Book Description
The long-awaited final volume of Chalmers Johnson’s bestselling
Blowback trilogy confronts the overreaching of the American empire and the threat it poses to the republic
In his prophetic book Blowback, Chalmers Johnson linked the CIA’s clandestine activities abroad to disaster at home. In The Sorrows of Empire, he explored the ways in which the growth of American militarism and the garrisoning of the planet have jeopardized our stability. Now, in Nemesis, he shows how imperial overstretch is undermining the republic itself, both economically and politically.
Delving into new areas—from plans to militarize outer space to Constitution-breaking presidential activities at home and the devastating corruption of a toothless Congress—Nemesis offers a striking description of the trap into which the dreams of America’s leaders have taken us. Drawing comparisons to empires past, Johnson explores in vivid detail just what the unintended consequences of our dependence on a permanent war economy are likely to be. What does it mean when a nation’s main intelligence organization becomes the president’s secret army? Or when the globe’s sole “hyperpower,” no longer capable of paying for the vaulting ambitions of its leaders, becomes the greatest hyper-debtor of all times?
In his stunning conclusion, Johnson suggests that financial bankruptcy could herald the breakdown of constitutional government in America—a crisis that may ultimately prove to be the only path to a renewed nation.
Customer Reviews:
Crossing the Rubicon.......2007-09-08
This book answers Michael Moore's question, "Where's my country?" The author's scholarly and carefully reasoned answer is that the constitutional republic we once had has evolved into an empire. Johnson traces the rise of militarism, the hidden and often ill-conceived interventions of the CIA and the devastating "blowback" from them, and the enormous power the United States projects through its hundreds of overseas military bases, as well as our plans to militarize space.
I found that the book explained many events that are extremely puzzling if one continues to believe that the United States is a high-minded democracy, but make perfect sense from the point of view of empire.
Johnson's conlusion, that we are on the cusp of a choice between the path taken by Rome into empire and dictatorship vs. that chosen by Great Britain to dissolve its empire but preserve its democracy, was compelling and sobering.
I would recommend Nemesis to anyone, regardless of political slant, who seriously wants to make sense of the role the United States plays in the world today, and the world's reaction to it.
On the brink of a military dictatorship.......2007-08-12
Chalmers Johnson is deeply pessimistic about the future of the US and its citizens. He sees at the horizon `a collapse of constitutional government, perpetual war, endemic official lying and disinformation and finally bankruptcy. We are at the cusp of losing our democracy for the sake of keeping our empire.'
For him, the heart of the matter is `military Keynesianism' (the US economy is mightily based on weapon manufacturing) and the goal of the military-intelligence community (full spectrum dominance over the world and in space).
But this imperial adventure is far too costly. The US spends more on armed forces than all other nations on earth combined, for more than 737 military bases in more than 130 countries. Also, space weapons are pure waste. A space shield doesn't work, because weapons cannot make a distinction between warheads and free floating space debris. `The neoconservative lobbyists are only interested in the staggering sums required.'
The US enormous military budget (of which 40 % is secret) is not paid by US taxpayers, but by foreign investors in US debt.
In the meantime, democracy is undermined. Chalmers Johnson doesn't see `any president or Congress standing up to the powerful vested interests of the Pentagon, the secret intelligence agencies and the military-industrial complex.' The separation of powers is becoming a dead letter. The legislative and the judicial branches have lost their independence.
The author is extremely hard for the current government, calling members of the Administration `desk-murderers'. For him, `putting the ruler above the law is the very definition of dictatorship.' Its TIA (Total Information Awareness) program `is the perfect US computer version of Gestapo and KGB files.' He is extremely angry with the US media, calling them `Pravda-like mouthpieces of the powerful.'
For him, what Congress really should do is abolish the CIA and remove all purely military functions from the Pentagon.
This hard-hitting book is more than a very solid warning. It is a must read for all those interested in the future of mankind.
For a view from the South, I highly recommend `Dilemmas of Domination' by Walden Bello.
Mandatory Foreign Policy Reading.......2007-07-28
If you want to read an unvarnished assessment of America's foreign policy by a scholar and former insider this book will more than suffice. Johnson evaluates the military-industrial complex, foreign policy tactics, and the imperialistic tendencies of contemporary America and how they are all contributing to our very real ongoing downfall. Johnson is not afraid to prove how our own covert and overt policies have contributed to the war and terror that plague our nation.
Nemesis by Chalmers Johnson.......2007-07-18
All who are interested in the Bush-inspired quagmire that we are in today should read this to understand the psychology and sociology that historically has led to the end of a society. There are some implications and assumptions that are made to compare past "empires" and some political and economic sections are a bit esoteric, but overall it's quite intriguing. If you think this is for you make sure you read "Blowback" before "Nemesis" which was the first of Johnson's trilogy.
Nemesis--an indispensible education.......2007-07-12
Nemesis is the last book in a trilogy. I have read them all and believe I am much more aware of what is really going on in our country. The negative way the world sees us finally makes sense. Chalmers Johnson has done an enormous amount of research and explains the issues in a clear and interesting manner. I've had trouble putting the books down.
Book Description
A master spy's memoir of playing the game in the most strategically influential country in 1960s Africa.
Larry Devlin arrived as the new chief of station for the CIA in the Congo five days after the country had declared its independence, the army had mutinied, and governmental authority had collapsed. As he crossed the Congo River in an almost empty ferry boat, all he could see were lines of people trying to travel the other way--out of the Congo. Within his first two weeks he found himself on the wrong end of a revolver as militiamen played Russian-roulette, Congo style, with him.
During his first year, the charismatic and reckless political leader, Patrice Lumumba, was murdered and Devlin was widely thought to have been entrusted with (he was) and to have carried out (he didn't) the assassination. Then he saved the life of Joseph Desire Mobutu, who carried out the military coup that presaged his own rise to political power. Devlin found himself at the heart of Africa, fighting for the future of perhaps the most strategically influential country on the continent, its borders shared with eight other nations. He met every significant political figure, from presidents to mercenaries, as he took the Cold War to one of the world's hottest zones. This is a classic political memoir from a master spy who lived in wildly dramatic times.
Customer Reviews:
CoS Congo.......2007-08-09
An excellent biography, discusses what happened during the Cold War in the Congo from his point of view. I found it an enjoyable read.
Exciting times.......2007-07-05
A good book giving an overall flavor of the Congo in the early 60's. It would be nice if Devlin had filled in more details however perhaps this is proscribed in his publishing agreement (I presume that he had to run this through the CIA before publishing it). You do get an idea of just what a CIA COS does to try to guide events to follow US policy. He's rather blase about the physical risks of operating in an unstable environment although maybe this is because he survived to tell the tale. I don't think that I would have my family at my side in such an environment.
