeman seems anything but impartial in his analysis of the fire, preferring instead to blame "the system" and the lack of political support for the situation. One has to wonder what his motivation was - perhaps the author feared a blackball by the retired crew? It is not difficult to see, using some of the evidence presented in the book, that ordnance crews under Beling ignored critical safety instructions, and that the presence of obselete weapons on board was not brought to the Captain's attention due to a failure in the chain of command. That to me indicates Beling was actually guilty of dereliction of duty, and that he got off far too easily. In my book, he should never have been allowed to remain an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Excellent!.......2003-03-13

I found this to be a great book - very enjoyable to read and was well researched, organized, and written. It could easily have been titled 'Heroes to the End', as it tells a story of true heroism and bravery (2 words often overused and abused) in the face of disaster. The only part that I thought was somewhat thin was research and analysis of the subsequent navy and other investigations (but this did not detract from the story itself). The author organized the story really well, telling much of it from the eyes of several sailors present on those fateful days. It is chilling to read about the event that led to the book's title. The author goes into a reasonable level of detail on the events leading up to the tragic fire and explains many navy equipment and processes in layman's terms. The book at times seems overly sympathetic to Capt. Beling, but I agree that at the end of the day, no matter what, the captain always has full and ultimate responsibility for his ship and its crew. I was surprised how many people saw me reading this book and recollected the event like it happened yesterday. I highly recommend it.

Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It

Average customer rating:

The 1967 fire on the U.S.S. Forrestal.
When Things Go Wrong on Carriers
Wonderful account of an emergency at sea...
A Sad Tale That Could Have Been Better Told

Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It
Gregory A. Freeman
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0060936908
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Book Description

The aircraft carrier USS Forrestal was preparing to launch attacks into North Vietnam when one of its jets accidentally fired a rocket into an aircraft occupied by pilot John McCain. A huge fire ensued, and McCain barely escaped before a 1,000-pound bomb on his plane exploded, causing a chain reaction with other bombs on surrounding planes. The crew struggled for days to extinguish the fires, but, in the end, the tragedy took the lives of 134 men. For thirty-five years, the terrible loss of life has been blamed on the sailors themselves, but this meticulously documented history shows that they were truly the victims and heroes.

Customer Reviews:

The 1967 fire on the U.S.S. Forrestal........2004-07-22

This is a great read, and it took me all of three days to read this story of the fire on the U.S.S. Forrestal. I am surprised this book did not become a bigger seller than others. Freeman does a great job of detailing the life on this carrier and the result of the fire and deaths as a result of the accidental firing of the Zuni rockets. One gets a sense of purpose of those people who work their lives on the carriers.
This book taught the value of following procedures in dangerous situations. Those who circumvented the rules indirectly caused the firing the rocket into McCain's aircraft. The government using old WWII ordinance also bears some of the blame. The young crew are to be truly commended for fighting such a dangerous blaze at the risk of their lives. Their actions saved the ship. Freeman tells an amazing story.

When Things Go Wrong on Carriers.......2003-08-08

Wonderful account of an emergency at sea..........2003-08-03

As a sailor myself maybe I just have a soft spot for the guys on the USS Forrestal who lived through an incredible disaster at sea during the Vietnam war. I can attest that what you read here is still taught in shipboard firefighting training sessions in the US Navy.

Freeman does an admirable job of portraying a chaotic and unprecedented event in history. In 1967 an accidental missile firing on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal struck John McCain's plane, starting a series of events that ended in the deaths of more than a hundred brave sailors.

What really stood out for me in this story is the heroism of ordinary guys risking their lives to save the ship, themselves and their shipmates.

WARNING: There are really gory descriptions of some of the casualties so be prepared to be shocked.

A Sad Tale That Could Have Been Better Told.......2003-07-13

This narrative recounts the causes and consequences of the disastrous flight deck fire that engulfed USS Forrestal (then-CVA 58) in the Tonkin Gulf at the end of July 1967. When the smoke cleared 134 sailors were killed - often in the most agonizing manner imaginable - and more than 100 more were seriously burned or otherwise injured. The explanation of the how the fire started (technically from equipment failure, but the failure would never have occurred if plane handling crews had not deviated from safety regulations) and got out of control (obsolete ordnance exploded on the flight deck in less than one-and-a-half minutes, before the initial fire could be contained). To me that is the best part of the book.

