Doug Ross @ Journal

Book Review: ENDGAME

Subtitled: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror

Don't read this book because its authors are highly qualified (an Asst. Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force and a deputy commanding general of the U.S Army, respectively). And don't read it just because their analysis for Fox News has been spot on so far (when others were predicting military disasters in Afghanistan and Iraq, they correctly predicted the military campaigns). Instead, read it as if your life depends on it. Because it probably does.

The authors first describe the gravity of the war against terror. They demonstrate that fundamentalist extremists -- in many countries -- have repeatedly demonstrated that they have no qualms about using any and all means necessary to slaughter innocent civilians. In escalating, nightmarish scenarios, they describe the outcomes of a failure to quickly and completely deal with the "Web of Terror". At the top of the heap, of course, is the very real scenario involving the simultaneous detonation of nuclear weapons in multiple U.S. cities.

The second section of the book describes how we fight: both defensively and offensively. The campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq are described in excellent detail. And for those who claim that the Iraq campaign was simply a distraction in the war against terror, the authors beg to differ:

"Saddam Hussein's Iraq kept bad company -- as one might expect of a regime that practiced mass executions, torture, and arbitrary arrest and imprisonment and used chemical weapons against its own people. Iraq had extensive dealings with terrorists. Two Palestinians at the top many ... "most wanted" lists in the 1980's and ... 1990's -- Abu Nidal... and Abu Abbas -- were given sanctuary by Saddam Hussein... Nidal led an organization that committed a number of bloody attacks... [and] masterminded the 1985 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro, a crime that included the murder of [an]... American passenger. Iraq provided training camps for terrorists, most notoriously at Salman Pak... where an obsolescent Boeing 707 was used to train terrorists to hijack airliners. Iraq made cash payments to the families of ... suicide bombers. [Iraq's] vice president... was specifically tasked with supporting... the PLO, Hamas, and ... Islamic Jihad... in addition, the al-Qaeda affiliate, Ansar al-Islam, was based in Northern Iraq..."

Thus, Hussein's massive human rights violations, support of terrorism world-wide, and development and use of WMD's made him a first-tier target in the war on terror. The authors rejected a continuance of the containment policy because sanctions had been subverted by regimes like Syria; international support was wavering; and French, German, and Russion businesses continued to stoke Saddam's massive weapons programs.

The final section of the book discusses how we must wage the war on terror... country by country. In some cases, diplomacy is recommended. In others, quick military action is advocated. The rationale, strategies and tactics are all discussed in compelling detail. Wrapping up, the authors state:

"Our fight, however, is not against a religion. The vast majority of Muslims are obviously peacable people. Our fight is against those who... [would] ... turn Islam into a terrorist creed preaching global violence and revolution. What we can and must do is act against those regimes that train, shelter, and support the terrorists who are bent on killing us (Iran and Syria); put further pressure on Muslim states to curtail radical Islam within their own borders (Egypt, Pakistan); stop Muslim states from subsidizing intolerant religous beliefs around the world (Saudi Arabia); and demand, and bring about, an end to the WMD programs of rogue states (North Korea). We must declare a "no sanctuary for terrorists" policy and enforce it. [We] must be a faithful ally to those Muslim countries that openly oppose Islamist terror and ... stand for tolerance and liberalization... like Morocco, Qatar and Bahrain... [We] must promote economic, political, religious and social freedom through the entire Muslim world..."

It is only in the book's afterword that politics are discussed. The authors state that they have purposely written the book from a military perspective.... not political. However, the Democratic primaries -- in which nearly every candidate denied the existence of a terror network and stated that only "al-Qaeda" is the enemy. The fallacy of that denial is described in great detail throughout the book. The corruption of the UN's "oil-for-food program", the intrinsic monetary links between Hussein and Europe, make relying upon either the UN or conflicted countries like France, Germany and Russia, a foolhardy and dangerous exercise. Unfortunately, the apparent Democratic candidate for President was one of these candidates.

"The Web of Terror will want to influence America's presidential elections because [it] will not survive four more years of George W. Bush." At stake is nothing less than the survival of the United States. Overstatement? The authors clearly demonstrate otherwise. Read this book. And get your friends and family to read it as well. It's simply that important.

Order ENDGAME now