Charts his many encounters and is a top pick.......2007-06-17
Author Larry Devlin arrived as the new chief of station for the CIA in the Congo five days after the country declared its independence, the army mutinied, and the government had collapsed: as he entered the country, streams of residents were fleeing. During his first year he was accused of murdering a charismatic political leader, saved the life of the man who carried out the military coup, and found himself confronting unheard-of challenges in Africa. CHIEF OF STATION, CONGO charts his many encounters and is a top pick especially recommended for college-level and military holdings strong in African culture and history.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
-.......2007-06-12
A little too general, very maddening that he left out so many details. But a necessary read for those interested in the Congo in the 60's
History Lessons.......2007-06-07
This book rewards its readers with good deal of information on a variety of subjects. It undoubtedly provides a very accurate account of the struggle of the former Belgium Congo to become a variable nation state. In the course of doing this, its author provides a plausible description of the chaotic condition of an imploding nation state and its leading political players of the period, including the controversial Patrice Lumumba and the man who turned out to be his chief rival Sese Seko Mobutu. Finally the book opens a window on how the U.S -Soviet Union Clod War rivalry played out in an newly independent African state like the Congo.
On a rather different level, Larry Devlin provides a good explanation of what a pro-active CIA Station Chief (COS) of 1960 did to earn his keep. One can carry away a good deal of information about good `tradecraft', the use of non-official cover (NOC) agents, and the vital need for a close relationship between the COS and the U.S. Ambassador. For a long period Devlin was not only COS Kinshasa (Leopoldville), but also the only CIA representative in the Congo. As a result, he discloses quite a bit about the art and craft of recruiting and maintaining `agents' in the field. Although virtually all memoirs written by former intelligence folks tend to be somewhat self-serving, from this book it is clear that Devlin really was good at his job and did his best to protect the national security interests of U.S. and equally important to help the Congolese build a viable and independent nation state. That in the end the Congo continues to be a near failed state was due to factors well beyond Devlin's control.
The problem then as now of course is that a really good CIA operative like Devlin and a really poor operatives are treated pretty much the same way by CIA. The system is really designed to homogenize everyone into the same bland blend. Also it is clear that CIA of 2007 would never allow a COS the kind of freedom of action that Devlin had in 1960.
Anyone with an interest in Africa or the CIA or both ought to find this well written and informative book fascinating.
Book Description
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FATHERLAND AND POMPEII COMES THE MOST PROVOCATIVE AND BRILLIANT NOVEL OF ANTIQUITY SINCE I, CLAUDIUS --
IMPERIUM
A CAUTIONARY TALE OF CICERO, THE GREATEST ORATOR OF ALL TIME, AND HIS EXTRAORDINARY STRUGGLE FOR POWER IN ROME.
When Tiro, the confidential secretary (and slave) of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events that will eventually propel his master into one of the most suspenseful courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Marcus Cicero -- an ambitious young lawyer and spellbinding orator, who at the age of twenty-seven is determined to attain imperium -- supreme power in the state.
Of all the great figures of the Roman world, none was more fascinating or charismatic than Cicero. And Tiro -- the inventor of shorthand and author of numerous books, including a celebrated biography of his master (which was lost in the Dark Ages) -- was always by his side.
Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, Imperium is the re-creation of his vanished masterpiece, recounting in vivid detail the story of Cicero's quest for glory, competing with some of the most powerful and intimidating figures of his -- or any other -- age: Pompey, Caesar, Crassus, and the many other powerful Romans who changed history.
Robert Harris, the world's master of innovative historical fiction, lures us into a violent, treacherous world of Roman politics at once exotically different from and yet startlingly similar to our own -- a world of Senate intrigue and electoral corruption, special prosecutors and political adventurism -- to describe how one clever, compassionate, devious, vulnerable man fought to reach the top.
Customer Reviews:
ANCIENT ROME'S CLARENCE DARROW........2007-10-10
IMPERIUM is a fascinating book that permits the reader a view of the Rome of Cicero, the legendary Roman orator. Indeed, Cicero is the focus of this novel, but this book is more than about Cicero, since it is told through the eyes of Cicero's loyal slave-secretary Tiro.
The novel examines two period's of Cicero's life, and thereby, two periods of Roman history. Cicero's climb to fame and fortune is the first offering of this work. The well researched history affords the reader a look at the brilliance and legal artistry of Cicero. One can easily understand how this great man rose to such prominence in his world. In the process, the reader meets a variety of political characters and military leaders, and in so doing, better understands the workings of the Roman Republic and the aspirations of some of its "giants".
The second phase of the novel explores Cicero's rise to the Consulship of Rome. The inner workings of the political animal that was Roman democracy is exposed, and while this so-called democracy was flawed, it did contribute to the evolution of modern democracy. Interestingly, some of the flaws and failings of the ancient democracy are still with us today, in our allegedly enlightened and modern democracy. Some things in politics are constants, like scheming, lying, and of course, the old reliable standby, corruption. And some of the political "slogans" remain the same too.
This book is a very quick and rewarding read. Its historical backdrop is accurately depicted, the characters drawn from fact, and the story intriguing. I unhesitatingly recommend it.
Cicero's Rise to Power.......2007-10-09
I am in awe of the fictional writers of the Roman Empire, Graves, McCullough, Saylor, Harris and many others. Each of their novels that I have read has brought me more in touch with some element of the complex culture of the time.
Here, through a speculative treatment on how Cicero became a "new man". We can get an idea of how elections took place and how corruption, for which this society was known, infected them. Harris also deals with issues of class and the entrenched attitudes about status and how this affected politics after Sula and the Civil War.
We also get a plausible portrait of Cicero, how he thought and what motivated him.
I highly recommend this for anyone who has interest in this historical period.
Excellent, and very different from McCullough.......2007-10-08
I love Colleen McCullough's sprawling Roman series, which is an extraordinary panorama of one of the most turbulent, fascinating and influential eras of western history, the six-decade-long Fall of the Roman Republic. She's not as polished a writer as Robert Harris, though...her books are wonderfully prolix, almost too much so, and she has certain repetitive mannerisms which can annoy. But the series certainly is a monumental achievement.
While McCullough focuses around the towering life and impact of Julius Caesar, Harris's choice of Cicero is perhaps even more revealing of the true nature of Late Republican politics. Cicero was a major player for most of this period, whose complex relationships with the various factions had immense influence on the course of events, and yet -- unlike Caesar, born to the highest aristocracy -- he was also an outsider who depended entirely on his wits to struggle and survive. Harris deftly depicts his qualities of pragmatism, idealism and political cunning as he negotiates the viper's nest of public service in ancient Rome.
Cicero hasn't aged well in most modern historical recreations. I believe most of our contemporaries accept the greatness and inevitability of Caesar, or someone very like him. Because Cicero opposed Caesar and his faction, and eventually lost his life for it, he comes across most often as a stuffy, self-serving, conniving, all-too-outspoken conservative out of step with the times. The fabulous if inaccurate TV series Rome is just the most recent example.
In fact, Cicero may have been the only sincere defender of the Roman Republic remaining by the time he was killed...and for all its flaws, it was certainly a nobler form of government than its imperial successor.
This excellent book helps to redress the character of Cicero. I can't wait for the sequel.
Cicero Rising.......2007-09-15
Although Robert Harris writes historical fiction, he is not particularly attached to any one time or place. His first novel was actually an alternate history - a what-if-the-Nazis-won-WWII tale called Fatherland. He has, in his last two novels, however, gone back to ancient Rome, first with Pompeii (which I have not read) and now with Imperium, a fictional biography of Cicero.