The tales of the fire from the perspective of several young "citizen sailors" and the carriers experienced CO and wizened Engineering/Damage Control officer offer a heart wrenching view of the conditions faced by those fighting the inferno. Although some of the sailors exhibit "attitude problems" (as did I as a citizen sailor in the same era) they fight bravely with inadequate equipment and (according to the author) little fire line leadership (Freeman says lots of the equipment and the best trained firefighters were lost in the explosions at the beginning of the fire). The courage, tenacity and eventual success of the citizen sailors in saving the ship belies the snide, condescending remarks Defense Secretary Rumsfeld recently made comparing the U.S.'s current military to supposedly inferior draft-era servicemen (the sailors, while not draftees per se were also not, by 2003 standards, "professionals"). The book would have been stronger if Freeman had tracked down some junior officers and senior petty officers who fought the fire, since there's virtually no account from anyone between E-4 and full Commander.

Overall I enjoyed the book and, sad though the story is, recommend it to anyone interested in aircraft carriers in general and the Vietnam-era Navy in particular. If you are knowledgeable about the Navy and carriers, be warned there are lots of errors (e.g., Forrestal was certainly NOT the most powerful carrier at the time, that honor clearly goes to Enterprise) and repeated wording errors really grate on a sailor's ears (e.g., ships don't have "mess halls" as Freeman repeats over and over, they have "mess decks"; also a quote from the CO addressing the crew as "comrades" (?!) rather than "shipmates" is improbable). A review of this book in the August 2003 Naval History magazine REALLY pans it and calls it "historical fiction", but I wouldn't go that far. There is a documentary on the Forrestal fire, Situation Critical - The U.S.S. Forrestal, also sold on Amazon.com.

Average customer rating:

Sailors to the End : The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It
Gregory A. Freeman
Manufacturer: Perennial / Harper-collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History | Bargain Books | Stores | Books

Military | History | Bargain Books | Stores | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Sailors to the End : The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It
Gregory A. Freeman
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OET8ZK

Average customer rating:

Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the USS Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It
Gregory A. Freeman
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OA8Z4O

Average customer rating:

Sailors to the End: The Deadly Fire on the Uss Forrestal and the Heroes Who Fought It
Gregory A. Freeman
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF4TBW

Book Description

The horrific torture and execution of hundreds of thousands of Cambodians by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge during the 1970s is one of the century's major human disasters. David Chandler, a world-renowned historian of Cambodia, examines the Khmer Rouge phenomenon by focusing on one of its key institutions, the secret prison outside Phnom Penh known by the code name "S-21." The facility was an interrogation center where more than 14,000 "enemies" were questioned, tortured, and made to confess to counterrevolutionary crimes. Fewer than a dozen prisoners left S-21 alive.
During the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) era, the existence of S-21 was known only to those inside it and a few high-ranking Khmer Rouge officials. When invading Vietnamese troops discovered the prison in 1979, murdered bodies lay strewn about and instruments of torture were still in place. An extensive archive containing photographs of victims, cadre notebooks, and DK publications was also found. Chandler utilizes evidence from the S-21 archive as well as materials that have surfaced elsewhere in Phnom Penh. He also interviews survivors of S-21 and former workers from the prison.
Documenting the violence and terror that took place within S-21 is only part of Chandler's story. Equally important is his attempt to understand what happened there in terms that might be useful to survivors, historians, and the rest of us. Chandler discusses the "culture of obedience" and its attendant dehumanization, citing parallels between the Khmer Rouge executions and the Moscow Show Trails of the 1930s, Nazi genocide, Indonesian massacres in 1965-66, the Argentine military's use of torture in the 1970s, and the recent mass killings in Bosnia and Rwanda. In each of these instances, Chandler shows how turning victims into "others" in a manner that was systematically devaluing and racialist made it easier to mistreat and kill them. More than a chronicle of Khmer Rouge barbarism, Voices from S-21 is also a judicious examination of the psychological dimensions of state-sponsored terrorism that conditions human beings to commit acts of unspeakable brutality.

Customer Reviews:

Terrified and terrifying.......2003-12-25

Prof. Chandler gives us a remarkably deep analysis of Pol Pot's secret prison S-21, which within the autogenocide of the Cambodian people stands out as a haunting symbol. It reflected the unlimited paranoia of Angkar and its schizophrenic regime that 'was at once terrified and terrifying, omnipotent and continually under threat'.
All family members (women, children and BABIES) of the condemned were slaughtered. Only 7 of the 14000 inmates survived.

As prof. Chandler remarks chillingly: 'a reign of terror and continuous revolution requires a continuous supply of enemies.'
There were no limits. As one of the interrogators rightly asked: 'If Angkar arrests everybody, who will be left to make a revolution?'

