Agency-securities Books

Oxford academic Adam Roberts, long considered the most influential expert on the subject of the UN system, has produced an excellent book, with great academic rigour, very comprenehsive, and very concise (or at least as concise as it could possibly be, given the enormous amount and variety of issues covered therein). With great ability, the author manages to highlight the positive and negative sides of the UN system and its work, criticizing them where appropriate and by giving very thorough explanations, and praising them in other respects. It offers information and analysis on the major challenges confronted by the UN in the recent past, and those likely to arise in the near future. The book is an absolute must for anyone wishing to know more on the UN system. It is suitable both for those intending to learn the basics, and those who are on a start of deep research work on the subject. It is a serious academic study, yet easy to read and even enjoyable.

Author Wensley Clarkson does a commendable job in uncovering the tragic murder of a British agent who got too close to the ruthless world of international arms dealers. The book goes behind the news stories, and provides a keen insight to what really goes on in the world of espionage and counter-intelligence. It's also a who-done-it mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Clarkson's work is enhanced by its focus on the human tragedy of two loving parents forced to deal with the loss of an only child, and their stuggle to see justice done. Anyone with an interest in this subject area will love it. "The Valkyrie Operation" is an absolute must-read for British citizens who want a taste of how the secret-side of their government operates.

acerca del espionaje sovietico en los Estados Unidos de Norteamerica y zonas aledañas, obra de mis dos agencias favoritas, la agencia nacional de seguridad y la agencioa central de inteligencia.

Given that this book was originally published in 1996, I'm assuming this particular edition was timed for the release of the Robert DeNiro's Hollywood epic "The Good Shepherd" (screenplay by Eric Roth - "Munich"), purporting to tell the "story of the origins of the CIA" through the eyes of Edwin Wilson (an amalgam of James Jesus Angleton and Richard Bissell).

DeNiro's attempt to cover several decades of U.S. covert operations and espionage left me wondering whether his project would have been better realized as, say, a documentary series on PBS television. In the end, I found myself more annoyed than anything else -- suffering through the dreary soap-opera of the protagonist's life and anxious to take in the occasional bits of history.

Whereas DeNiro attempts to blend history and fiction, a dramatic spy-caper spanning three decades interspersed with allusions to historical events,
Thomas covers the actual lives of four pioneers of the CIA: Frank Wisner, Richard Bissel, Tracy Barnes and Desmond Fitzgerald, deeply-principled men with strong convictions and goals (stemming the Communist tide) yet flawed and ultimately corruped in their realization.

Benefiting from extensive interviews, Thomas' book seeks to portray the CIA "as it saw itself". One can appreciated the fact that Thomas is both respectful of the purpose and intent of the CIA (never seeking to dismiss or minimize the very real concerns over the Communist threat) and yet writing with a critical eye towards the moral quandaries of their profession. As Thomas concludes: "In the end, they were too idealistic and too honorable, and were unsuited for the dark and duplicitious life of spying. Their hubris and naivete led them astray, producing both sensational coups and spectacular blunders").

Evan Thomas's written history succeeds precisely where DeNiro's cinematic attempt fails -- in achieving a critical social history of the CIA without the taint of propaganda, a faithful account that is at once historical AND engrossing.

The author of this book is the professor for my Political Science class at the University of Michigan and he is so incredibly passionate about the Civil Rights Movement. It makes the discussions a lot more meaningful when coming from someone who had to sit in the back of the bus instead of from someone who had read about it and never actually experienced it. His book is passionate and is an excellent read for anyone interested in the public policy behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The terminology of intelligence is often daunting to those outside the intelligence community. Jan Goldman has assembled a valuable reference for anyone seeking to find clear explanations of terms used in the intelligence trade.

This volume is a necessary addition to the library of any serious student of intelligence.

Just FYI, the information in this book [disclaimer: I haven't actually looked in the hard copy!] is available on the internet at www.cia.gov. And it is extensive. GDP? Political parties? Border disputes? Latest election results? Percentage of arable land? Unemployment rate? "Factbook" is an appropriate name, as it is just that, a list of facts. A very useful starting point for just about any topic of interest regarding any country. And the website info is pretty regularly updated. The small, uneventful country I checked just before writing this review was last updated about two months ago--in 2006, even though the website title info still says "2005".

This book is a must read for anyone that wants to know why something like 9-11 happened and why it will happen again. The inner workings of the CIA are laid bare for us to see. You will be proud and horrified all at the same time. Mr. Baer writes a very enjoyable narrative and fills this book with information that makes you feel like you are eavesdropping on the seventh floor. Read this and then go get his other books. They are worth any price.

This book is an incredible account of a man's journey and almost an obsession with finding the truth - and how his efforts were sometime thwarted by his own government and bureaucratic bull. Mr. Baer makes an excellent point that the CIA and the United States in general has to get back into the nitty gritty of operations and spying - face to face, person to person contact. Technology can only take us so far and get us basic information. In order to beat this enemy, we need to be patient, determined, and willing to accept the truth.

This is probably the best memoir I have come across by a former CIA case officer. Baer is spot on when it comes to how government operates. Who could ever imagine that those in the field are often times prevented from achieving superior results by risk averse management, or that those in Washington are too concerned about politics and/or "drinking and whoring" to comprehend what's truly unfolding beyond our borders? The truth can be ugly.