Narrated by Cicero's slave Tiro (who serves more as an observer than a true character), Imperium tells of the rise of Cicero to the highest position in the Roman Republic, the consulship. The first half is actually more of a courtroom thriller, with Cicero prosecuting a corrupt Sicilian governor. Actually, most of the legal system is open to bribery, making Cicero's job all the harder. At stake is Cicero's whole career: if he can somehow pull off a victory, he can start his climb in power; if he fails, he will never be more than a lowly senator. Of course, since Cicero is well-known in history and the governor, Verres, is almost forgotten, most readers know who will win, but Harris is still able to make the prosecution suspenseful.
The second half of the book deals with Cicero's political rise and the intrigues that both help him and make him enemies. His principal ally - although not always reliable - is Pompey, the great general who is at the peak of his power. On the other side is the plutocrat Crassus, whose hatred of Pompey will create an enmity with Pompey. There is the vicious Catalina who has Crassus's backing and intends on opposing Cicero for the consulship. Finally, there is the ambitious up-and-comer, Julius Caesar.
Harris has written a good novel, but there are imperfections. For all his attempts at being historically accurate, he also has anachronisms, such as referring to the months of July and August (which would not be named until decades later after Julius and Augustus Caesar had risen to the peaks of their power). The story also ends rather abruptly, leading me to think that Harris has a sequel intended. Harris does succeed at the heart of the book, however, bringing Cicero - often thought of as the greatest orator ever - to life. Fans of historical novels - particularly Roman historical novels - should enjoy Imperium.
a good read.......2007-09-14
Imperium is the first of two volumes of a fictional biography of the Roman orator, lawyer, statesman, new man, Marcus Tullius Cicero.
Mr. Harris uses the often successful formula of relating the life story of a historical figure through the eyes of a confidante, in this case the secretary Tiro, and he does not disappoint us. Tiro does his best to show his master warts and all, while still maintaining his loyalty to him, thus creating a fairly complex character of Cicero, a reasonably approximation of the real man himself as we know him from his extensive writings, especially the letters.
That does not mean that Mr. Harris does not create his very own universe of the era and the man, with emphasis on Cicero's real or perceived adversaries, the aristocrats who disdain the New Man, and the favorite villains for most novelists writing about the late Roman republic, Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar. The latter trio does not fare as well in way of characters, they are frequently drawn as carricature. Tiro himself is depicted as somewhat priggish and bland.
Characters more sympathetic in the narrator's - and presumably the author's - eyes, such as wife Terentia, brother Quintus, and the idealistic cousin Lucius, fare better, as does the potential villain Caelius.
That said , the novel is a good read, bringing Rome and the late republic vividly to life. The uncovering of Verres' horrendous excesses in Sicily is masterful. The reader gets a good introduction to Roman politics, and Cicero's work habits and his love/hate relationship with Terentia indeed do not strain one's imagination. Tiro's well known invention and use of stenography is being put to good use and on occasion does make for a nice suspense. As in the only other book by the author which I have read so far, Pompeii, the prose is excellent.
There are some anachronisms, indicative maybe of the lack of a good reader, but not to the point where they could become annoying.
I give the book three stars and look forward to the sequel. However, I cannot agree with Allan Massie, who wrote that, "Reluctantly, I must admit that Imperium is better than [my six novels]." He is much too modest!
Amazon.com
Since September 2001, the United States has "undergone a transformation from republic to empire that may well prove irreversible," writes Chalmers Johnson. Unlike past global powers, however, America has built an empire of bases rather than colonies, creating in the process a government that is obsessed with maintaining absolute military dominance over the world, Johnson claims. The Department of Defense currently lists 725 official U.S. military bases outside of the country and 969 within the 50 states (not to mention numerous secret bases). According to the author, these bases are proof that the "United States prefers to deal with other nations through the use or threat of force rather than negotiations, commerce, or cultural interaction." This rise of American militarism, along with the corresponding layers of bureaucracy and secrecy that are created to circumvent scrutiny, signals a shift in power from the populace to the Pentagon: "A revolution would be required to bring the Pentagon back under democratic control," he writes.
In Sorrows of Empire, Johnson discusses the roots of American militarism, the rise and extent of the military-industrial complex, and the close ties between arms industry executives and high-level politicians. He also looks closely at how the military has extended the boundaries of what constitutes national security in order to centralize intelligence agencies under their control and how statesmen have been replaced by career soldiers on the front lines of foreign policy--a shift that naturally increases the frequency with which we go to war.
Though his conclusions are sure to be controversial, Johnson is a skilled and experienced historian who backs up his claims with copious research and persuasive arguments. His important book adds much to a debate about the realities and direction of U.S. influence in the world. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
"Impressive . . . a powerful indictment of U.S. military and foreign policy." Los Angeles Times Book Review, front page In the years after the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as a "reluctant sheriff," next as the "indispensable nation," and in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important national bestseller, Chalmers Johnson thoroughly explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling us to pick up the burden of empire.Recalling the classic warnings against militarism-from George Washington's Farewell Address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex-Johnson uncovers its roots deep in our past. Turning to the present, he maps America's expanding empire of military bases and the vast web of services that support them. He offers a vivid look at the new caste of professional militarists who have infiltrated multiple branches of government, who classify as "secret" everything they do, and for whom the manipulation of the military budget is of vital interest. Among Johnson's provocative conclusions is that American militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization and bankrupting the United States, even as it creates the conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon-with the Pentagon in the lead.
Customer Reviews:
A Critical Review.......2007-08-05
This book gets everything wrong.
Johnson argues that the demise of the USSR was a great economic victory, having everything to do with the failure of socialist economics and nothing to do with the successes of American foreign policy. Unfortunately for Johnson, the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race - and the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race alone - were what bankrupted the natural-resource rich Soviet states. The United States fought and won the Cold War economically, by forcing the East into a battle it could not win - a battle where the biggest spender (necesarily the economically liberal west) wins by default. Left to its own devices, the Soviet states could have persisted indefinitely in moderate prosperity thanks to the global capital markets and the value of their domestic resources, the lunacy of their domestic economics aside. See China, India, and even Venezuela today.
Johnson further argues that the Pentagon failed to "restructure" and/or "demobilize" following the Cold War. This is categorically false. The United States military (particularly its Army and Air Force) was phased down radically in the two decades between the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the September 11th terrorist attacks. A signifigant Naval presence was maintained as a matter of apparent national necessity - even without a Soviet Union, the post-globalization world demanded the West have at least one member capable of global power projection as a simple matter of motivated self interest. The United States has ALWAYS maintained a signifigant peace-time naval capacity, however. This is nothing new and certainly no product of a "military-industrial" complex. Washington himself, that great hero of the anti-military renegades and oft-quoted as decrying standing armies, comission the first permanent and standing warships of the USN to protect the young country against - whoulda thunk it - Islamic terrorists.
