Merchants and Revolution: Commercial Change, Political Conflict, and London's Overseas Traders, 1550-1653
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The doyen of Marxist historiography strikes again
Merchants and Revolution: Commercial Change, Political Conflict, and London's Overseas Traders, 1550-1653
Robert Brenner
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1859843336

Book Description

In this major reinterpretation of the activities of London's merchant community during the early Stuart period, Robert Brenner explains the factors behind the opening of long-distance commerce to the south and east, describes the growing power of the great City merchants, and pro-files the new colonial traders, who became the chief architects of the Common-wealth's dynamic commercial policy.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars The doyen of Marxist historiography strikes again.......2004-10-05

This book is both exhaustive and, at times, exhausting. Brenner's thesis, encapulated in the lengthy postscript to the book, is that socio-political forces remain at the forefront of explanations of the English Civil War, despite the overthrowing of the older consensus that the Revolution represented the comprehensive destruction of feudal remnants by an increasingly confident, largely urban bourgegoisie. In this Brenner is at odds with revisionist historians like Conrad Russell and Mark Kishlansky, both of whom stress the exogenous character of factors like religion and war. Brenner painfully amasses evidence for the decisive role of what he calls the London colonial, inter-loping merchants, whose radical religious and commercial agendas were finally fully adopted in the establishment of the Commonwealth in opposition to the older London merchants elites ensconced first in the Merchant Adventurers and then in the East Indies Company. These latter had their power and prestige directly from the monarchy and thus represented a form of socio-political power that was anti-capitalist even if still bourgeois and based on mercantile trade. The battle between the Royalists and the Parliamentary forces represented divergent understandings of the place of the sovereign in a country whose principal subjects were increasingly coming under the sway of capitalist values, and whose ideas of absolute ownership of property, religion, political consensus and the proper use of foreign policy were repeatedly traduced by a monarchy who insisted on out-moded concepts of sovereignty.
Merchants and Revolution: Commercial Change, Political Conflict, and London's Overseas Traders, 1550-1653. (book reviews): An article from: Canadian Journal of History
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Merchants and Revolution: Commercial Change, Political Conflict, and London's Overseas Traders, 1550-1653. (book reviews): An article from: Canadian Journal of History
    T.H. Lloyd
    Manufacturer: University of Saskatchewan
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Digital

    GeneralGeneral | Canada | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
    ASIN: B00092UAJA
    Release Date: 2005-07-28

    Book Description

    This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on December 1, 1993. The length of the article is 983 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

    Citation Details
    Title: Merchants and Revolution: Commercial Change, Political Conflict, and London's Overseas Traders, 1550-1653. (book reviews)
    Author: T.H. Lloyd
    Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
    Date: December 1, 1993
    Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
    Volume: v28 Issue: n3 Page: p579(3)

    Article Type: Book Review

    Distributed by Thomson Gale

    Twenty Reproducible Assessment Instruments for the New Work Culture
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Twenty Reproducible Assessment Instruments for the New Work Culture
      Philip R. Harris
      Manufacturer: HRD Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Ring-bound

      GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      Human Resources & Personnel ManagementHuman Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 0874259894

      Book Description

      This collection of reproducible assessment instruments will: Stimulate participant's thinking and awareness about themselves and others Provide objective feedback about behavior and performance

      Serve as a basis for discussion and learning, as well as for personal and organizational development

      The twenty assessments in this collection are divided into four sections. The first , Personal Assessment, contains seven instruments to help individuals learn about themselves in order to more effectively acquire new competencies and meet the challenge of change. The second, Team Assessment, contains four complimentary instruments to help both team leaders and team members understand the dynamics of the group process. The third section, Management Assessment, provides five instruments which may be used by individual managers for self-assessment of their managerial role and effectiveness. The final section, Organizational Assessment, includes four instruments which can be used by HRD specialists or top management to evaluate a company's climate, clarify one's position in the system, and improve meeting management.

