A trio of books about American foreign relationships, the Middle East, and terrorism:
 

Nemesis:  The Last Days of the American Republic

The Iron Cage:  The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood
The Secret History of al Qaeda
        Reviewed by Dr. Susan K. Hedahl

 1.  Nemesis:  The Last Days of the American Republic by Chalmers Johnson.  New York:  Henry Holt and Company, 2006.  PP. 356

             Chalmers Johnson.  The name sounds like a Midwest version of a new tractor.  What this name actually signifies is a keen mind, a University professor, political analyst, historian and someone possessed of substantial insights into the nature of actions and consequences.  Nemesis is the final book in a trilogy of works on what seems to be the dying days of the American republic.  Blowback and Sorrows of the Empire precede this work, with the second one also containing a stunning chapter on the sorry impact of 'globalization.'

             Nemesis covers the constitutional breakdown of government, the role of the CIA, military bases, the use of space and a comparison of America to two "imperial pathologies," Britain and Rome.

             This book and this trilogy are brilliant and terrifying for the very reason they are based on facts.  If you have a very short reading list, read this work.  It will make you want to scrutinize your voter registration card and gather with others who have read this book as well - all to ask: what do we do?

 2.  The Iron Cage:  The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood by Rashid Khalidi. Boston:  Beacon Press, 2006.  Pp. 281

             Rashid Khalidi is Palestinian and the occupant of Columbia University's Edward Said Chair in Arab Studies.  Like Chalmers Johnson, Khalidi writes from history and substantial facts regarding Palestine.

             This book carefully traces the issues surrounding Palestine's history and the development of various groups such as Fateh, the PLO and the PA.  Khalidi is fair to a fault.  He refers to the history of 'the notables,' Palestinian leaders of distinction, education and leadership in the past and the manner in which their actions led to certain political outcomes.

             One of the more fascinating parts of this work is the problem of archives.  Whoever has the documents and the archives, writes the history.  Unlike Israel, there is no centralized Palestinian Archives.  What does this mean for writing the history of Palestine?

             By far one of the most thoughtful, measured works on Palestine yet.  

3.  The Secret History of al Qaeda by Abdel Bari Atwan. Berkeley:  University of California Press, 2006.  Pp. 256

             Atwan is Palestinian by background and is Editor-in-Chief of Al-Quds al-Arabi in London.   He does a masterful job in tracing the roots of Al-Qaeda through Bin Laden and the organization's work in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and other places.   The editor is in a crucial place to do the excellent writing that he does, a Middle Easterner living in Great Britain and one of the world's better-known journalists. 

            Two major realities Atwan examines in two chapters are of particular interest: "Human Bombs and the Concept of Martyrdom" and "Cyber-Jihad."   Both of these contain significant background and information about elements that contribute to al-Qaeda's functioning. 

                        As with both the Johnson and Khalidi works, it is shockingly evident that the government of America has played roles in international affairs, which have neglected diplomacy, human rights and respect for the neighbor.   All three authors are sounding wake-up calls of their own unique type.   Are we open to listening to them or willing only to enhance our ostrich-like posture?