The same subject has been treated by Ben Kiernan in his book 'The Pol Pot regime'. But whereas Ben Kiernan sees racism as the main motive behind the murderous regime, prof. Chandler digs far deeper and concludes clinically that 'the real truth behind S-21 is to be found in ourselves'!
Indeed, the S-21 experience is not unique in the 20th century with its Nazi camps, communist show trials, Indonesian, Rwandan and Bosnian mass killings, Argentinean tortures ...
He remarks also that the Cambodian regime was an imported phenomenon. The Khmer leaders were all recruited and educated by the Stalinist French PC in the 1950s.

This nearly unbearable book should be read as a reminder that 'ordinary people can commit demonic acts' (R. F. Lifton).
David Chandler is not afraid to say 'how things really are' (L. Betzig).

A terrifying book about a terrifying experience.

Disturbing.......2003-02-16

David Chandler has made extensive use of the archives of S-21, with photographs and "confessions" to show the absurd paranoia of the leaders in Democratic Kampuchea. An excellent book, with some aspects that put me off, though: blunt anticommunism, some assertions about Soviet, Chinese and Vietnamese leaders that are rather anecdotal than based on serious historic scholarship, and weird comparisons between the turturers at S-21 and psychoanalysts.

The Psychology of Horror.......2002-11-15

David Chandler's "Voices from S-21: Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison" is a good book for a novice like me. Chandler starts by framing the book around the S-21 institution and its configuration. Chandler then dedicates and entire portion to the memoirs of the purges; the allegation santebal leveled at prisoners; and the various approaches of "politics" and "torture." The book concludes with short commentary of the "why" of S-21. Chandler's "Voices from S-21" is effectively a detailed history of the inner workings of the Khmer Rouge's secret police. Known as "santebal", and working out of a prison complex called S-21, the Khmer Rouge killed, tortured and interrogated "enemies" of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK). Due to the secretive nature of the Khmer Rouge, S-21 was "the place where people went in but never came out" (p. 7) - and this is an important issue to consider.

Between the years of 1975 and 1979, it is estimated that 14,000 prisoners (p. 36) entered S-21, but only four survived. The horrors of S-21 were uncovered during the liberation by the Vietnamese who found the prison's ghastly remains. Chandler used the S-21 record which were microfilmed by Cornell University in the early 1990s and synthesized the archive to produce this book. Because Chandler uses this technique the work is arguably incomplete, and it is my opinion, that in a lot of places it is largely speculative. Prisoner statements were extracted under torture, and other written records are tainted with party ideology or just laziness on the part of the recorders. Chandler, to his credit is writes that as Aristotle pointed out "more than two thousand years ago, confessions that flow from torture often bear little relation to the truth." (p. 128) Moreover, I admire Chandler for his creative use in including noted French philosopher Michel Foucault in his analysis but I am doubtful of both his interpretation and use of the same. On page 134, Chandler tries to fuse Foucault's notion of the "vengeance of the sovereign" into an almost Nazi like aura by describing the efficiency of the Khmer Rouge. Chandler pointed out earlier that the need for secrecy was an issue (p.17) but Foucault's notion of the "vengeance of the sovereign" is one of public display and notice - forming a contradiction to Chandler's initial observation/conclusion. Several notable issues regarding the book come to mind regarding his methodology. Chandler's creative use of Kundera/Kafka and the "establishment of guilt" is a very effective metaphor. Mind you, I am no expert in Cambodian history or the Khmer Rouge but when Chandler juxtaposes Kafka with S-21, you get the sense that one is guilty because he/she is arrested and not arrested because he/she is guilty much like Joseph K in "The Trial." Another issue that came home for me was the notion that after a while everyone was under suspicion. Folks like Son Sen who was trusted to watch over the "Eastern Zone" was later on suspected of treason. If it were not for the Vietnamese, he too may have ended up in S-21. (p.74-75) Lastly, is you have visited the work camp in Terezin in the Czech Republic, you will get a sense that most people who are incarcerated like this die less from torture but more from the atrocious conditions. Mind you, I am neither playing down the tortures, simply stating that the camp conditions were part of the horror as Chandler is good enough to point out.

Probably the most informative portion of the book is the detail relating to the "interrogations." What amazes me is that Chandler, despite his extensive bibliography fails to refer to Franz Fanon. Fanon's studies regarding the gendarme in Algeria could have shed light into many of Chandler's questions. Chandler adeptly coaxes his sources to illustrate the hopes and frustrations of prisoners and their interrogators. It can be argued that the most problematic portion of "Voices from S-21" is the concluding chapter. Here Chandler tries to set the horrors of S-21 in the milieu of other butchery of events like the Holocaust. Chandler brings up the Zimbardo and Milgram experiments (p. 147-148), but to make analogy with the Holocaust without referring back to it is impossible to do. Anyone who visits Toul Sleng museum will undoubtedly be moved by the degree and scale of atrocities committed in this secret torture center during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. I recommend this book highly but it needs to be framed better for the reader by looking for something that sets the tone regarding Cambodia, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. For the background, it might be wise to start with Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot (1992) (also available on Amazon.com) but for a psychology of horror - this book is second to none.

