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316th out of 2,087 books
—
3,725 voters
Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib
Since September 11, 2001, Seymour M. Hersh has riveted readers -- and outraged the Bush Administration -- with his explosive stories in The New Yorker, including his headline-making pieces on the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Now, Hersh brings together what he has learned, along with new reporting, to answer the critical question of the last four years: How did America...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
July 26th 2005
by Harper Perennial
(first published September 13th 2004)
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Depressing as hell. I'd heard an interview with Hersh at the time who said that there was more video taped evidence that would make the Abu Ghraib stuff look like child's play. But it sounds like the CIA has disposed of those to avoid any further "embarrassment." This book is both stomach-turning and necessary. And as long as large numbers of people get their opinions from Fox News and Country and Western songs, books like this are inconsequential in the near term.
But historians will (hopefully)...more
But historians will (hopefully)...more
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Listed below is a very small representative sample of what you will learn from this book that you didn't learn from your local newspaper or television station.
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"After September 11, the Syrian leader, Bashar Assad, initiated the delivery of Syrian intelligence to the United States. The Syrians had compiled hundreds of files on Al Qaeda, including dossiers on the men who participated -- and others who wanted to participate -- in the September 11th attacks. Syria also penetrated...more
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"After September 11, the Syrian leader, Bashar Assad, initiated the delivery of Syrian intelligence to the United States. The Syrians had compiled hundreds of files on Al Qaeda, including dossiers on the men who participated -- and others who wanted to participate -- in the September 11th attacks. Syria also penetrated...more
Hersh has earned his investigative stripes decades ago when be broke the story regarding the massacre at My Lai. Far from a one-hit wonder, he was at the forefront of the Abu Ghraib story. This book is a collection of reports ranging from 9/11 to Turkey. As Iraq … continues, this book assists in understanding why it has gone as it has. Do we really want Donald Rumsfeld making decisions about battle field tactics? Should we be concerned that military officials who offered contrasting opinions (li...more
interesting insight into how the us government used selective intelligence to escalate the war on terror. excellent content, but a bit long. probably would have enjoyed reading his pieces in the new yorker.
It was OK. Reading it in 2012, most of the contents are essentially old hat.
"Chain of Command" is a political rant with a lot of claims, but not much support. He rarely supports his claims with facts, and his arguments are clearly not-logical. He begins his book by claiming that the Interrogations at Guantanamo have had no results, that the intelligence wasn't satisfying the needs of the Pentagon. This obviously isn't taking the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed into account. He pushes forth the id...more
"Chain of Command" is a political rant with a lot of claims, but not much support. He rarely supports his claims with facts, and his arguments are clearly not-logical. He begins his book by claiming that the Interrogations at Guantanamo have had no results, that the intelligence wasn't satisfying the needs of the Pentagon. This obviously isn't taking the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed into account. He pushes forth the id...more
Nov 26, 2007
Ollie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who wants to learn the truth
You don't have to be a genius, or even up on current news, to know that America fucked up in Iraq. To learn the intricacies of America's mistakes, however -- the sheer lack of competence and vision -- is enough to fry anyone's braincells and leave them cowering in the corner like a psychiatric ward patient. Hersh, a Pulitzer-prize winnining journalist, exposes the turmoil many countries have been thrust into since 9/11 and how directly it is related to the Neo-cons close to Bush. The picture tha...more
It is truly explosive. It unearths weaknesses in American spy agencies prior to September 11, 2001, attacks.Tons of information about American invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington's relations with Musharraf and Saudi Royal family. Details and hidden information regarding torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons was interesting.
This weaves together some of Hersh's reporting in the New Yorker with some additional reach. I had a hard time keeping track of all the players -- which guy was the security business entrepreneur who also advised the government on defense policy? -- but the overall message came through.