Johnson then argues that the Pentagon's involvement in the war on drugs and terror is a dishonest effort at justification of a bloated budget, but this is historically inane. The American armed forces have always been intimately involved in the enforcement of extramilitary foreign policy. American soldiers pursued Mexican criminals across our sothern border over a century and a half ago. We have dispatched the Navy repeatedly throughout our history to deal with piracy and barbarism when local authorities have been noncooperative. The war on drugs - and military involvement therewith - is simply an extension of this legacy. So, too, is the war on terror.
Everything this book argues is backwards and apparently nonsensical. And everything that Johnson proports to be a "new" product of post-Cold War Pentagon amokism is as old as the Republic he so claims to love. The man could do well to get himself an elementary history lesson, and to spend 15 minutes outside the safe, secure, and utterly arealistic ivory tower that is American elite society. Our half a trillion dollar military is the foundation that keeps his - and to an extent all of our - tower(s) of ignorance erect and pristine. We would all do well to realize that our lives and lifestyles are both historically unprecedented, and unique to our borders and our civilization even today. THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES NOT LIVE AND THINK LIKE WE DO.
The United States maintains the worlds largest and most capable standing army in the history of the planet not because it wants to, but because it must. The world is a dark place. Most if its people are not like Americans (and Westerners), and most of its countries are not as benevolent as America (and the Western world). While the rest of our civilization surrenders its capacity and will to defend itself and its ideological allies, the United States has willfully chosen to bear the burden alone, knowing full well the costs and consequences of this decision. We do this because we have confidence in this old, and grand, Republic. And because we know better than to trust and surrender our fates to the good-will of our less Republican neighbors.
Secrets of our Empire............2007-07-26
Truly a revealing expose of things you never knew about our American military and related.....now you do...and it may surprise you or scare you.....read this book...very revealing.....
might does not make right.......2007-07-03
From George Washington and James Madison to Eisenhower's farewell address in 1961, some of our country's greatest leaders have warned about the dangers of standing armies and the military-industrial complex. In this second installment of his "inadvertent trilogy" about the costs and consequences of America's belligerent empire, Chalmers Johnson describes in meticulous detail the nature and extent of American militarism. In his first book, Blowback (2000), he warned that our global militarism and predatory economic policies virtually assure retaliations for decades to come. He published Blowback about eighteen months before the 9/11 attacks, and in retrospect his warning now reads like a diagnosis. His third volume, Nemesis (2006), is more like an autopsy; it describes our destiny with Nemesis, "the goddess of retribution and vengeance, the punisher of pride and hubris" (in Greek, "nemesis" means "to give what is due").
Unlike ancient empires, our imperial hegemony consists not of conquered territories but of military bases. Today the Department of Defense admits that America deploys 254,788 (double that number if you include dependents) military personnel to at least 725 military bases in 153 countries (there are 189 countries in the United Nations). That does not include numerous secret and officially nonexistent bases. Our own country is home to 969 separate bases in all fifty states. It's hard to believe, writes Johnson, that at the beginning of World War II our regular army consisted of 186,000 men; today it numbers 1.4 million. Nor is this any longer a citizen's army, but instead a professional warrior class (41% of whom are nonwhite).
Johnson's book documents our militarism beginning with the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American war; Woodrow Wilson's fervent belief in America's moral exceptionalism and obligation to export democracy to the world; the incestuous marriage of the military to the incredibly lucrative for-profit arms industry, and merry-go-round of former military and corporate personnel; America's sale of weapons to the world; our violations of international treaties and courts that have generated global distrust of much of what we say and do; the roles of oil (our import levels are "at the highest levels ever recorded") and Israel; and the predatory nature of economic globalization.
In a final chapter Johnson suggests four sorrows of our militaristic empire that he now considers all but unavoidable: a state of perpetual war, the loss of democratic processes and institutions, endemic lying by the state (glorification of war, disinformation, propaganda, etc.), and financial ruin. Empires don't last forever, he reminds us. In the last hundred years nine "empires" have collapsed: Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, China, Austro-Hungaria, and the Ottomans. Despite our deep delusion about our good intentions and moral exceptionalism, we have no reason whatsoever to expect that history will treat our belligerence and hubris any differently. What we should expect is a meeting with Nemesis.
Better Than Blowback.......2007-06-10
In the first nine chapters of the book, Johnson writes about his perception of an increasing American militarism, and also says there is an emerging American empire. He also describes the privatization of the military through war merchants and mercenaries. A solid case is made against some members of the current administration, but he doesn't spare Clinton's "globalization" in the book either. The tenth and last chapter alone is nearly worth the price. After making a very strong case for the United States to turn from its interventionist tendencies of the last 30 years, Johnson outlines four great dangers the USA will face as it wades deeper into the waters of interventionism. He finds fault with all recent past presidential administrations, and says that Congress has abandoned its duties and responsibilities in favor of greasy palmed careerism.
Like the first part of the trilogy, Chalmers Johnson writes about blowback, a CIA term for unintended consequences of covert action. His theory is that the perils of blowback are increasing, and the country is rapidly descending farther and farther away from its democratic moorings and into a militaristic empire.
This book is written in a more interesting style than part 1 ("Blowback") and keeps the reader interested through out.
Weakness-Some of the original source work is not strong and it is clearly written with a more popular audience in mind. For example, the suspect web site Capital Hill Blue is used as a source. So, perhaps some of the evidence presented is flawed, but the main theme still rings true.
This book, coupled with "Blowback" have seriously altered my thinking of foreign policy matters. I recommend both.
What else has Mr. Johnson done for the Republic lately?.......2007-06-03
Gore Vidal has been writing far longer and more eloquently than Mr. Johnson on the end of the Republic as a consequence of the American Empire. Mr. Johnson adds a dispassionate and steadily accumulating set of figures, monetary and otherwise, that show the true costs of the American Empire and its negative eroding effects on the Republic.
This is Mr. Johnson's second book in his "American Empire Project". The first Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire (Second Edition), published before the events of Sept. 11, 2001 now seems eerily prescient. That book pointed out the unintended but inevitable consequences of American foreign policy and interference abroad and suggested a consequent "blowback".
The problem I have with Mr. Johnson and other eminent diagnosticians, even Vidal (though he did try running for elected office in CA a long time ago), is they seem unwilling to go further than write books. Mr. Johnson makes much (pp. 12) of Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the US Constitution which says "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time." Now the latter clause regarding publication of accounts has been honored only in the breach, at least in recent times. I wrote Mr. Johnson asking "What legal attempts by private citizens have been made thus far to attempt to have this provision enforced?" Mr. Johnson replies that "You ask an excellent question but it would take a Constitutional lawyer to answer it." Now if I am to trust Mr. Johnson in his avowed belief in the Republic, its Constitution and the enforcement thereof, I would have expected him to have explored this avenue of enforcement already.
Given that the Republic is not yet dead, and that the rule of law is at least intermittently permitted, and that the courts are not yet entirely corrupt or partisan. I for one don't understand why those of Mr. Johnson's ilk, with their resources, don't approach the courts or petition the few honest or semi-honest legislators left to force the light of day on the costs and consequences of our empire. At least then, no citizen of this our disappearing Republic will be able to say that Mr. Johnson didn't do his best to tell them so. Only writing books doesn't cut it.