      The Assessments:

      Human Resources Inventory
      Leadership Motivation Inventory
      Values Imprint Survey
      Quality of Life Index
      Relocation Preparation Index
      Change Inventory for Leaders
      Force Field Analysis Invetory
      Group Maturity Analysis
      Individual Behavior Analysis
      Team Performance Survey
      Team Synergy Analysis Inventory
      High Performance Management Inventory
      Management Communications Inventory
      Managing People Skills Inventory
      Intercultural Relations Inventory
      Inventory of Transformational Management Skills
      Organizational Culture Survey
      Organizational Role & Relationships Inventory
      Organizational Meetings
      Management Inventory

      Rehabilitation of Rivers for Fish: A Study Undertaken by the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission of Fao ("Fishing News" Books)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Rehabilitation of Rivers for Fish: A Study Undertaken by the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission of Fao ("Fishing News" Books)

        Manufacturer: Fishing News Books
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 0852382472

        The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden: Understanding the Wounded Feeling Function in Masculine and Feminine Psychology
        Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
        • A must read, with reservations...
        • Wonderful
        • Healing the wounded feeling function
        The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden: Understanding the Wounded Feeling Function in Masculine and Feminine Psychology
        Robert A. Johnson
        Manufacturer: HarperOne
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: 006250648X

        Book Description

        In the tradition of Annie Dillard and Natalie Goldberg, this resource for writers and non-writers alike shows the act of writing to be a dynamic means of knowing, healing, and creating the body, mind, and spirit.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars A must read, with reservations..........2007-07-28

        I purchased this book because the Handless Maiden myth resonates for me, my having first been introduced to it through a dream and then through Clarissa Pinkola Estes book 'Women Who Run With Wolves'. I felt I had more to learn from this myth, and Johnson's book put the Handless Maiden myth in a matrix that helped me to understand it more personally, as a metaphor for the feminine in contemporary society. Placing it in a context I could understand so well brought this myth to life, and was the greatest value of this book for me.
        The only off-putting thing, which changed it from 5 to 4 stars, is a small thing but which strikes to the heart of the issue. The author apologised in the beginning for perhaps not being able to do justice to the feminine wounding myth as much as the male myth. It was honest and ethical of him to state such concerns, which makes me respect his integrity, but he is alas, correct. As wonderful as his assessment of the Handless Maiden is, he still put a great deal of emphasis on the male value and aspects of it, which he did very little in reverse for the male Fisher King myth. The section in The Handless Maiden where he abandons such careful integrating of the masculine is the section which resonated most for me. I'm not sure why he did this, but if one goes through both chapters and counts instances of other-gender applicability you'll see what I mean. In one paragraph I almost felt like this myth was being ripped from my "hands" and given to the male, a dynamic of the actual myth.
        Nevertheless, the author put the myth into a powerful and broad matrix of understanding for contemporary women, something which 'Women Who Run With Wolves', as much as I love it, didn't allow me to see as clearly. What I would suggest is first reading Johnson's book, and saving Clarissa Pinkola Estes interpretation for last, when you can appreciate it more, in all its profound and subtle complexity.

        5 out of 5 stars Wonderful.......2003-04-20

        I love all Robert Johnson's work. I find him easy to read and understand.

        5 out of 5 stars Healing the wounded feeling function.......2000-09-24

        "This book is about our wounded feeling function, probably the most common and painful wound which occurs in our Western world. It is very dangerous when a wound is so common in culture that hardly anyone knows there is a problem." Johnson opens his book with these provocative sentences. The first thing he does is convince the reader that the problem exists, and is of considerable scope. For example, our modern English language is not really adequate for a full description of the problem, having the vague and much abused word "feeling" and only one word, equally vague, for "love". Johnson, a Jungian analyst, explores the problem using myths -- the Fisher King and the Handless Maiden, to demonstrate the wounded feeling function in, respectively, masculinity and femininity. Through the myths, Johnson not only diagnoses the problem, but makes practical suggestions for healing. This wonderful little book, scarcely 100 pages long, can be read in an afternoon, although its insights could change the directions of a life.
        The Fisher King And The Handless Maiden. Understanding The Wounded Feeling Function In Masculine And Feminine Psychology.
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          The Fisher King And The Handless Maiden. Understanding The Wounded Feeling Function In Masculine And Feminine Psychology.
          Robert A. Johnson
          Manufacturer: Harpercollins
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback
          ASIN: B000OFDL70