Impeccable reporting that one expects from Hersh. This books is a relevant read 10 years after the start of the Iraq War, as memories are growing fuzzy and too many of us would like to forget the arrogant, faith-based policy making that led us to a needless war and the serial abuse of intelligence to serve pre-ordained outcomes.
Very highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an in-depth look by one of the most worldly renowned Journalists. The book explores the functions/dysfunctions in government and the military that lead to the second Iraq War and the ugly Abu Gharib incident.
This was one of the 2005 RUSA Notable Books winners. For the complete list, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rus...
Excellent analysis of the events between 9/11 and the Iraqi War. Hersh is an excellent writer and presents his facts clearly. This was truly a scary book.
Read this as part of a class called "Conflict Reporting." It was one of hte most compelling journalistic endeavors I had read since "Into the Wild."
Written in 2004, shortly after the wars in Afghanistan and then Iraq, Hersch takes a critical look at the wars, and especially the civilian leaders in the Pentagon. Hersch spent a lifetime writing about the U.S. Military, and has established numerous contacts of people in the know. As a trusted writer, he has access to a significant number of high level officials, and his story seems to have stood the test of time. It provides a very different perspective than some of the books released after Bu...more
This was one of the first critical books about the war that I read that made me viscerally angry. But I couldn't put it down.
Jan 02, 2008
Scott
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Americans
Shelves:
non-fiction
When I first read Hersh's article about Abu Ghraib in the New Yorker, I was also reading a comic book about rogue CIA agents fighting against Halliburton. It was hard to say which story seemed more incredible. Hersh is an absolutely amazing reporter, but not the best writer. How he manages to learn this stuff is mindblowing, especially since everything he wrote almost 4 years ago is now just about gospel. The book is pretty close to a collection of his New Yorker articles, however, so no need to...more
It's sad if this is true, and I believe it is, that all our soldiers died for the wrong reasons.
Horribly depressing, gripping account of the madness of GW Bush and his Iraq War machinations.
tough. didn't have the courage to read it until now with the obama presidency....
For anyone that can no longer stand the immense effort required to distill real information out of the various sources where it is available (administration press conferences, talk radio, newspapers, tv news, etc.), this book is highly recommended. The information, which represents an outrage on the part of the US govt. more often than not, is clearly presented and solid analysis is presented. When several conclusions could be reasonably arrived at, Hersh presents them all. The book is excellent...more
Very informative - a must read for every American - insightful about what's going on in our government today & in recent past - difficult to follow at times
This book gives you many insights into US foreign non-policy.
Good, but clearly one-sided.
Chilling look at the Bush Administration. Hersh doesn't hesitate to label Cheney a war criminal.
CoC is a compilation of pieces Hersh wrote for the New Yorker about the Bush administration’s conduct of foreign policy. It is a devastating look at the details of what occurred, with a considerable quantity of named sources. For obvious reasons, it was impossible for all his sources to allow their names to be used. We know how vengeful the Bushies are. This is one of the must-read books about the worst administration in American history.
This book was stunning, riveting, and wholly disturbing. Nothing I didn't suspect, but the facts were indisputable. The ramifications and reverberations of these war criminals' behavior will come back to haunt us for many decades to come.
Amazing account of the workings of the Bush presidency and the tunnel vision with which they operate. Hersh says it best at the end "...There are many who believe George Bush is a liar...but lying would indicate an understanding...A more plausible explanation is that words have no meaning for this President.... and so he believes that his mere utterance ... makes them real."
Seymour Hersh, brilliant journalist and regular contributor to The New Yorker, writes about his investigations of the events of 9/11, the Abu Ghraib scandal, and everything in between. Just like the cover says, really. Important book to read if you truly want to understand what's going on in American politics and in the Middle East.
I found the information contained in this book interesting. I fully support our troops and what they are doing to combat our countries War of Terrorism. Some of the information here is disturbing. What happened to America doing the right thing?
If you want to know what our government and our military leadership is really doing in "the war on terror", read this book. You won't find this kind of stuff out by reading the papers or watching the news.
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