John,
A set of brief comments about the Simon and Benjamin, Sacred Terror book. I notice that Bill terms it a pro-Clinton book. A part of it certainly is. But there is more.
The book is divided into two sections, the first sketching the threat and the second the Clinton administration response.
1. I've just started the second part. The first chapter in it looks to be the best defense that could be offered for both the office the two authors occupied and for the overall reaction of the administration. Since these are staffers, not politicians, my guess is that it's the best case given the facts; that the facts themselves are not spun.
2. I expect to find, further in, some settling scores within the administration. They've already done a bit of that with the Pentagon; the reviews suggest they do it with Freeh; oh, yes, they do it with the FBI in the Atlanta Olympics episode. About par for the course for books by insiders so far.
3. I'm particularly curious if they will offer criticisms of Clinton or the top folk in his administration. Freeh, of course, they do; Reno, so far, gets a pass; Tony Lake gets a pass; they consider Richard Clarke both a loose cannon and the indispensable man.
4. In the first part of the book, they offer the best overview of Islamism I've read. For serious students, it will not do but for those looking for a good introduction, focused on explaining 9-11, it's quite good.
5. They are eager to explain 9-11 as a religious deed, not the deed of irrational thugs. So their treatment of the historical sources of Islamism and its present contours focuses on trying to convince readers that these were deeply religious actors. There are some provocative asides to similar motivations--theocratic regimes in early Protestantism and the desires of some US church groups today--but little is done with them. For whatever reason.
6. They both accept and reject Kepel's thesis that Islamism is in decline. They accept the notion that, as of the moment, it's aim to gain state power ended with bin Laden's eviction from Sudan and with the defeat of the Taliban. As well as with the growing popular oppositon in Iran. But then they have a long chapter moving country by country through the ME, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere, noting that Islamism lies just beneath the surface or is cracking through; that the demographics favor it; that any of numerous scenarios produce Islamist coups in the ME; etc. A very disturbing chapter and one on which to focus reading.
7. I expect to find some material on policy conclusions later in the book, both as to how to improve US security but also proposals for long term means to address the growth of Islamism.
Hope this helps. |
