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Summary: An Intelligent, Important Book
Review: Every thinking American should own, read and re-read "Longitudes and Attitudes" by Thomas Friedman.The structure of the book is simple: a slim collection of Friedman's columns for the New York Times pre-September 11, a lengthier collection post (in my edition through April 30, 2003), and an essay at the end. Yet these columns and this essay contain vital insight into so many of the critical issues on the foreign affairs front facing the US today: Al-Qaeda, the rise of Islam, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the war in Iraq. In many ways, Friedman is your average joe "thinking American"--just one though who has lived throughout the middle east, analyzed it for a living for years, and possesses the ability to crystallize issues through the medium of a NY Times column. His essays pre-9/11 are both prescient (a column on Osama ending with "revolution until victory")at times, and on unrelated topics at others (the cyber revolution, the Davos World Economic Forum). Post 9/11 his columns are filled with a range of emotions: rage, modified anger, rational insight, sage advice. Throughout he has insights (e.g., the clash is not between civilizations but within them, the US, in the case of Al Qaeda has waged war not on a country as is traditional, but a group) that every reader should take and debate with others. His essay at the end contains his musings and his analyses of the current situation in the mid-east. Such analyses as that of the 9/11 hijackers-he lumps them into two groups, the "thinkers" and the "muscle men"-makes you realize that you are reading the first "history" of 9/11 and not just a lengthy newspaper column. I would recommend this book highly to just about anyone who can read (and in my reviews I usually am very particular about recommending books to certain groups). It is a great read-and a great book.
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Summary: Troubleshooting World Events Pre & Post 9-1-1
Review: Thomas L. Friedman provides us with a well-honed world view of life which preceded 9-1-1 and the shockwaves which resulted from Sept. 11th 2001. As a world correspondent for the New York Times, Mr. Friedman has travelled extensively to Israel, Jordan and other Moslem/Arabic countries. He has corresponded with Moslem newspaper writers, some of whom support a more tolerant interpretation of Moslem religious writing and also, those who promote the Islamic fundamentalist concepts. He clearly presents many of the reasons the Moslems hold the interpretations and perceptions they do regarding Israel and the USA. He provides explantions for the milieu in which young men grew up to become world terrorists. He explores some of the economic, social and political condtions which fostered the development of this chosen lifestyle ... He provides political challenges to President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Ariel Sharon and Yassser Arafat, and to Arab leaders to evaluate their positions and take action from the standards and values of truth and justice, of what is best for their people. His opinions span the globe, from the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, to North Korea vs the free world, Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction and to Saudi Arabia which failed in its leadership by silently consenting to terrorism, by monetarily supporting disguised philanthropic organizations. He leaves no stone unturned when it comes to revealing where and why serious problems arise. He clearly holds leaders accountable for their actions or lack thereof. His razor sharp mind cuts through a lot of meaningless diatribe to target the most important global issues which need to be addressed for survival of life as we know it. The clever title of the book, "Longitudes and Attitudes" aptly summarizes its contents which are global in outreach and affect everyone on a personal level. Among the last articles is a discussion about creating and destroying walls. It is contains perhaps the most insightful comments withinin the wholoe book. However, to truly understand and appreciate the particular article, one needs to read the whole book to get the flavor and context of why his comments are so on-the-mark ...
This book is highly recommmended reading for anyone wanting to understand the complex world in which we live. Erika Borsos (erikab93)
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Summary: A must read for all Americans
Review: The best case put forth yet for the war in Iraq. And of course this is not from a right-wing, "ditto-head" either. This is a balanced persepective on the middle east from a very wise and experienced author. If you really want to know what we are up against in the middle east, read this book - I did, and it fears me quite a bit.
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Summary: Read Prestowitz'z Book Instead
Review: Instead of reading Friedman's book, read Clyde Prestowitz's book, _Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions_. Friedman is an unrepented supporter of the preventive war on Iraq. For a review of Prestowitz's book, go to the web site of the New York Review of Books, page http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16591 .
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Summary: Sock-puppet
Review: Do yourself a favor. Rather than exposing whatever is left of your brain to more of the miasmic amnesia double-speak propaganda spewing from this zionist monopoly-medi sock-puppet, hit yourself in the head right between your eyes with a very large hammer. It will have the same effect.
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Summary: Friedman is compulsary reading in these troubled times
Review: Thomas Friedman has become compulsary reading in these troubled times - for us in Europe, thankfully in the International Herald Tribune. And for those who find that the New York Times is not to their taste - read and enjoy this book. For example, although an NY Times columnist, he was IN FAVOUR of the war with Iraq! So liberals, conservatives, visiting Brits from overseas (like me): read him weekly and then buy this book! Chrisotpher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)
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Summary: God Bless America, no matter what it does...