          Portulacaceae Through Caryophyllaceae of New York State.   Contributions to a Flora of New York State XI. (Contributions to a Flora of New York State)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Portulacaceae Through Caryophyllaceae of New York State. Contributions to a Flora of New York State XI. (Contributions to a Flora of New York State)
            Richard S. Mitchell
            Manufacturer: New York State Museum
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            GeneralGeneral | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Botany | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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            ASIN: 1555572286

            Book Description

            Volume XI of a comprehensive series on the plants of New York State. Encyclopedic in its coverage, this flora includes original illustrations of all species, keys for identification, common names, synonymy, complete descriptions, economic uses, plant pest lists, exhaustive biblography, and discussions of plant variation and taxonomy for each group. A fourth of the state's species have been treated so far. Volume Eleven covers the carnations and their relatives, important in the horticultural trade and as weeds.

            We Were Champions: The 49Ers' Dynasty in Their Own Words
            Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
            • Very nice "quote" book.
            • VERY GLOSSY WITH NOT MUCH SUBSTANCE
            We Were Champions: The 49Ers' Dynasty in Their Own Words
            Phil Barber , and San Francisco 49Ers (Football Team)
            Manufacturer: Triumph Books
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

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            ASIN: 1572434988

            Book Description

            For 15 NFL seasons, during which they won five Super Bowl titles, no team in pro sports captured the public's fancy like the San Francisco 49ers. Thanks to a roster filled with superstars such as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott and an innovative coaching staff headed by the legendary Bill Walsh, the 49ers exuded an aura of invincibility in a sport in which every victory is hard fought.

            This is the story of the San Francisco dynasty in the players' own words, reflections and insights shared with the perspective of time, as they analyze the elements that combined to create pro football magic.

            Beginning with a stunning victory over the Dallas Cowboys and a berth in Super Bowl XVI and continuing through a victory in Super Bowl XXIV, the vital figures in 49ers history recall the pivotal moments, the clutch plays, and the smooth transitions that pointed toward the top of the NFL mountain.

            "When people ask me how many Super Bowl rings I have," lineman Jesse Sapolu says, "I don't mean to show a disappointed face, but I just say, `Four.' And they say, `You don't look very excited about it.' And I tell people, `Well, I lost five NFC Championship Games. That's a lot of big games to lose.' When I look back on my career, I should be sitting here with at least six, maybe seven Super Bowl rings."

            We Were Champions features the rare behind-the-scenes photography of Michael Zagaris, the 49ers' club photographer for more than two decades, in the definitive look at one of the most storied sports franchises.

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars Very nice "quote" book........2005-02-28

            This is a very nice,glossy book of the 49ers heyday filled with many pictures of all the greats. It's not the type of book that pertains to a lot of actual information on the team,as noted by the reviewer. This book is a large collection of quotes and remarks made by ex players who helped build the Niners into the winningest team of the last 25 years. Thus,it's an easy and somewhat quick read as you are browsing over statements made by such and such player (or coach). Good collectible book.

            3 out of 5 stars VERY GLOSSY WITH NOT MUCH SUBSTANCE.......2004-12-20

            THIS IS MORE OF A PICTORAL VIEW COVERING THE 49ERS SUPER BOWL TEAMS. THE INTERVIEWS AND STORIES COVERING THE TEAM ARE VERY SHORT AND NOT VERY DETAILED. THERE ARE MANY NICE PHOTOS IN THIS BOOK BUT IF YOU WANT A REAL MEAT AND POTATOES, DETAILED LOOK AT THE SEASON BY SEASON FACTS AND STATS, THIS IS NOT THE BOOK FOR YOU. IT IS AN OK BOOK THAT IS AN EASY READ FOR THE CASUAL FAN.

            Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z
            Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
            • accessible, light, and fun
            • Think you're a wordmeister?
            • Required Reading
            • Language Visible
            • Misinformation and Euro-centric
            Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z
            David Sacks
            Manufacturer: Broadway
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            LinguisticsLinguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
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            ASIN: 0767911733
            Release Date: 2004-08-03

            Book Description

            David Sacks has embarked on a fun, lively, and learned excursion into the alphabet–and into cultural history–in Letter Perfect. Clearly explaining the letters as symbols of precise sounds of speech, the book begins with the earliest known alphabetic inscriptions (circa 1800 b.c.), recently discovered by archaeologists in Egypt, and traces the history of our alphabet through the ancient Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans and up through medieval Europe to the present day. But the heart of the book is the twenty-six fact-filled “biographies” of letters A through Z, each one identifying the letter’s particular significance for modern readers, tracing its development from ancient forms, and discussing its noteworthy role in literature and other media. We learn, for example, why letter X may have a sinister and sexual aura, how B came to signify second best, why the word mother in many languages starts with M. Combining facts both odd and essential, Letter Perfect is cultural history at its most accessible and enjoyable.

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars accessible, light, and fun.......2007-08-12

            In the first section Sacks explains the latest discoveries and research on the history of our alphabet, which is more electrifying that it might sound. The portraits of each letter flow from historical to pop-cultural references for an overall accessible, light, and fun read.

            4 out of 5 stars Think you're a wordmeister?.......2007-01-11

            Those of us who proudly stand at the barriers opposing the ever-increasing surge of language barbarism can use all the ammunition made available to us. Mr. Sacks' wonderfully readable little book is filled with facts and historigraphical flitchettes on the amazing English tongue that suits this purpose. Additionally, even word-warriors can occasionally have fun... and this great little gem is loaded with tidbits that will often cause the reader to say "ummm, I didn't know that;" or simply chuckle out loud. For the curious, if you ever wondered why our language looks like it does, this is the book for you.

            5 out of 5 stars Required Reading.......2006-04-09

            This book is a great one to own and to read over and over again. There's a few annoying typos but I would still whole-heartedly recommend it to each and everyone. Especially for those who tend to take for granted the supposedly entrenched institutions of "civilized" society, discovering the quirky and arbitrary history of the English alphabet will make their innocent heads spin. I vote that this book should be required reading in American public education.

            5 out of 5 stars Language Visible.......2005-10-18

            In a book which is occasionally and only slightly heavy, but never once baffling or difficult to follow, the author takes a journey through the letters of the alphabet. With likable charm, he explains the history of the alphabet and then devotes 26 chapters to the letters from A to Z.

            Most wonderful of all, he's not remotely snobbish in his references, citing each letter's importance to our language and culture in ways that range from the highbrow to the lowbrow, simply reporting upon each as it stands in use today. One of the greatest things about the book is its slight repetitiveness, which serves to embed a teaching of the history of the alphabet in a way that is, it should be noted, *never* monotonous or boring. And in ways that are fun and interesting, he flashes briefly, once in a great while, upon moments of his personal history that reflect the cultural history of each letter.

            A beautifully designed book, with numerous stories that cover each letter to near-exhaustion. But it's never exhausting; instead, I come away from it understanding, for the first time, the history of our alphabet -- in a way that enriches each letter's place in the lexicon of the insane mishmash of influences which is "English as we know it." This book is a bit like a conversation with a friend; Shakespeare would have been delighted.

            2 out of 5 stars Misinformation and Euro-centric.......2005-10-12

            You can tell I don't pay attention to Wall Street Journal or New York Times. I picked up David Sacks' book from Borders' Linguistics stack because of the title. I should have known better.

            I started the first chapter and didn't have the time or intention to finish it. The book is a collection of charts and stories about the history of alphabetic writing that are to be expected from the title -- in some cases conviniently summarized things in tables and maps -- but lacks, in my opinion, systematic thinking on the reasons behind the origin and prosperity of alphabetic writing that is found in other scholarly works (scholarly it is not).

