Terrorism and War (Open Media Series)

This book makes some good points. It talks about the downside of US military operations and how the media are failing to report it. In this collection of interviews, Zinn carries on about how military approaches to problems are costly in terms of human suffering and resources and about how they are not usually effective.I believe all educated people ought to know that war is to be avoided at all costs. I wish Zinn had gone deeper into the reasons for the current US military operations. Zinn suggests that the government and management of large corporations are conspiring to sell the public on military operations which serve no purpose beyond helping commercial interests. I don't think this is the case. I suspect that educated supporters of the so-called "war on terror" believe that using the military to install governments friendly to the US will help catch international criminals, improve international human rights over the long-run, and as Zinn says help commercials interests. I would like to see some of *these* counter arguments addressed. It's easy for Zinn to tell us how silly are the facile explanations given by politicians and television news. Unfortunately, I don't think people who think politicians and Fox News are reliable sources of information will be reading this book. And if they do read this book, they may conclude that the anti-war movement is wrong when they discover that Zinn has addressed the weakest, staw-man justifications for war.The socialist tenor of the book gets in the way for me, but it's certainly no worse than the pro-war bias that characterizes the mainstream media.I give it four stars, however, because I agree with most of what Zinn says. It is imperative that people question and oppose the "war on terror".

This book was required for a class that I am taking, and as someone who doesn't enjoy reading assignments and is not big on politics, the way this book was written (in a series of interviews) made it very easy to read. Howard Zinn humanizes victims of wars and provides many eye opening points. I would suggest this book if you're into politics, because it is meaningful and informative.

Politics,history, foreign policy and current events are topics I used to avoid, but Zinn presents these subjects in language that is accessible. He makes abstract ideas and historical facts relevent to our lives. This book provides historical context to the tragedies this world has endured over the past few years. The information may not be new since Zinn has imparted these perspectives in many forms over the years, but his views concerning the U.S. role in a global society does need to be revisited and re-evaluated in this post-9/11 world. Terrorism and War is thought provoking, and its juxtaposition of war and terrorism and their causes and consequences is enlightening. The book has led me to ask, "Is there a difference between an act of war and an act of terrorism?" and "Is one action more noble than another?" Further, if one does believe that either action is justified, is the justification strong enough to rationalize the consequences of such violent acts? I do not feel that the book answers these questions, but I applaud its attempt to implore readers to consider such ideas. The book is concise and a quick-read. Yet, the ideas and opinions I formed when I initially read this book two years ago have remained with me. Even if one does not agree with Zinn's views and I'm sure that many do not, the discussion concerning U.S. actions needs to continue and this book sustains the dialogue.

This book is a gift for my husband. It arrived in excellent condition and the subject matter is very informative. Mr. Zinn was a brilliant observer of history.

I believe Terrorism and War it's a brilliant piece of work since Zinn shares uninformed and concealed truth; the effects of our foreign policy on many parts of the world, particularly the Middle East.

How did this start and why are they so mad at us. Do we stick our nose in too many others business and not take care of the people here