Customer Reviews:
Great - but could have been even better.......2007-09-27
As good as this book is, it could have been much better. Kovaly has a fascinating story to tell but too much of her story tells how this happened and then that happened without enough analysis or explanation. Kovaly lived through Hitler and Stalin and she has an amazing story to tell.
The book starts with the deportation of the Jews from Prague, where Kovaly lived, to the ghetto of Lodz in Poland. She describes the horrors and the death she encountered there. She then skips ahead to the last concentration/slave labor camp she was in before the war ended. She describes how she tells the German man who runs the factory about the extermination camps, a topic with which he seems to be utterly unfamiliar. And although the part she tells us is fascinating, she leaves out much of the story that she tells him. Finally she tells us of her escape as she is being marched away from the advancing Russian armies, her return to Prague, and her rejection by all the friends she had left behind. By far this is the best part of the book.
But this part ends sixty pages into the book and she has much more to tell us. After the war, Kovaly marries the man she always loved and he becomes a member of the Czech communist party and eventually a minister in the government. With the failures of communism, a scapegoat is needed by the government and her husband is arrested and executed as a traitor as part of the Slansky trials. As the widow of a traitor, her life in Prague is hell but she spends her every effort to care for her child and to rehabilitate her husband. Finally, in the early 1960's, reforms in Czechoslovakia led to her husband and all the others having their convictions overturned. The reforms continue until the Prague Spring of 1968 leading to the Russian invasion and the crushing of the new freedoms. At this point Kovaly flees for the West to join her son who is living in London.
The book is short at less than 200 pages and many things happen so the story moves quickly. But too much of the story tells us what happened as a way for Kovaly to avoid talking about herself. For example, by starting with the deportations, we learn nothing about Kovaly's life before the Nazis. Kovaly doesn't even tell us how old she was or what she was doing when she was rounded up. With all Kovaly has been through she has had to have built a wall to protect herself and she only shows us glimpses through that wall. But the book still remains an amazing story of the holocaust and the early communist years in Czechoslovakia. Her glimpses into how communism must always fail by its very nature from someone who was on the inside are worth reading to help us understand the 20th century. Kovaly leaves out the happy ending she finally achieved. It is a happy ending she deserves.
Under A Cruel Star & Reflections of Prague.......2006-08-07
My mother's book, in print since 1973 under various titles, the last being 'Under A Cruel Star', inspired me to write my own side of the story about my lost father, JUDr Rudolf Margolius. Now published and called 'Reflections of Prague: Journeys through the 20th century' it fills gaps in my mother's book provided by further research and historical information, some of which was not available to her and which many readers of her book had asked us for over the years. Hopefully this companion volume provides answers to these questions. I hope you find this book interesting and would welcome your feedback.
A mother's undying love for her son; a son's undying love for his mother..........2006-07-14
When I finished reading Heda Margolius Kovaly's stunning chronicle of continuous struggle, concentration camp survival, and eventual triumph, I had to stare out my window onto the street below for a long while, watching the people.
There I was, working and residing in modern-day Prague, mingling amongst the tourists and locals, with my feet touching those very same cobblestones of a city which Ms. Margolius Kovaly horrifically describes in her heart-rending tale of human resilience, UNDER A CRUEL STAR.
The realization blew my mind. I had to catch my breath.
Not too long ago -- a mere drip in the historical bucket -- very bad people once populated this ancient city and land. They were entirely free to express their poisonous views, shouting vile epithets about so-called "pure race," the so-called "scourge" of Jews, and about the so-called "evils" its then-society faced from saboteurs, fifth-columnists unaligned with Czechoslovakia's Communist Party.
As I walk these streets, I interact and share the same space with these people, the descendants, heirs, and inheritors of a very rotten recent legacy. It's this legacy that Ms. Margolus Kovaly chillingly describes and in vivid, sordid detail in her poignant memoir, UNDER A CRUEL STAR.
Commend, I say, this mighty woman of valour for sharing with you how much pain she once had to endure. Applaud her for how much strife she had to overcome when she returned from the unspeakable indescribable conditions of the Nazi's killing factory at Auschwitz, of which much has been written in the canon. I needn't repeat it here.
Be shocked at the clarity and the precision of Heda's language, and -- trust me -- reel and wonder why it is that she even chose to return to this infernal place, this city of Prague, municipal architect of her early life's damnation. For that, Heda deserves the equivalent of a "purple heart" for her resilience and fortitude. But this is not nearly enough...
As I read Heda's story, those small insignificant stresses which descend on a given day PALE by comparison. No longer will I feel needless stress. No longer will I be affected by it.
I am describing to you the impact of this memoir. Heda's strength will permeate you.
I love this book because it pries open a vista on a period these present Czech authorities are anxious to enshroud in mystery. I hear very little discussion today of what is known as Czechoslovakia's "collaborationist past" in the modern-day "Czech Republic."
Not a single leader in this fledgling country is willing to boldly take responsibility for the actions of this successor nation's preceding governments, whose reins -- the ones they now grip tightly -- are the offshoot of very rotten roots. Today's government must own up to its legacy, one which is responsible -- among countless other atrocities and crimes -- for murdering eleven perfectly innocent men, like Rudolf Margolius, Heda's late husband and father to her author son, Ivan, in 1953's Slansky (show) Trial. I was angered when I'd read how the doctor's in Stalin's infamous "Doctor's Plot" were not hanged, while Mr. Margolius and his ten other co-accused were. It made me *very* angry, and anger I wish not to think too much about for fear of what it might result in.
Evaluating this all, you scratch your head wondering where Heda derives all her strength? From where comes her unassailable moral fortitude and her staunchness without fail?
Look, don't read this book because *I'm* telling you to. I know I review a lot of titles, and you'd normally trust me judgement because you trust me, but don't, okay?
Also don't read this book because it's stylistically-impeccable and superbly written. I'll have you know there isn't a shred of literary critique I've got for the brilliant lines filling Heda's pages.
Read this book to place your life into perspective, if it's a comfortable and cushy one. Read this book to either compare or contrast Heda's past with what you call *your* past, and finally understand how the might of the human spirit is unbreakable. Heda Margolius Kovaly is the living proof. She is the embodiment of intrepid courage. And it's high time you get to know what that is.
I wish there were more than five stars I could give.
-- ADM in Prague
(for the writings of Ivan Margolius, please see "REFLECTIONS OF PRAGUE," for more information)
extraordinary memoir in several languages.......2006-05-26
I am the English-language publisher of Ms. Kovaly's extraordinary memoir, that is now being read in major universities around the world for an eyewitness view of twentieth century totalitarianism --in this case Nazism and Stalinism -- in Central Europe. This translation has been the basis for the UK, French, German, Dutch and Japanese editions of this book. There are very few books in any language by or about Czech Jewish women. Another excellent one is my wife Helen Epstein's journalistic memoir of her maternal line of Bohemian Jews titled Where She Came From: A Daughter's Search for her Mother's History, which covers the years 1800-1948 in the Czech lands.
a note from the translator of this book.......2005-05-14
As the translator from the Czech and the editor of the Plunkett Lake Press version of this book, I'd like to address the confusion about editions. Heda Kovaly first wrote this book in Czech. It was translated first by Czech philosopher Erazim Kohak who published it together with his own writing in one volume. In 1985, Heda Kovaly and I together translated and produced a new edition of her memoir. We called it Under A Cruel Star. That version was subsequently published by Penguin and then Holmes & Meier. There are also British, French, German, Dutch and Japanese translations that have been published under different titles. All have used the Plunkett Lake text.