            Even within the first 20 pages or so, I was disawayed more than a few times by dubious claims, utter misinformation, and distastefully Euro/English-centric. Here are some examples:

            "The alphabet was not the earliest writing: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and probably China already had nonalphabetic systems. But the alphabet was the most efficient writing system ever found, before or since (p.1)" -- What about Hirogana for Japanese? Syllabaries can be much more efficient for languages that do not have a large inventory of syllables.

            "The 'spreadability' of an alphabet means that the future of our Roman letters looks very bright indeed. (p. 10)" -- He was speaking of languages that are written in multiple alphabets, such as Swahili, Serbo-Croatian, Urdu/Hindi, and Yiddish. And then came this proud comment on the prospect "our Roman letters". Immediately following the above quote, he gave examples of Azerbaijian and Tatarstan's decision to switch to Roman, as well as other "struggling nation"'s likewise decisions to "switch to Roman letters for native tongues, as a big to tie into global trade and communications and to better prepare their prople to learn English. Tragically, much that is venerable and spiritually sustaining while be lost. Yet that seems inevitable in the 21st century were are shaping. And it is sobering to reflect that our 26 letters wield such power."

            His view of the learnability of the alphabet is also uneducated, shall I say. The following superficial comment could have come from an old gradama who happened have NOT been a teacher for her lifetime.

            "An alphabet enjoys on huge advantage over any other writing system: It needs fewer symbols. No other sysmtem can get away with so few. This makes an alphabet easier to learn. Students need memorize only two dozen or so letters to begin building toward literacy, which typically takes about another five years of instruction".

            And -- he writes -- because of this simplicity, children can become literate before the working age. "This cricial fact has made the alphabet historically the vehicle of mass literacy. (p.5)" Well, "vehicle" is a very clevery way of framing it. At least he is not saying that where there is alphabet there is mass literacy. Mass literacy was nevery a goal before the inducstry revolution. Now Sacks joins the ranks of you-know-who's by implying that the Europeans and Western ideals were destined to take over the world because they had the alphabet and probably the mandate from God. (Guns, what guns?)

            Sacks also compared "our 26 letters" -- as if alphabetic writing is patented at the USPO -- to Chinese. "Today Chinese schoolchildren normally take three years longer than Western children to learn to read and write, with most of that
            extra time devoted to mastering the symbols."

            This is completely misinformation. Learning to read Chinese is not easy, but do a little research, you will find studies over studies and books over books on comparitive studies of literacy (including my own). I've nevery seen a credible study that substantiates the 3-year lag. By the way, Sacks almost never gives citations.

            I think that's enough. This explains my total disappointment with the book -- I sholdn't have any high expectation from the start, had I known who David Sacks is.

            Finishing Business: Ten Steps To Defeat Global Terror
            Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
            • A Literary Bait and Switch
            • Total and absolute bullshit
            • Brilliant With Great Insights
            • "If I were King . . . "
            • Where was the editor?
            Finishing Business: Ten Steps To Defeat Global Terror
            Harlan Ullman
            Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

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            ASIN: 1591149061

            Customer Reviews:

            1 out of 5 stars A Literary Bait and Switch.......2007-01-27

            U.S. Army War College's Dale Eikmeier is right on the money as Ullman states in his introduction: "What can and must be done to defeat this grave and gathering danger [radical Islam] is the basis for this book." Sadly, he pulls a literary bait and switch. This work is not, as implied, a formula for defeating radical Islam. Those looking for a serious and scholarly work on combating what Ullman calls "jihadist extremism" will be disappointed by the lack of research and discussion on the ideological foundations and leaders of the movement.

