Leslie Cockburn

If you read enough about the Dirty Wars in Central America in the 1980s and the arms trading scheme that became known as 'Iran Contra' you will find Israelis appear many times on the periphery, yet the Congressional report mentioned Israel in less than 5% of the 400+ page report.

The real meat of this book is exploring how the USA responded to political pressure and Congressional bans on support to the South and Central American dictatorships (and also Apartheid South Africa) by employing show more Israel as a proxy to supply them as well as provide security training for them, which they were all too happy to oblige in order to expand and deepen military and political ties and develop mutual dependency.

Earlier chapters trace through the initially contentious but increasingly friendly relations on intelligence matters, but it is the proxy aid to third parties and the Nuclear weapons development program that are the most important parts.

NB: the book has recently come back into the spotlight because Leslie Cockburn is running for Congress, defenders of Israeli government policy and violence accuse her of being an anti-Semitic 'Israel hater' and cite this book as proof. Yet they don't quote any contentious paragraphs or sentences in it. show less

I received a galley copy of this book from NetGalley to review.
This book brought back memories of my experiences with situations in Iraq. Ms Cockburn's descriptions of sights, clothing, smells, food, the people took me right back there. While written as a work of fiction, much of it was indeed true. There was a lot of corruption by US officials, including US military. Dr McGuiness, the main character, isn't always sure who is the good guy and who is the bad guy, among both the Americans and show more the Iraqis. There are characters of both nationalities who risk their lives to expose the truth. It is a suspenseful book with plenty of action. Among all the fighting and horror, there is the character of Laela who well represents the fragile beauty of the people. I didn't give five stars because I really would have liked other characters to have been more developed. I loved Hassan and he was well written. But I thought there could have been more on Sadoon and his family. Perhaps more from Dr Husseini. But overall, it is a very good read exposing some parts of the war people don't know about and revealing the personalities of the Iraqi people. Well done! show less

Leslie Cockburn wrote Looking for Trouble, One Woman, Six Wars, and a Revolution over 20 years ago. Her stories, analysis and reports are still pertinent today; they provide the history behind many of the continuing conflicts around the globe. As a news reporter, she searched for the truth and the facts, she spoke to many notorious world leaders, and often found herself in very dangerous situations. Reading her book left me in awe of her strength, her courage and her resilience; in a sense show more Cockburn is a modern-day resistance fighter. Her book is an important read for anyone studying in Communication, Conflict Studies or Modern History. show less

The Iran-Contra hearings narrowed down to two single subjects "what did the president know, and when did he know it" and the financial transfers.

The covert war against Nicaragua, rendered illegal by the Boland Amendment, the violation of ordinary laws through assisting a foreign war and the transfer of arms and cooperation with & protection of drug smugglers, etc were never considered. This is the subject the book explores in full.

One point of order however, its reference notes are not show more numbered and there is no index. show less