Rating: 
Summary: CLARITY, CONTENT, SOURCED FACTS AND EXPLAINED LOGIC
Review: Amazingly clear, Mahajan's book considers topics like our freedom, our security, the media's tactics and influence, analysis of polling data, the relationship of race to our government's activities, humanitarianism, and likely new directions in military activities. Ending on an optimistic outlook, in just 150 pages Mahajan demonstrates his ability to provide sourced facts, relevant history, and crystal-clear logic in explaining the complex topic of our response to terrorism. This book should be required reading in American high schools and colleges, for both its exemplary writing style and its content combined with an explained logic.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent critique of American foreign policy
Review: At a time like this, when government propaganda is forced down our throats, Mahajan offers a devastating critique of U.S. foreign policy. He shreds the facade behind the "war on terrorism." He shows the hypocrisy of the vicious attacks on the people of Afghanistan under the guise of freedom. As he points out, the Bush government planned an invasion of Afghanistan prior to 9-11 . Why?- well, let's see- OIL. If more of the media had Mahajan's cynicism toward the government, the American people might know the real story behind the "war on terrorism." I await his forthcoming book on the invasion of Iraq. My only complaint is that he goes on side issues, like affirmative action, which have nothing to do with the subject. Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: excellent critique of American foreign policy
Review: At a time like this, when government propaganda is forced down our throats, Mahajan offers a devastating critique of U.S. foreign policy. He shreds the facade behind the "war on terrorism." He shows the hypocrisy of the vicious attacks on the people of Afghanistan under the guise of freedom. As he points out, the Bush government planned an invasion of Afghanistan prior to 9-11 . Why?- well, let's see- OIL. If more of the media had Mahajan's cynicism toward the government, the American people might know the real story behind the "war on terrorism." I await his forthcoming book on the invasion of Iraq. My only complaint is that he goes on side issues, like affirmative action, which have nothing to do with the subject. Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Sadly reviews are all positive?
Review: Excellent review of the issues whether or not one agrees 100%. It is unfortunate that the reviews are all positive because it means those who SHOULD read it wallow in books and opinions that support their own biases. No right wing or JDL reviewers here. No pompous Bennett or bigot Pipes. Should be assigned to all members of Congress (with a quiz) before they debate Iraq too. (But now freshmen get sessions with Rush Limbaugh rather than Harvard's school of government that better reflects the intellectual standards of the Right and of Bush.) The mainstream Press, and members of Congress fear truth - or even different opinion - unless subsidized by voting blocks and paid for by the beneficiaries of Bush tax reform. ('Making the world safe for Billionaires' is the order of the day, not truth, justice, or democracy - not even civil rights.)
Rating:
Summary: The truth is out there!!
Review: If you've ordered this book and read it, then you've taken the first step to freeing your mind from all the garbage the media suffocates us with. And if you swallow these eye-opening books like I do then I earnestly recommed anything by Noam Chomsky, as well as these two books, which will no doubt enlighten you about the Bush administration and the war in Iraq: (1) War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq (Milan Rai); and (2) STUPID WHITE MEN (Michale Moore). And if you love a good laugh, here's a satire on Bush and the media: The little samba boy (Jay Singh). The truth is out there.
Rating:
Summary: The truth is out there!!
Review: If you've ordered this book and read it, then you've taken the first step to freeing your mind from all the garbage the media suffocates us with. And if you swallow these eye-opening books like I do then I earnestly recommed anything by Noam Chomsky, as well as these two books, which will no doubt enlighten you about the Bush administration and the war in Iraq: (1) War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq (Milan Rai); and (2) STUPID WHITE MEN (Michale Moore). And if you love a good laugh, here's a satire on Bush and the media: The little samba boy (Jay Singh). The truth is out there.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read on the war on terror
Review: ountry, without evidence to his guilt presented. And, according to the London Daily Telegraph, the Taliban had agreed to extradite Bin Laden to Pakistan where he would be tried within the framework of Islamic law before an international tribuanal, which would decide to try him themselves or extradite him to the U.S. Apparently General Musharaff scuttled the deal, obviously under U.S. pressure. The author notes that the U.S. demanded that the Taliban open all "terrorist training camps" to U.S. inspection and the Taliban must hand over everyone in the vaguely defined "terrorist support structure" of Al Qaida. No sovereign state could accept these demands; thus the bar was set so high for the Taliban that war was inevitable. The author says that this war is simply about terrorising third world countries who refuse U.S. demands. Getting Bin Laden is a goal but it is really further down the list. The author points out that the threat of bombing and then the bombing itself caused the creation of about a million internal refugees within Afghanistan, severely exacerbating the humanitarian crises in that country. The threat of bombing and then the bombing forced aid agencies in the country to suspend their work most of the time. He quotes a Christian Aid official as saying that the humanitarian crises during the bombing was not related to the Taliban blocking the relief efforts but the U.S. bombing. He points out that with seven million people desperately needing food in the midst of the bombing, the U.S. government had to cover its tracks a bit. This was done by dropping 37,000 food packets on the country, ridiculous not just for the small number compared to the actual