            However, political historians may find the first half interesting as it lays out the national security positions of the Democratic Party's 2004 presidential campaign. The chapter on Operation Iraqi Freedom even opens with the Bush-Kerry debate question: "Is America safer or securer as a result." The second half, where Ullman discusses transformation of the U.S. military, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the federal government, makes an original contribution. One of his more intriguing ideas is Sarbanes-Oxley-type reform legislation designed to improve congressional and executive branch accountability. Policymakers concerned with government and defense reform may find some gems here.

            Poorly organized, Ullman built a mound of tangents (Gorbachev and perestroika), distortions (hoof and mouth disease and a strike in Britain set D-Day for Operation Iraqi Freedom), factual errors ("Pakistan is both Muslim and Arab"), and partisan political statements ("President Bush must subordinate his visceral dislike for Kim to the larger goal of denuclearizing the [Korean] peninsula permanently"). To find any buried gems, you must dig. In the end the effort isn't worth it. Once you have polished the obscuration away, you'll find that Ullman's formula to defeat radical Islam is the Cold War's containment strategy with "transformed" multinational security organizations, resolution of Kashmir and the Israeli-Palestinian disputes, and a series of what he admits are prohibitively expensive Marshall plans.

            1 out of 5 stars Total and absolute bullshit.......2005-09-13

            This is one of the dumbest books I have ever read though I suggest you read it; only to understand its arguments and the flaws inherent in them. The title of this book is promising: how to defeat global terror, and the book makes several very valid points that are not fully discussed in the popular media. These points include:
            1. The real cost of building Iraq into a stable democracy is quite high, and has not been fully fathomed by the Bush Administration.
            2. Pakistan is quite dangerous and potentially unstable, with its political scene a couple of assasinations away from chaos.
            3. The most dangerous modern day terrorism to confront America are adherents to Islamic fundamentalism primarily from Middle East countries, and the primary target of this fundamentalism is Middle East governments.

            That said, this book goes on to list several steps the US must take to defeat global (Islamic) terror. None of them will stop global (Islamic) terrorism, and their listing in this book reveals a biasness to throw more money at the problem. On the other hand, there are several things not listed in this book that do contribute to global terrorism, and should be stopped.

            First, the US should stop selling weapons to other countries. What do people do with weapons? They kill each other! What happens when people grow up in an enviroment of killing? They become extremists and resort to killing as part of their daily lives! Look at the countries listed by this book as trouble spots; spots where Islamic fundamentalism is a growing threat; Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, etc... Each and every single one of them was/is a major buyer of weapons from the US or other western countries such as the UK, France, Germany and Russia/USSR.

            These weapons were often sold by Western countries to Muslim countries in exchange for oil. These sales still continue as Saudi Arabia is one of the largest purchasers of American weapons. What do the recipient countries do with their newfound weapons? Several things actually. First, they can point it at their neighbors and try to intimidate each other over issues like trade agreements, water access, border disputes, etc... This is why any diplomat from the Middle East will tell you this area is like a hornet's nest; you stick your hand in there and someone is bound to sting you. Second, they can point it at their own people. Specifically, nearly all of the major purchasers of US weapons are non-democratic.. i.e. the ruling clique in each country uses these weapons to keep their country's population at bay. Both effects; hostile neighbors and a dictatorial government, generate a civil society conducive to terrorism, religious fundamentalism, intolerance, and violence. To stop Islamic jihadism dead in its tracks, this culture needs to be changed, and one way the US can help is to stop selling weapons to these countries AND prevent US corporations from selling weapons to these countries through national legislation and effective regulation. The question then arises: what should the US give to Muslim (Arab) countries in exchange for their oil? Several things come to mind, primarily, the US could allow goods from Arab countries into the US duty-free and tariff-free. This will spur job and economic growth in the Arab countries, and people are generally less likely to go jihading when they are making money.