Book Description
Each chapter's documents identify the key issues and capture the passionate spirit and conviction of the historical actors. The essay selections spotlight research in the social and cultural history of the early republic.
Amazon.com
King Leopold of Belgium, writes historian Adam Hochschild in this grim history, did not much care for his native land or his subjects, all of which he dismissed as "small country, small people." Even so, he searched the globe to find a colony for Belgium, frantic that the scramble of other European powers for overseas dominions in Africa and Asia would leave nothing for himself or his people. When he eventually found a suitable location in what would become the Belgian Congo, later known as Zaire and now simply as Congo, Leopold set about establishing a rule of terror that would culminate in the deaths of 4 to 8 million indigenous people, "a death toll," Hochschild writes, "of Holocaust dimensions." Those who survived went to work mining ore or harvesting rubber, yielding a fortune for the Belgian king, who salted away billions of dollars in hidden bank accounts throughout the world. Hochschild's fine book of historical inquiry, which draws heavily on eyewitness accounts of the colonialists' savagery, brings this little-studied episode in European and African history into new light. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. Carrying out a genocidal plundering of the Congo, he looted its rubber, brutalized its people, and ultimately slashed its population by ten million--all the while shrewdly cultivating his reputation as a great humanitarian. Heroic efforts to expose these crimes eventually led to the first great human rights movement of the twentieth century, in which everyone from Mark Twain to the Archbishop of Canterbury participated. King Leopold's Ghost is the haunting account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions, a man as cunning, charming, and cruel as any of the great Shakespearean villains. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who fought Leopold: a brave handful of missionaries, travelers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure and unexpectedly found themselves witnesses to a holocaust. Adam Hochschild brings this largely untold story alive with the wit and skill of a Barbara Tuchman. Like her, he knows that history often provides a far richer cast of characters than any novelist could invent. Chief among them is Edmund Morel, a young British shipping agent who went on to lead the international crusade against Leopold. Another hero of this tale, the Irish patriot Roger Casement, ended his life on a London gallows. Two courageous black Americans, George Washington Williams and William Sheppard, risked much to bring evidence of the Congo atrocities to the outside world. Sailing into the middle of the story was a young Congo River steamboat officer named Joseph Conrad. And looming above them all, the duplicitous billionaire King Leopold II. With great power and compassion, King Leopold's Ghost will brand the tragedy of the Congo--too long forgotten--onto the conscience of the West.
Customer Reviews:
the heart of man is desperately wicked.......2007-09-25
If you have somehow achieved sufficient literacy to read user reviews on Amazon, and still believe that people are basically good, now's your chance to read a book that will relieve you of this misconception. King Leopold's Ghost gives historical proof that there is no problem in recruiting enough people to torture, humiliate, and kill perfectly innocent Africans by the millions.
All I can say is thank God for the press and for Christian missionaries. If it hadn't been for those two institutions, the horror in Africa perpetrated by the Belgian king would have continued unabated until all of the land drained by the Congo river was stripped of all human inhabitants.
Ashes from the White Sepulcher .......2007-08-16
A masterful work. Hochschild outlines an entire world duped by charms and charming sentiments. Millions perished while Leopold gains wealth untold. Maiming, murder, mayhem and the crooked world of Presidents, Kings and Congresses. Leopold mastery of the world stage lasted decades. Long term lessons on how governments manage what is perceived to be the gospel truth. Hochschild deserves high recognition for this introduction into the world of tycoons and titans plundering a nation in the name of Christianity. Hochschild's assessment of current Zaire affairs are disturbing. Cobalt, uranium and a host of lesser necessities available to the of best armed encampments from the native riches of this African country. The plunder continues
The True Story Behind Heart of Darkness.......2007-07-14
In the annals of atrocities committed by human beings against ourselves, the historic and ongoing mistreatment of Africa by the Industrialized World takes the (highly dubious) prize. While an extremely generous revision of history might forgive the arrogance and naivety of the colonial powers for believing that clothing, Christianity, modern weapons and free markets would be enough to make Africa like Europe, King Leopold II of Belgium seems to stand out ahead of the pack. King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild, in one respect, is a depressing narrative about how MILLIONS of Africans were "civilized" by trading their lives and liberty to grow Leopold's personal fortune. But it is also an inspiring story about how a few people, through their passion for the inalienable rights endowed to all people, shook Europe and America awake and their efforts to bring about real change in the Congo.
Hochschild, as he explains in his preface, first became aware of the crimes against humanity instigated by King Leopold by accident. A quote from Mark Twain (active in the Congo Movement during the decades around the turn of the 20th century) about the 8-10 million people that were helped to their graves by Leopold's regime in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Such a tragically huge tally is striking, and it inspired Hochschild to find out as much as he could. King Leopold's Ghost begins with a whirlwind synopsis of the first 400 years of European imposition upon Central Africa -- the Portuguese, Afoso, Prester John, the Colonial Era. The pace slows once Henry M. Stanley and Leopold enter the picture.
The lives of Stanley and Leopold, the two major do-ers in the tale of the subjugation of the Congo, are discussed in detail. Stanley, the explorer, ended up on Leopold's payroll because he really didn't have much else to do. His explorations down the Congo, though courageous and admired, did not raise the kind of interest he though it should in the Foreign Office of his native Britain. Stanley became available for employment just as Leopold's machinations and Machiavellian dealings were justifying (among his fellow monarchs) his desire to take over control of the Congo. Of course, according to Leopold, this was all just so that he could lift up the poor Africans and encourage free trade. Leopold, who never actually visited his kingdom in Africa, needed a surrogate in-country to clear the bush and establish trading stations. Stanley was his man.
Once trading stations were established in the Congo, Europeans came to trade. At first, the primary object of plunder was ivory, but then, with the advent of bicycles (and later automobiles) with inflatable tires, wild rubber became the main export. And so began the "Rubber Terror," where the people of the Congo were forced upon pain and death to harvest the latex. The result, as described by Hochschild, was unbelievable savagery on the part of the civilized world.
Fortunately for the world, the tale of the subjugation of the congo has some undo-ers as well, foremost among them E.D. Morel. The Congo Reform Movement had a worldwide following that made Leopold miserable. Unfortunately for the cause of justice, Leopold died and the Congo Free State (as it was then known) was merely transferred to Belgium -- Leopold was never punished for his crimes against humanity. In 1960, with the rising tide of anti-colonialism beginning to wax all over Africa, Belgium handed power over to the Congolese to rule themselves and try to pull a reasonable government of the people from the humid air. That has not faired particularly well either.