Miguel Llora

Not what I expected from the title.......2001-01-27

The title "Voices from S-21" suggests that Chandler's book will contain interviews/narrative from the prisoners held at the infamous Cambodian santebal. There is very little in the book detailing any one individual's personal experience (understandably, since only a handful survived). The book is extremely well-researched (45 of the total pages are footnotes) and I found it a dry read. Gets into theory of the prison's existence and why the interrogators carried out their orders with such detachment. However there is very little by way of firsthand accounts of what went on, if that's what you're expecting from the book.

Excellent view of a lost chapter in 20th century history!.......2000-05-21

Chandler has done a magnificient job bringing the Khmer Rouge prison "S-21" into clear view.

During the reign of the Khmer Rouge S-21 was used as the prison, interrogation center, and finally, the place of execution for several thousand Cambodians who were suspected of counter revolutionary activity.

Chandler shows that the mania of the Khmer Rouge leadership could not differentiate between the truth and made up stories under torture. One example of this gross misconception of reality within in the minds of the Khmer Rouge leadership is the fact that people were thrown into S-21 and executed on grounds of counter revolutionary activity simply because they had broken farming equipment, thereby tried to hinder the outcome of the 4 year plan for the agricultural sector!

Chandler also manages to draw interesting parallells between the Nazi KZs and Stalin's terror in the 1930's, and the Chinese cultural revolution in the 60's. He shows that some ingredients of terror are always there, no matter if it happens in Treblinka, Moscow, the country side of China, or in the killing fields of Cambodia.

Chandler's book is more than just a story of an awful prison in Cambodia. It is about the mechanisms that make some humans commit unspeakable acts(apparently by their own free will) against their fellow human beings, simply because of a belief in a political ideology!

Book Description

Renowned historian and international scholar Walter Laqueur offers a sweeping survey of writing on one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: the use of violence as a tool for political change.

From ancient Roman tyrannicides and French revolutionaries to the Weathermen and Osama Bin Laden, Voices of Terror brings together 120 of history's most controversial figures, militant organizations and guerrilla groups for a rare glimpse into the minds behind the violence. This important new anthology includes a substantial selection of material by Islamist terrorists, about the evolving concept of jihad and on post-September 11, 2001 perspectives.

With commentary from Karl Marx, Emma Goldman, Mao Tse Tung, Che Guevara, and Menachem Begin, among others, and documents of al Qaeda, Hamas and the PLO, Voices of Terror is an essential resource for anyone interested in international current events.

Customer Reviews:

If you want to know what we are up against..........2004-10-02

"Voices of Terror" is an important book. It does not have a narrative, simply some introductory and explanatory text to tie things together as it is simply a reference for those who wish to study the history, present state and future of terrorism. Assembled by Walter Laquer, who has a long background as a security and foreign policy, an expert with a deep knowledge of the Middle East, it is a well researched and selective compendium of written texts and manifestos that have justified and advanced the cause of political assassination and terrorism. First of all, Laquer correctly criticizes the use of the phrase "War on Terror" as he like others reminds us that terror is a means, a strategy that different groups with different agendas use, but it is not an ideology. Perhaps the Bush Administration is hesitant about declaring war on "Islamic Radicalism" or "Islamic Terror." The series of documents begin in the classical era with the justifications for tyrannicide and then move into the Enlightenment and era of the early political revolutions with writings from France and then 19th century radical tracts from Russia, there is then a section on 20th century terror with manifestoes from the Irish Republican movement, the Palestinian terrorists, our home grown Weather Underground and Europe's Red Army Faction, both of whom resorted to terror. Laquer includes interpretations of terrorism from Goldman, Marx, Lenin and Trotsky. Part Two is a series of four sections devoted to guerrilla war from the 19th century to the present day. The final component of the book, Part Three, is devoted to the "Origins of 21st Century Terrorism" and it includes the religious justifications from many of the major Islamic intellectuals who have written in an effort to normalize the use of terrorism. Unfortunately, they have succeeded all too well. The final section of Part Three is another series of manifestoes from groups as disparate as the Tamil Tigers, The Red Brigade and Jemaah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia. This book is truly vital reading as it is important to realize that there is an ideology behind those who stalk innocent men, women and children in New York, in Spain or Iraq. There has to be elaborate justifications to convince so many to commit he most heinous murders - and there are. To know what type of threat we face, we must understand what motivates those who threaten us and "Voices of Terror" is a stark look into the heart of the terrorist movements.
Jeffrey Morseburg