            2. Change the people who represent America abroad in the embassies and various other government agencies. The current Bush administration highlights this problem. If you look at the various ambassadors and other officials G. W. Bush has appointed to these diplomatic offices, you quickly notice that they got these offices out of patronage and not because of their skills and knowledge of these areas. For example, many of our ambassadors to Arab countries are ex-employees of oil corporations whose former employers contributed to Bush's election campaign. I wonder how many of these ambassadors know Arabic, or studied Middle East history, or are familiar with the Israeli - Palestinian issue? None probably. What they do know and what they will do in their government posts is grease the bureacratic wheels for oil companies and their subsidaries doing business in the Middle East. If the USA is really serious about stopping Islamic fundamentalism, then it should appoint individuals to ambassadorships and other offices who won't concern themselves with oil reserves in the Middle East, but instead concern themselves with civil rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, secular education, ect, ect in the Arab countries.

            3. Take Arab opinions every bit as seriously as Israel's opinions. Throughout the Cold War Israel expanded gradually by taking lands owned by Palestinians, and pushing the natives of them. Time and again, Arab countries and many other non-Arab and non-Muslim countries in the world put forth UN resolutions to condemn Israel. And time and again the US vetoed these resolutions. The message these vetoes sent to private citizens in Arab countries was that their governments are powerless against the US. The result of this is that some Arabs have gone outside their government to help the Palestinians; i.e. form terrorist groups to attack Israel and the US. If the US is to expect Arab governments to control their citizens and stop terrorist groups, the US can help by stop siding with Israel against world opinion in its conflict with Palestinians.

            4. Hold up our end of international agreements on security, extradition, weapons inspections, and disarmament. Throughout the Cold War, the US built up a rich web of alliances and treaties with most of the countries of thw world. These treaties and alliances fostered cooperation in tracking and controlling the flow of money and individuals between countries, and limited the spread of many classes of weapons. Some of these treaties also placed US citizens or US businesses overseas under the jurisdiction of foreign laws. Under the current Bush administration, the US has exited many of these treaties, thinking they are too much of an impedance on US security and US business interests. The result is that after 9-11, when American officials wanted to question individuals in other countries; there was minimal legal groundwork through which this could be done, and many other countries were reluctant to help. To really defeat global terror, we need global help, and to get that, America needs to get of the top of the hill and learn to cooperate with other countries as equals.

            5. Support birth control and other measures to slow population growth. Religious extremism of any kind is a byproduct of too many people with too few jobs to go around. One way to solve this problem is to support birth control and family planning in third world countries. The current Bush administration will not do this because of their Religious Right supporters, and the previous Clinton administration did not do this due to opposition from the Religious Right. Public citizens in the US starting with the President need to publicly drive home the point to the Religious Right that too many people in poor countries can only lead to trouble for America and Americans.

            These five steps I listed above are five things that the US is not doing, and which this book does not include as steps to defeat global terror. But, I believe these steps will go further in defeating global terror than anything said in this book.

            5 out of 5 stars Brilliant With Great Insights.......2005-02-06

            C-Span2 Book TV has an excellent author event available. The author is very articulate and the book is brilliant. Some of the main points of the book are listed below.

            1. We do not understand the danger of terrorism. We are dealing with a political movement with political ambitions. The terrorists are using religion as a cover.

            2. Our government needs major reforms. Discipline and accountability has to be a responsibility of government officials.

            3. We need to change our focus from national defense to national security. We need to form a national security university.

            4. We need better ways to respond globally to the terrorism threat. We need to rejuvenate NATO. NATO now has a global mission.

            5. The danger is in the Middle East. The real terrorist threat is to the Middle East, not so much to the USA mainland.


            4 out of 5 stars "If I were King . . . ".......2005-01-30

            If you were thinking that the War on Terror is going to be over any time soon, Harlan Ullman will quickly disabuse you of that notion. He rightly points out this is actually a War on Jihadist Extremism. Winning that war will require remedying the discontents that feed the extremism, and repositioning the United States government to be better able to do so. Most of the book is a rather dismal catalog of all the reasons for our failures to date. The background is great for those unfamiliar with this area, but sometimes the prose makes the phone book look enticingly entertaining by comparison.