Robert Baer's account illustrates how American intelligence gathering capability was decapitated by bureaocrats and politicians. The author paints a vivid picture of work in the field as humint (human intelligence)was relegated to the back bench. Our enemies could not have done better than our own political establishment in neutralising the CIA. This book tells it all.

Kingmaker

For those that think the goverment (not CIA) is here for you. This book should show you otherwise. For those conspiracy theorists...this should be right up your ally. Where is the justice in this country when such fine individuals can suffer through so much to keep us all safe....all in vain and all only so the richer can get richer. The government doesnt run this country, the "big oil" does. This will never change. Great book, great read.

all sorts of new stuff was going on with computers in the 1980s. It offered new opportunities for spies to steal military accounting and inventory records. Fortunately most people are incapable of deciphering military accounting and inventory records anyways. Clifford Stoll interjects just enough of his personal life to make the book read like a detective or spy novel. It would still make a seriously boring movie, but it is interesting as a book.

This book was way too long. The tale of the missing money and the subsequent tracking of a faceless hacker could have been told in 200 pages. What I found really tedious were all the phone calls - calls to try to track the hacker and to various government agencies to try to get help to catch the intruder. Phone calls can only be so interesting. Yes, it is real life and real life is never (I hope) as interesting as fiction - but by the time the hacker was caught, I was just happy to see the book end.

This was a required book for a computing ethics class I took, and I felt it covered a lot of material and was entertaining at the same time. I would have enjoyed reading it for recreational purposes and I highly suggest it. Some level of technical understanding might help with some material, but is not needed.

All in all, very well written book.

This is the kind of story that you have a hard time putting down. My son, husband, dad and I all read it. Two of the readers are very much into computers, the other two not so much. We all enjoyed it. It is also great to remember in detail the days before internet and gave my son a better understanding of how far we have come with this technology in such a short time.

As you can see from the reviews here, many people also love this book.

I love the trip down memory lane that this book provides. Sure is fun to go back to a more innocent time and remember what it was like before the internet became huge. If you remember archie, gopher, kermit, then this is a book for you.

Even if you're too young to remember this time, it would be quite fun to watch WAR GAMES and then read this book. I love the writing style--this is a real page-turner.

I almost didn't read this book. I mean, it's pretty big. And it didn't really look like it would be the "storytelling" kind of history I had previously been reading. But I went for it. And it was actually quite easy to read the 500-plus pages that chronicle the relationship between the US, Pakistan, and Afghanistan up through September 10, 2001. Despite the fairly detailed information in this book, it was a bit of a page-turner.

For anyone interested in putting the US-Pakistan relationship (especially regarding terrorism) into context, this book is a must-read. As it is for understanding how Afghanistan got to the state it was in seven years ago. Coll explains how the CIA dealt (or failed to deal) with the mujaheddin, how the Pakistani intelligence colluded with terrorist groups and the Taliban, using US money to run operations that ran counter to US interests, and how Pakistani heads of state (such as the belated Benazir Bhutto) telling bald-faced lies to US officials. It's certainly an ambitious read, but if you're interested in the topic, it won't be a hard one.

A long well written book on that shows how after the failure of Soviet invasion, Afghanistan descended into a battlefield where countries and movements with different ideologies clashed with their respective agendas.

Although after reading this book, I am not so sure as the writer suggests that a more pro-active US policy have made that much difference in the country unless it was willing to send in ground forces.

To me this was one of the best account of dirty secrets of the intelligence agencies. The coordination and communication between CIA and Pakistani Intelligence Agency ISI and the routine betrayal by ISI and misuse of funds. This book also clearly indicates how CIA bet on the wrong horse by backing ISI instead of Northern Front or in particular Ahmed Shah Masood. The book also throws a light about the red tape and American bureaucracy our intelligence community has to deal with and we care more about the rights of those who would not even blink an eye before destroying us. All in all a must read book for anyone who cares about the world's most dangerous region Afghanistan - Peshawar border.

Very well written and keeps your attention. Very detailed and fact based. The author is as unbiased as they come. I came into this book embarassingly ignorant about international politics, especially the events leading up to September 11, 2001. I feel thankful toward the author for putting together such complex information in a straight forward, but captivating way - a way that lets even the most unaware reader begin to understand the whirlwind of money, politics, fanaticism, and international counter-interests that intersect to create the horrors of tomorrow. I was amazed at how much the US government played a hand in fostering Taliban and al Qaeda. A hand full of tunnel vissioned, post cold-war mongering CIA agents and senators operating with a unconscionable amount power financed, encouraged, and then ignored the mounting threats from the jihadists.

I am back in Afghanistan for my third tour. If you want to really understand what happened between the Russian invasion and 9-11-2001,
this is really all you need to read. It explains CIA ops, the Mujahadeen,
the rise of the Taliban vice the Paki ISI, the civil wars, everything.

It is a true story told in such compelling fashion that you think you are reading a fiction novel. After the first 10 pages, it's hard to put down.

I bought a dozen copies to provide my people so they would understand why we are here now.