Adam Hochschild's book is well written and engaging. He made a valiant effort to find the words of actual Africans describing their plight during their struggle -- rather than just the victors, or, at best, some sympathetic compatriots of the victors. The paperback edition comes with an extended afterward where the author describes some of the consequences of bringing this too long forgotten take to the forefront again.
Detailed Readable History.......2007-07-05
Positives:
Detailed, readable history about Belgium's Scramble for Africa in the Congo. Hochschild does an excellent job of introducing key figures who aid King Leopold in getting 'his colony' in Africa as well as those who fought against the Belgian King's enslavement of the Congolese people. In addition, Hochschild intersperses the general experience of the colonizers and the Congolese with personal stories from sadistic colonizers, missionaries, the King's lobbyists, and most critically, some of the 10 million people devastated by King Leopold II's obsession.
Negatives:
Hochschild often distracts from the history he is so effectively telling through tangential introductions of more contemporary history and through personal analysis of historical events being presented. His personal analysis interrupts the pace of the history being told, and causes suspiscion about how the author chose to use the facts he researched.
THE ANATOMY OF TRAGEDIES.......2007-05-13
BEYOND THE FINE PRINTS OF COLONIAL EXPANSION IN AFRICA LIES THE TERMINAL SCARS OF CONQUEST TO WHICH AFRICA NOW PAYS HANSOMELY.
Book Description
Once the Sith order teemed with followers. But their rivalries divided them in endless battles for supremacy. Until one dark lord at last united the Sith in the quest to enslave the galaxy–and exterminate the Jedi. Yet it would fall to another, far more powerful than the entire Brotherhood of Darkness, to ultimately realize the full potential of the Sith, and wield the awesome power of the dark side as never before.
Since childhood, Dessel has known only the abuse of his hateful father and the dangerous, soul-crushing labor of a cortosis miner. Deep in the tunnels of the desolate planet Apatros, endlessly excavating the rare mineral valued throughout the galaxy, Dessel dreams of the day he can escape–a day he fears may never come. But when a high-stakes card game ends in deadly violence, Dessel suddenly finds himself a wanted man.
On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army, and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There, Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, he is destined for a far greater role in the ultimate Sith plan for the galaxy–if he can prove himself truly worthy.
As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side at the feet of its greatest masters, Dessel embraces his new Sith identity: Bane. However the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness one must fully surrender to the dark side through a trial by fire that Bane, for all his unquenchable fury and lust for power, may not be strong enough to endure . . . especially since deception, treachery, and murder run rampant among the Sith disciples, and utter ruthlessness alone is the key to survival. Only by defying the most sacred traditions, rejecting all he has been taught, and drawing upon the long-forgotten wisdom of the very first Sith can Bane hope to triumph–and forge from the ashes of that which he must destroy a new era of absolute dark power.
Customer Reviews:
Great story, new perspectives.......2007-10-04
This was the first book or storyline I've read that includes characters and ideas from such an old time period.
I loved it. I do appreciate good literature, character and plot development, but this book was more of a dark revenge kind of book, and the action was great. I loved reading about how powerful Bane was and about the rest of the ancient Sith order.
Highly recommended.
Insight into the workings of the Sith..........2007-08-18
This is an excellent insight into the basis of the dark side. Very well written, moves along, and very enjoyable. Hard to believe that this author isn't an established novelist. The descriptions are excellent and the style gives you a sense that your in the mind of someone that is undergoing transformation. I'm not sure why that 1 star reviewer is so bent out of shape with the violence. He mentions Vader as a likeable "antihero". I distinctly remember in one of the movies Anakin slaughtering mercilessly the younglings or toddler/child jedi off camera. In the fictional SW world, the sith are evil, and that's what evil does. All and all a worthwhile read and definitely not a waste of time.
o so thats how it goes.......2007-07-27
this book is great for hardcore star wars fans. it sheads new light on the Darth title and is a great read.
Two there should be; no more no less.......2007-07-11
Wow. This book was outstanding! I found myself not being able to read through the pages quickly enough nor being able to stop, so much so that I finished it in two days.
Considering this takes place some 1000 years before the events of A New Hope, I was a bit apprehensive being that there would be nothing but entirely fresh new characters and none of the staples of the movies (Han, Luke, Obi Wan, etc, etc), but THIS is what I was expecting Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader to be.
This book sheds alot of light on the Sith. Not their beginnings entirely, but how they were before they were wiped about a milennia prior to the movies we know and love. A time when the sith were about as abundant as the Jedi.
Darth Bane starts from meager and quite tragic beginnings, but that's what usually makes for the most interesting villains, isn't it? Of course, Bane can be a villain OR a hero depending on how you're looking at it.
Lots of insight to the Sith is provided in this book. What makes them tick, basically. Of course we know from our exposure to the Sith in the films that they're fueled by power for power's sake, Karpyshyn really takes a deeper look at it.
Basically, this is one man's journey to the peak of his power and how, by sheer force of will and cunning, he changes the outcome of a war and the future of his kind. The events of this book pave the way to the Sith we loved to hate in the star wars films.
Betrayal, murder, revenge, war. He should have a sith name more like Darth Bada$$ =) I can't wait until the sequel comes out. Maybe we'll even get a whole series of Sith based books and get to see how Palpatine starts his rise in the order of the Sith.
Can't recommend this one highly enough, especially after reading the somewhat disappointing Star Wars Allegiance.
The rise of Darth Bane..........2007-07-10
Darth Bane: Path of Destruction takes a different - and refreshing - approach to storytelling in the Star Wars universe. Most novels follow the heroic exploits of well-known and loved Star Wars heroes - Luke, Han, Leia, Lando, etc. This novel details the rise of one of the founders of the modern Sith order, where there are only two, a master and an apprentice. Darth Bane is a character hinted at to a limited degree in the expanded universe material. In this novel, his rise to power over the Sith order and control of it's future is laid out, events which affect the Sith up until the time of the movies, where there remain only a master and an apprentice.
The novel is, as one would expect, darker than other Star Wars novels. It vividly depicts the harsh and ruthless philosophy of the Sith, where innocents suffer and the powerful rule by brute force, as well as cunning and trickery.
Darth Banes life starts out mundane, but by the end of the novel the destiny of the Sith is forever changed. His transformation into THE Dark Lord of the Sith is complete and his apprentice is found, leaving the door open for future novels.
It was quite interesting to read a novel that had a darker theme than most Star Wars novels. And it was refreshing to read about characters from the expanded universe that I've enjoyed for years now. Exar Kun and Naga Sadow (both Kevin J. Anderson creations, I believe), among others, are mentioned in the novel. Planets and familiar locations for the comics and video games are mentioned, too. Given the amount of expanded universe material involved - from comics to books to games - the novel does a great job of tying the previously hinted at material together and fleshing out, so to speak, the character of Darth Bane.
If you like Star Wars novels and are looking for a storyline with a darker tone to it, then don't pass up this novel. There are Jedi and heroes of the light side in the novel, but they take a backseat to the main story of the rise of Darth Bane, the founder of the modern Sith order.
