I love reading books, particularly of the non-fiction genre because they are very good in getting you ready for sleep. In other words, boring. But kidding aside, I like them because of the information and the learnings I get from them. Most of my favorite topics are history, espionage, government and religion. Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield by Jeremy Scahill is one of those types of books that are boring to read but highly recommended. Why? It is a New York Times and Washington Post bestseller. It was named the top investigative journalism book of 2013 by Nieman Reports. And was selected as one of Publishers Weekly’s Top 10 Books of 2013.
After 9/11, The US government launched its War On Terror and declared that the world is a battlefield. Jeremy Scahill, author of the best-seller Blackwater, provides the reader an in-depth view of how the US government is combatting terrorism. In Dirty Wars, we get to read about the covert campaigns conducted by the US government. Culled from interviews with special forces, CIA personnel, Somali warlords and Yemeni citizens, we are taken into a world of crimes, cover-ups and assassinations which are the main strategy now being employed by the US government in combating terrorism.
The soldiers in Dirty Wars operate globally following orders from the White House and employ all the means necessary to hunt down, capture or kill individuals designated by the US president as targets. Although the Bush administration started all of these, the Obama administration expanded the war on terror. The Obama administration gave it more legitimacy by using executive privilege to prevent congressional oversight.
In Dirty Wars, Jeremy Scahill takes us to Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan and Iraq as he investigates these covert wars which he termed as a America’s global killing machine. His interviews provide an in-depth look on what is actually seen on the ground which we normally do not see in conventional media.
We are taken into the world of shadow warriors who conduct night raids, secret prisons, cruise missile attacks and drone strikes. We also get to read about the violence from the point of views of the victims and witnesses. Scahill also discusses the assasination of American citizens without due process just because they are suspected militants. This book indeed exposes the dirty wars that the US government is employing and struggling very hard to keep hidden.
I would rate this book as an excellent read. Not enjoyable but very informative. This is highly recommended for people who are interested in finding out the inner workings of government.
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