Terrorism: Theirs and Ours

Rating:
Summary: ...Worth Every Penny!
Review: ... Man, this little book of 59 pages packs a powerful punch...! It is worth every penny. You can read it in a few hours, and you will be glad you did; for, it opens your eyes to seeing our country as much of the rest of the world sees us - with total clarity!

... Ahmad states on page 24: "What is my recommendation to America? First, avoid extremes of double standards. If you're going to practice double standards, you will be paid with double standards. Don' use it. Don't condone Israeli terror, Pakistani terror, Nicaraguan terror, El Salvadoran terror, on the one hand, and then complain about Afghan terror or Palesinian terror. It doesn' work. Try to be even-handed. A superpower cannot promote terror in one place and reasonably expect to discourage terrorism in another place. It doesn't work in this shrunken world." Also, on page 20, he states: "Sometimes it's the fact that you have experienced violence at other people's hands. Victims of violent abuse often become violent people. The only time when Jews produced terrorists in organized fashion was during and after the Holocaust. It is rather remarkable that Jewish terrorists hit largely innocent people or U.N. peacemakers like Count Bernadotte of Sweden, whose country had a better record on the Holocaust. The men of Irgun, the Stern Gang, and the Hagannah terrorist groups came in the wake of the Holocaust. The experience of victimhood itself produces a violent reaction."

... This book comes in two sections: the first section is an edited transcript of a public talk the auther gave at the University of Colorado, in Boulder, on October 12, 1998; the second section is composed of excerpts edited from: Eqbal Ahmad: Confronting Empire, Interviews with David Barsamian ( Souh End Press, 2000 ). ... This is a great litle book with a great wrap-around cover photo of former U.S. President, Ronald Reagan ( beardless! ), sitting in a room in the White House on June 16, 1986 while meeting with a group of heavily bearded mujahideen leaders from Afghanistan. Somehow, Reagan looks out of place in his own house! ... Read this book! You won't regret it. ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid

Rating:
Summary: Another great book from AK Press
Review: A classic, prescient lecture from the Pakistani activist-scholar, and mentor of Edward Said, together with an interview conducted with David Barsamian (who also provides a foreword). It was obvious to many, not least Ahmad, that American foreign policy, and use of terror, could only lead to a 9-11; indeed it has been delivering 9-11's across the globe for years. Here Ahmad lays out this trajectory from 1998.

Rating:
Summary: A look at the background behind terrorism
Review: From the perspective of someone from South Asia (Ahamd was from Pakistan), this book looks deeper at this thing called terrorism.

There are several aspects to the official approach to terrorism. First, terrorists change. Yesterday's terrorist is today's freedom fighter, and vice versa. Second, there seems to be no such thing as an "official" definition of terrorism. Explanations are designed to arouse our emotions, instead of stimulating our intelligence. Third, government officials may not be able to define terrorism, but they know that it must be stamped out worldwide.

Fourth, it's supposedly possible to tell the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. Fifth, the official approach ignores the causes of terrorism. Cause? What cause? Sixth, the moral revulsion against terrorism needs to be selective. Terror from disapproved groups needs to be strongly condemned, but terror from allies or approved groups can be ignored.

Why do groups commit terrorist acts? Getting their grievances heard through regular channels hasn't worked, so, to them, terrorism is the only way to be heard. Terrorism is an expression of anger and helplessness, and also a sense of betrayal. Through the spread of modern technology and communications, terror has become globalized. Everyone is a target.

The author recommends several approaches for America. Stop with the double standards. Don't condone some terrorism, and condemn others. In the present situation, such an approach will not work. Also, America should actually consider the causes of terrorism. It's a political problem; seek a political solution. The author also recommends reinforcing the framework of international law. Try going through the International Court of Justice.

This is an excellent book. It's short, and written from a non-American perspective. It does a fine job looking at the background behind terrorism, and it's well worth reading.


Rating:
Summary: Very Informative, and Very Realistic
Review: I bought this book wanting to know a little about the reality of terrorism. Terrorism: Theirs and Ours does just that. It gives the reader an accurate idea of what it is like, as well as what what the other side feels. The truly amazing thing about this book is that it was written before 9-11, before George W Bush bought, and cheated his way into being president. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who wants to know the truth not only about Terrorism, but he United States invovlement in Terrorism.

Rating:
Summary: Another great book from AK Press
Review: The late Eqbal Ahmad (d. 1999) led a full life. Apart from being a social activist, a political science professor in the United States, a short stint in the Pakistani army, and valuable contributions to the Algerian independence movement-he managed to be accused (unfairly) of attempting to kidnap Henry Kissinger and found the time to interview Osama bin Ladin in 1986. This world traveler and intellectual par excellence warned the world about September 11 two years before it happened. This short booklet includes an eloquent essay by Eqbal on terrorism and a couple of interviews of him by David Barsamian. Everything from Taliban, American foreign policy, Pakistani politics, the Kashmir issue, and the Arab-Israeli conflict is touched upon. The main, focus, of course, is terrorism: what is it, who defines it, who practices it, and what causes it.

Eqbal asserts that since WW II, the U.S. saw Islamic fundamentalism as a way to combat Communism in the Muslim world. He notes that the same groups that the U.S. gave billions of dollars in 1980s to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan have are now attacking the U.S. (what the CIA calls "Islamic blowback"). Eqbal explains why these groups now see the U.S. as their enemy, when just yesterday the U.S. was a friend. While Eqbal is very critical of U.S. foreign policy, no one should think that Eqbal is an apologist for terrorism. He was a committed secularist and a democrat, and had little sympathy for fundamentalists of any religion. (He called the Taliban "barbarians" when the Clinton administration was trying to secure an oil pipeline through Afghanistan.)

One criticism of this book is that it is too short. That is why readers who like this book should also get "9-11" by Noam Chomsky and "Rogue State" by William Blum. Also, you can find many of Eqbal Ahmad's articles online. Read them before you buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great analysis, but too short
Review: The late Eqbal Ahmad (d. 1999) led a full life. Apart from being a social activist, a political science professor in the United States, a short stint in the Pakistani army, and valuable contributions to the Algerian independence movement-he managed to be accused (unfairly) of attempting to kidnap Henry Kissinger and found the time to interview Osama bin Ladin in 1986. This world traveler and intellectual par excellence warned the world about September 11 two years before it happened. This short booklet includes an eloquent essay by Eqbal on terrorism and a couple of interviews of him by David Barsamian. Everything from Taliban, American foreign policy, Pakistani politics, the Kashmir issue, and the Arab-Israeli conflict is touched upon. The main, focus, of course, is terrorism: what is it, who defines it, who practices it, and what causes it.

Eqbal asserts that since WW II, the U.S. saw Islamic fundamentalism as a way to combat Communism in the Muslim world. He notes that the same groups that the U.S. gave billions of dollars in 1980s to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan have are now attacking the U.S. (what the CIA calls "Islamic blowback"). Eqbal explains why these groups now see the U.S. as their enemy, when just yesterday the U.S. was a friend. While Eqbal is very critical of U.S. foreign policy, no one should think that Eqbal is an apologist for terrorism. He was a committed secularist and a democrat, and had little sympathy for fundamentalists of any religion. (He called the Taliban "barbarians" when the Clinton administration was trying to secure an oil pipeline through Afghanistan.)

One criticism of this book is that it is too short. That is why readers who like this book should also get "9-11" by Noam Chomsky and "Rogue State" by William Blum. Also, you can find many of Eqbal Ahmad's articles online. Read them before you buy this book.