            But what are the "10 Steps" promised in the subtitle? They are ambitious, indeed. The first is to stop thinking about a Global War on Terror (remember the wars on drugs and poverty?), and recognize that this is a war against Jihadist Extremism. That makes sense. Next, we must realize that the danger posed by the terrorists is not the buildings they might demolish, but the institutions they threaten to disrupt--like our economic system and our personal freedoms. That, also, is imminently logical. At this point, Dr. Ullman becomes more ambitious. We must also reorganize the White House, Congress, and Defense Department, commit billions and billions to bring the "Crescent of Crisis" into the 21st Century, and force government officials to sign pledges similar to those required by Sarbanes-Oxley so that they can be held responsible for their actions. If Dr. Ullman is correct in all of this, we are in for a truly long haul.

            4 out of 5 stars Where was the editor?.......2005-01-10

            This book is brilliant in multiple ways. It gives insights to many otherwise puzzling events in the recent past. Unfortunately, perhaps in the rush to get it to press while still topical, the editing is dreadful and makes the book a Murmansk run for the reader.

            Example from page 42: "After the terrorist attacks, had Al Gore been president, it is unlikely that he would have had little option except to go after al Qaeda in Afganistan." I read that to mean that he'd have had other options, but who knows?

            The flying leaps from topic to topic, often even within a single paragraph lead one either to give up and skim downwind touching only the wavetop highlights or beat to windward through mounting syntactic surf in trying to follow the argument. Ever hear of transitions ? (Usually taught in freshman comp.) The obscure syntax sometimes reads as if English were an almost-mastered second language to Ullman.

            As a current member of the Naval Institute and a fan of Ullman's work, I am embarassed by the egregious editing failures of this otherwise outstanding work. The Naval Institute has failed Ullman. His work deserves better.
            Editor's shelf.(Book Review): An article from: Parameters
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              Editor's shelf.(Book Review): An article from: Parameters
              Robert H. Taylor
              Manufacturer: U.S. Army War College
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Digital

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              ASIN: B0007URIFS
              Release Date: 2006-07-14

              Book Description

              This digital document is an article from Parameters, published by U.S. Army War College on December 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1042 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

              Citation Details
              Title: Editor's shelf.(Book Review)
              Author: Robert H. Taylor
              Publication: Parameters (Refereed)
              Date: December 22, 2004
              Publisher: U.S. Army War College
              Volume: 34 Issue: 4 Page: 129(2)

              Article Type: Book Review

              Distributed by Thomson Gale
              Ullman, Harlan. Finishing Business: Ten Steps to Defeat Global Terror.(Book Review) : An article from: Naval War College Review
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                Ullman, Harlan. Finishing Business: Ten Steps to Defeat Global Terror.(Book Review) : An article from: Naval War College Review
                Henry C., Jr. Bartlett
                Manufacturer: U.S. Naval War College
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Digital

                GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
                Science & TechnologyScience & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
                ASIN: B000ALRH6O
                Release Date: 2005-07-25

                Book Description

                This digital document is an article from Naval War College Review, published by U.S. Naval War College on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 812 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                Citation Details
                Title: Ullman, Harlan. Finishing Business: Ten Steps to Defeat Global Terror.(Book Review)
                Author: Henry C., Jr. Bartlett
                Publication: Naval War College Review (Refereed)
                Date: March 22, 2005
                Publisher: U.S. Naval War College
                Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Page: 145(2)

                Article Type: Book Review

                Distributed by Thomson Gale

                Books:

                1. Microeconomics: Principles and Policy, 2004 Update
                2. Money Map: A Simple System for Records Management
                3. Moral Sentiments and Material Interests: The Foundations of Cooperation in Economic Life (Economic Learning and Social Evolution)
                4. Prac Set 3 Acctng Prin
                5. Principles of Microeconomics, Fourth Edition
                6. Pring on Price Patterns : The Definitive Guide to Price Pattern Analysis and Intrepretation
                7. Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification
                8. Project Management Methodologies: Selecting, Implementing, and Supporting Methodologies and Processes for Projects (Youth Communicates)
                9. Public Choice III
                10. Putting Auction Theory to Work (Churchill Lectures in Economics)

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