Review: Nobody can deny that Thomas Friedman is an experienced journalist who's been covering the middle-east and US foregin policy for a long, long time. I won't try to do that. However, September 11th has obviously transformed, or maybe even narrowed his view of the world. 9/11 is, without a doubt, an event that will go down in history, and it has had an effect on everyone. The effect on americans was a sharpened sense of patriotism. That's understandable, but one would think a professional like Friedman would still be able to do his job. A few choice statements from the book are 1) His absolute refusal to admit or understand that the hijackers had reasons for doing what they did. He just keeps referring to their being "evil", "pure evil", and bent solely on destroying America and all those in it. That sounds like something Bush and Rumsfeld could use in their speeches. Again, 9/11 saw thousands of civilians killed in a manner never seen before, but hiding one's head in the sand and simply referring to evil is the first step towards another 9/11. 2) Friedman asks why the US wasn't so hated by so many people after WWII, when it was a world superpower then as well. His explanation -seriously- is that after WWII, the US foreign policy was based on spreading and fostering democracy through economic aid. I guess Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Chile, and others don't exist in Mr.Friedman's history books. The US wasn't so hated by the world (and that means the Muslim world, as i'm sure that's what Mr.Friedman was referring to), is that it's foreign policy was focused on facing communism. All od the world's other countries were tools for that purpose. Again, simplification and generalization are rampant in Mr.Friedman's analysis of US history. To his credit, Mr.Friedman does criticize the US government on many fronts. Criticizing the government is not a favour he does to anybody, it's his job. This book is recommednded to those who can't get enough hearing white house breafings on CNN and Donald Rumsfeld on Meet the Press. For anyone else, it's so useless that it's funny sometimes.
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Summary: Effectively conveys post 9/11 political and emotional landsc
Review: Mr. Friedman, writing from his vantage point as foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, has crafted a book that navigates the post-9/11 political and emotional landscape. The bulk of the book consists of his twice-a-week Pulitzer Prize-winning column in The New York Times from the period a month or so before 9/11 to almost 9 months after the unspeakable event. After the columns, Friedman has devoted 84 pages towards a diary where he delves into further detail about the topics discussed in the columns of the book. Many of the columns (and the book) stem from Friedman's focus to understand what would drive 19 middle class educated lunatics to hate life more than to love it. From this basic premise, Friedman explores the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Arab education systems (especially the religious schools), U.S. foreign policies, and U.S. domestic policies to name just a few. Friedman has an extraordinary background in the Arab-Israeli conflict (read his From Beirut to Jerusalem book) and thus is able to cogently portray the issues from as many sides as possible. Friedman bashes the religious zealots in the Arab world for spreading hatred, the political correctness in the U.S. who claim that America is somehow responsible, as well as the Israelis for colonizing areas they probably shouldn't be in. But some of the columns are witty as they are insightful ("Naked Air" where he wryly and symbolically advocates the creation of an airline where all the passengers must fly naked in order to ensure maximum security.). Within this book, Friedman further tells us why America is such a great country through the things that he observes - his daughter's multicultural middle school, the enormous outpouring of support for the victims' families after 9/11, and the insurmountable military might of a country, etc. When you are finished, you should be left with more understanding about the mosaic causes of the horrible events of 9/11 coupled with a greater appreciation of why America is such a great country and will be stronger than before.
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Summary: A realistic view post-Sept. 11
Review: Mr. Friedman's latest book, "Longitudes and Attitudes" is a realistic and unfettered view of the world pre-and post-Sept. 11th, but it is not, as many books of the kind are, 100% pro-American. When reading this book, one must realize that America is not infallable, mistakes have been made, and while I'm sure we'd all agree Sept. 11th was not a good day, it was not a blind and random attack. This book has been criticized for being pro-Arab, pro-Palestinian, anti-American, etc., and, I believe, unfairly so. As in his other books (From Beirut to Jerusalem, notably), Friedman has taken a neutral jorunalistic view of the conflicts in the Middle East. If you're looking for a pro-American "we didn't do anything to anyone else" book, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a book that clearly and unapologetically describes the situations that exist in the Arab world today, I heartily recommend this book. Also, of note, this is a collection of editorial columns from the New York Times and a short diary. If you read Friedman's columns regularly, you may not find much of anything new here.
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Summary: For use as a textbook?
Review: Seeking advice on preparation for the Foreign Service Exam, someone told me, "Read the New York Times everyday, beginning when you are six years old." Friedman's book will not quite suffice as decades of CliffsNotes. But it does offer accessible, engaging reading on America in the World, particularly regarding the Middle East. Strengths as an undergraduate text include its accessibility to marginally-informed students combined with challenging insights for more sophisticated readers. The quality of the writing by this Pulitzer Prize winner is widely acknowledged. Of particular interest is that the number of key themes encourages students to move beyond simple linear explanations and to integrate developments from various fields. These themes include Huntington's clash of civilizations, the love-America-hate-the-U.S. dichotomy, the importance of new technology in shaping global politics, Islam's struggle with modernity, and the importance of the Israeli-Palestinian question. And since Friedman's columns continue in the New York Times twice a week, "updated editions" of the book appear throughout the semester. Caveats include that the book is not designed as a classroom text. There is repetitiveness rooted in the columns' original stand-alone quality. It is not designed to - and does not - serve as an introductory text to the Middle East or American foreign policy. But as a thoughtful reflection by someone passionate and knowledgeable about globalization and the Middle East, my students considered it a fun and useful read.
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