Average customer rating:
- Genius
- Excellent edition of The Republic
- Not the best
- "republic" of the soul...aka: self help
- Very good for an inexpensive translation
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The Republic (Penguin Classics)
Plato
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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ASIN: 0140449140
Release Date: 2003-02-25 |
Book Description
Ostensibly a discussion of the nature of justice, The Republic presents Plato's vision of the ideal state, covering a wide range of topics: social, educational, psychological, moral, and philosophical. It also includes some of Plato's most important writing on the nature of reality and the theory of the "forms."
Translated with an Introduction by Desmond Lee
Customer Reviews:
Genius.......2007-09-07
If you can only have five books on your library shelf, this book has to be one of them. Plato argues against democracy and total freedom and does such an amazing job. You may not agree with him, but after reading the book you will have so much respect for someone that is seeking the absolute truth no matter what it turns out to be.
Excellent edition of The Republic.......2007-05-06
Shorey's english rendering of the Greek in the Loeb edition is, in my opinion, excellent. More than anything, he captures the passion and fervor of Socrates beautifully, as his english rendering of the text is significantly more poetic than the vast majority of translations of The Republic. While, obviously, there are countless other editions and translations of The Republic, few of these do "justice" to the work qua literature as Shorey does. Shorey's translation, while perhaps a little less accessible to beginning readers than Alan Bloom's or WHD Rouse's, is not difficult to the point of inaccessibility, and its strengths in other regards are too significant to make it necessary to purchase anything other than the Loeb edition of The Republic.
It is my hope that this review is actually helpful to someone that is deciding which edition or translation of The Republic to buy. Far too many Amazon reviews are little more than opining on the ostensible subject matter of a book that the individual either did not read, or did not understand.
Not the best.......2007-01-10
This work is poorly written and difficult to understand. Philosophy books are dense in the first place, but this edition adds to any confusion and created lots of headaches. Furthermore, the book in other editions usually have line numbers so that people can compair notes across editions, the Dover book lacks these. I purchased a different book and found in depth analysis to be much easier.
"republic" of the soul...aka: self help.......2006-12-20
i have no comments on this particular translation of republic, as it is the only version i have read.
republic does not live up to its namesake. as "socrates" says (i think we all know that socrates is really just plato's play dough after book 1) at the close of book 9, the vision of kallipolis only "exists in theory" or perhaps there is a "model of it in heaven." the earlier differentiation between theory and practice make it clear that plato only intended to use kallipolis as a model for the human soul. therefore, the suggested policies of eugenics, infanticide, communal property, and holding women and children "in common" are probably not to be taken seriously. plato himself predicts the inevitable unraveling of such a city.
after reading republic for the second time, it occurred to me that it is little more than a self-help manual. reason should rule spirit and passion. "dabbling" weakens the character. understand the difference between necessity and luxury. shatter your illusions about what you think you know, etc etc. not that these are not important, but such ideas do not require the complex analogy of a totalitarian society. thus, i think republic is slightly overrated.
the most compelling portion of this book, in my opinion, was the critique of the various constitutions. while the critiques of oligarchy, tyranny, timocracy and democracy map on nicely to the individual soul, they also make logical sense independently. while convention has led us to disregard the former 3 constitutions, democracy is often placed on a pedestal as the most ideal form of government. plato challenges this notion and succeeds with vigor in tearing down this pedestal. democracy, even in its representative form, is not much more than tyranny of the majority. we can witness democracy's inherent flaws today in the U.S., on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. this, in my opinion, is the only significant thing republic has to offer to the modern political theorist.
Very good for an inexpensive translation.......2006-11-10
I'm wrapping up a semester of teaching this translation of Republic, and I've had few complaints. Waterfield's editorial hand is visible, but that in itself, in the hands of a competent teacher, leads to good discussions above and beyond Plato's ideas.
With regards to Plato's masterwork, there's no good place to start save reading it for oneself. Plato is dead wrong in places (with regards to poetry and marriage just to get rolling), but his genius is that he's wrong as an idealist philosopher, encouraging readers to assert and refine their own ideals as counter-arguments. In other words, in order to refute Plato, one must out-Plato Plato.
Deconstruction is fine for deconstructionists, but a good discussion of this juggernaut of ancient thought is the life for me.
Book Description
Few cities have as much to offer as Prague, so it can be difficult to decide how best to spend your time, but the Eyewitness Travel Guide helps you to get the most from your stay. This guide will introduce you to Prague by locating the city geographically, setting modern Prague in its historical context. Learn about the city's main attractions and sights including a feature on the River Vltava. Discover other places around Prague with the day trips listed in the section Prague Area by Area. It is the carefully researched tips for hotels and restaurants, shops, markets, cafes, bars, entertainment and sporting events that separates this guide from the rest. Let the maps, photography and detailed illustration of the Eyewitness Travel Guide show you what others only tell you.
Customer Reviews:
I love these books.......2007-05-25
Whereever your travels may bring you these series of books are the BEST travel books of all. They always have great suggestions of places to visit and are full of pictures too! I can't wait to use mine in Prague later this year!
Prague ( Eyewitness Travel Guide).......2007-05-23
all in one guide....a must have for geting the most out of a tour. You will be able to see the important items in your tour
Great Guide for Sightseeing.......2007-04-30
This is the one guide seen by far the most often in Prague. While it should drop the pretension of providing general information, it is by far the best guide available for getting out and seeing Prague.
Other than wasting space on hotels, my complaints are: 1) It fails to mention admission fees. For example there is a fee to see almost everything in both the Palace and the Jewish Quarter. This becomes obvuious early enough in the Palace but you can wander around most of the Jewish Quarter before realizing that you could simple buy one relatively expensive ticket, 2) It fails to tell where you really should spend your time despite being the best describer of detail - for example it should tell you that they have already largely destroyed what character is left in the Jewish Quarter (Hotel Intercontinental!?) and they are working on destroying the rest, and 3) The maps could be better.
With the Time Out guide for everything else and the Streetwise map this book will equip you well for your Prague visit.
Best way to LEARN and TOUR Prague.......2007-04-26
I went to Prague to visit a friend of mine who has been working/ living there for a year, and WE BOTH learned so much while toting this book. Great detail was given to explaining and describing the significance, history, and factoids of the most popular places in Prague. It was accurate, up to date, interesting, and well written. The maps are easy to use too. I just purchased a new Eye Witness book for my upcoming trip to Munich. This series is one which I will be sticking with!
Why this guide is the best..........2007-04-16
I used this guide on my recent trip to Prague and after numerous trips to the bookstores, I choose this book for the following reasons:
1) Large color pictures. Not only great to look at but helpful in identifying buildings that aren't necessarily labeled or labeled in English.
2) City is divided into sections. MUCH MORE USEFUL when walking around then having attractions listed by type. This just makes planning and improvising much easier.
3) Great walking tours and itineraries for 1-4 day trips.
Other then that this book is on par with the other heavy hitters in the other major travel guide categories. It goes into depth about Czech history, it has adequate explanations of major attractions, good descriptions of local customs, laws and transportation logistics and is just the right size for day packs.
The only minor drawback is the hotel and restaurant descriptions but with the internet, using a guide book for hotel/hostel booking has become obsolete.
Bottom Line: The price is little higher then average but it's worth it.
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