Recommended: America's Secret War

Some weeks ago I recommended George Freidman's new book The Next 100 Years. That book was so good that I went back a got a copy of his 2004 book America's Secret War: Inside the Hidden Worldwide Struggle Between America and its Enemies. (details listed in my book list on the sidebar)

In his 2004 book, Friedman discusses at length the roots of the current Islamic militant movement, and the unwitting part that American policies in the 1960-1990 era played in helping them form. He also discusses in detail the deficiencies in our intelligence system that have made it miss most of the big events in that period, from the North Korean invasion of South Korea, through the fall of the Soviet Union to the 9/11 attack. And by the way, he doesn't fault the people, whom he sees as bright and hard-working; he faults the system. He also talks in detail about our involvement in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

This book is well worth reading if you want a better understanding, not only of the tactical games being played by Middle Eastern nations, but about the thinking and assumptions - right and wrong - of Washington policy makers.