needy, but, as was denounced by the aid agencies, it is very difficult to distribute food to the needy that way. Aid agencies argued that it was perniscious that humanitarian aid was being dropped with bombs. The author points out that the U.S. really didn't block aid distribution after the Taliban fell; they just really didn't do anything to help that distibution, whatever the rhetoric. The author notes that the heroic efforts of the World Food Program averted widespread starvation for a few months last December. The WFP said that the danger of widespread famine was over but other agencies said it was only not a danger for a few months. The speculates that tens of thousands of people at minimum died because of the cutoff aid caused by the threat of bombing then the bombing from September to December 2001. This in adition to the probably 4,000 people who died from the bombs themselves or who accidently picked up a cluster bomb, which were strikingly resembled the yellow food and medicine packets that the U.S. was dropping as part of its sham humanitarian operations. The U.S. packets with medicine had instruction for dispensing written in English for a nation of people, the vast majority of whom can't read their own language. The author notes that a hundred people were dying a day in January at the camp of Maslakh near Herat and that there was still numerous reports of inability to access isolated villages cut off by snow. Those villagers of course, were surviving by eating bread made of grass. The author notes that the amount of banditry and lawlessness, particularly harming aid distribution, vastly increased with the Northern alliance takeover of the country. And the author notes that the Northern Alliance barbarians, though including a few women in their government-- greatly impressing Western intellectuals-- instituted a harsh farm of Sharia (Islamic law) law and a judge announced that adulterers would still be stoned but with smaller ones than the Taliban used. The author says some other interesting things. He refers to the furor about the CIA being "restricted" from doing business with terrorists, by the Church committe of the 70's, the law passed in 1995 requring CIA agents to get permission from headquarters to business with human rights violators and so on. He notes that the CIA managed to fund its largest operation ever in the 80's supporting the Al Qaida-types in the 80's in Afghanistan. He quotes Carter's National security advisor Zbygniew Brzesinski as as saying that the United States had been covertly funding the fundamentalist fanatics in Afghanistan, trying to provoke the Russians, at least six months before the Russians invaded in December 1979. He notes that it dosen't look very smart to give even more power to an organization, the CIA, that created, funded, armed and trained these "Afghan Arabs" organizations like Al Qaida and then left them to be set loose on the world. He points out that the CIA was able to fund very well the terrorist contras in Nicaragua. And he quotes the CIA spokesman as saying under the 1995 rule, agents have been rarely refused requests to work with various thugs. He discusses other matters like the U.S. forcing the shutdown of the Hawala money transfer affiliate in Somalia, on the grounds of its suspected ties to Al Qaida, though no actual evidence has been found of it (U.S. government assertions don't count). The author speculates about the closure of the prime way of getting money into Somalia will lead or has led to the deaths of many thousands of people. He notes that the U.S. "humanitarian mission" in Somalia back in 1992-93 was actually intended to secure a foothold in a strategically important and mineral rich area. It had been undertaken after most of the famine was over. After funding the Somali dictator Mohammed Siad Barre, overthrown in 1991, whose bloody rule was largely responsible for bringing the famine about, the U.S. managed to kill 7,000 to 10,000 people during this intervention. Nobody remembers or even knows about that but they remember the American servicemen killed.
Rating: 
Summary: Pass this one by
Review: Rahul Mahajan seems to think that in a world of international terrorism, rogue, criminal nations with WMDs, an irrational fear of globalism and a tremendous amount of religious extremism that the United States is the enemy of all nations and the root of all evil. I found Mr. Mahajan's arguments incomplete, mixed with inaccurate information or out of context. This book, in my own view, is mostly unsupported opinion and 'spun' viewpoint.
Rating:
Summary: Deserving of as wide a readership as possible
Review: The New Crusade: America's War On Terrorism is a very serious treatise by peace activist Rahul Mahjan on current events which focus on the September 11 attacks and the consequent war in Afghanistan. The New Crusade also addresses the issues of American policy in Israel and Palestine, Iraq, humanitarian intervention in Somalia and Kosovo, and more. Scathing in its indictment of the US government and IMF for such advocations as denying AIDS drugs to third-world countries (unless sold at inflated prices no third world nation can afford) and demanding privatization of scarce water resources, as well as gauging how September 11 changed America and the world, The New Crusade is a sober, thoughtfully argued presentation not to be taken lightly and deserving of as wide a readership as possible. This is a highly recommended and welcome contribution to the current national dialogue regarding our "war on terrorism".
Rating:
Summary: Emotional biased book not based on compelte facts
Review: This is a book that need to be read twice. It sounds plausible and well researched especially to someone that feels confused about the Iraqi developments (someone like myself). But closer attention to the barrage of facts show them to be a clever arrangement of half truths arranged to buttress a preconceived notion which is 'intellectually correct'. Americans are very sensitive about their sense of fairness. It is sad to see Authors like these take advantage of the innate naivete of well meaning readers. Take for example the chapters on myths about ourselves.
Whatever the point (racism, free-speech etc) the US is far ahead of every decent sized country. Mahajan's perspective is opportunistic and shallow.
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