Voices from S-21 - Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison

Average customer rating:

Voices from S-21 - Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison

Manufacturer: Silkworm Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9747551152

Product Description

The horrific torture and execution of hundreds of thousands of Cambodians by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge(KR) during the 1970s is one of the century's major human disasters.Chandler,a renowned historian of Cambodia,examines the KR by focusing on one of its key institutions,the secret prison outside Phnom Penh known by the code name S-21.The facility was an interrogation center where more than 14,000 "enemies" were questioned,tortured,and made to confess to counterrevolutionary crimes.Fewer than a dozen prisoners left alive.During the Democratic Kampuchea era,the existence of S-21 was known only to those inside it and a few highranking KR officials.When invading Vietnamese troops discovered the prison in 1979,murdered bodies lay strewn about and instruments of torture were still in place.An extensive archive containing photographs of victims and DK publications was also found.Chandler utilizes evidence from the S-21 archive and materials that have surfaced elsewhere in Phnom Penh. He interviews survivors of S-21 and former workers of the prison, Documenting the violence and terror that took place within S-21 is only part of Chandler's story. Equally important is his attempt to understand what happened there in terms that might be useful to survivors, historians, and the rest of us. Chandler discusses the "culture of obedience" and its attendant dehumanization, citing parallels between the KR executions and the Moscow Show Trails of the 1930s,Nazi genocide,Indonesian massacres in 65-66,the Argentine military's use of torture in the 1970s,and the recent mass killings in Bosnia and Rwanda.In each of these instances,Chandler shows how turning victims into "others" in a manner that was systematically devaluing and racialist made it easier to mistreat and kill them.More than a chronicle of KR barbarism,Voices from S-21 is also a judicious examination of the psychological dimensions of state-sponsored terrorism that conditions human beings to commit acts of unspeakable brutality

NEW WARS OF THE WEST: Anglo American Voices on the War on Terror

Average customer rating:

NEW WARS OF THE WEST: Anglo American Voices on the War on Terror
Paul Moorcraft
Manufacturer: Casemate
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The New Wars of the West covers the dramatic world events which unfolded from September 11, 2001 to the current operations in Iraq. Many books have been written on the war on terror, but none include contributions from so many top military and political leaders. These contributions, from some of the leading political and military thinkers in the United States and Great Britain, are linked by a series of essays to form a compelling narrative of the new way of war.

In their own words the key decision-makers such as Secretary for Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle and British Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon talk about the strategic dilemmas. The military implementation of the political decisions is discussed by leaders such as the head of the US Air Force and the British Royal Navy's First Sea Lord.

Highly charged critiques by anti war British member of parliament. George Galloway MP are also included, as well as Iraq's former deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, who was interviewed on the eve of the war. Senior foreign correspondents such as Channel Four's Lindsey Hilsum add their own frontline assessments.

In addition, leading academic analysts such as Dr. Paul Cornish and Dr. Gary Samore put the political and military debates in context.

A foreword to the work is written by leading US Military Historian, Stephen Tanner.

Dr. Paul Moorcraft, Gwyn Winfield and John Chisholm are security experts who work on the editorial team of the Defence Division of Surrey House which produces a range of security magazines including Defence International, NBC International and Resilience. They have traveled widely in the zones of conflicts to conduct the interviews and to contribute the linking texts. The New Wars of the West is an important contribution to one of the most divisive conflicts in modern history. It will appeal military specialists, students of international relations, journalists and to anyone who is concerned about how the international war on terror is being transformed into a clash of civilizations which could last for decades.

Average customer rating:

Voice Of Terror
Betty Chezum Mowery
Manufacturer: Thomas Bouregy & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PCD7VM

Average customer rating:

Voice of Terror
Betty Mowery
Manufacturer: Thomas Bouregy & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 999331546X

Average customer rating:

Voice of Terror
Betty Chezum Mowery
Manufacturer: Thomas Bouregy & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PCBE3A

Average customer rating:

Voice of Terror
Betty Chezum Mowery
Manufacturer: Avalon. NY,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QKQZ80

The Voice of Terror: A Biography of Johann Most (Contributions in Political Science)

Average customer rating:

The Voice of Terror: A Biography of Johann Most (Contributions in Political Science)
Johann Joseph Most , and Frederic Trautmann
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Voices in an Empty Room: A Novel of Terror and Possession

Average customer rating:

Voices in an Empty Room: A Novel of Terror and Possession
Philip Loraine
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LDWK7M

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books