Completely torturous, unreadable, piece of navel gazing garbage, 14 Sep 2008
I cant believe that this book has had a single positive review and am tempted to believe that there something of an "emperor's new clothes" dynamic going on, intellectuals tell you what's hot, you'd like to be an intellectual yourself, therefore you agree.

The writing style is horrendous and convoluted in the extreme, for entire chapters I thought that I must surely be missing the point or lacked the insight being an initiate of some strange mystery school would provide.

The entire idea, from what I can tell, is that consumer society and economy have all sorts of ways of stealing your time, identity etc. and selling it back to you. No matter how much you attempt to develop yourself independently you are, in reality, only working to buy a sembalance of yourself. Everyone's reduced to a spectator and bystander.

Now the problem is that this is easily said, in a single paragraph, and other authors have hit upon this alienating aspect of modern life before but it doesnt deserve an entire book, some of them summed it up in a paragraph.

In addition I would say that its a very weak criticism of consumer culture, society and economy, lots of people are more than content with being relegated to the position of spectator, or so it would seem. The popularity of socialism, for instance, in third world nations for instance has often been premised upon the idea of fast tracking the country to the point that Guy criticises.

The promises, hopes or vision of socialism elsewhere couldnt provide the same allure or attraction compared with the prospect of constructing an identity through consumer choices and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise ruled the day.

To acknowledge my bias I'm not a fan of continental philosophy, classical philosophy, anglo-american philosophers can appear pedantic, repetitive and conservative by contrast but they are not inaccessible or convoluted in their style. It depends what sort of read you want but I think this will prove a disatisfying read to anyone who thinks about it.

society of the spectacular!, 09 Nov 2006
This book - in conjunction with some secondary literature and other NOT RANDOM situ texts - is one of the few which can come to revolutionise your perception ALL THE WAY DOWN. Of course : it is obscure and relies on a familiarity with alot of marxist terminology - but it bares, and demands, repeated readings which demonstrates how these concepts have alot of life in them! If I was to formulate its thesis then today it would be : you are always watching others do things instead of doing something which would exceed the gaze of another watching you. This is the road towards de-reification et al...

Disconcertingly accurate statement of things in general., 07 Nov 2001
Don't let the other reviews put you off, this is a great book, although I've not read this translation. It's nothing as tedious as a critique of consumerism or the like - its a really revolutionary book. The surprise that such a thing can exist tends to disorientate its younger readers for a while.
Get it, read it, resist his tendency to overwhelm you with his impressive grasp of reality, and then go around feeling superior to everybody else while musing on how to overthrow the autonomous rule of our products, preferably in your lifetime. I recommend it.

Personal helicopters, 03 Sep 2001
To put things into perspective, this is a Guy (boom boom to you too, dewd) who reckoned everyone would have their own private helicopter by c. 1980 - prescient, huh?

Still, without TSotS Vaneigem's brilliant Revolution of Everyday Life could never have the resonance it does, so credit where it's due - and GD did invent pyschogeography as a discipline...

A thorough-going deconstruction of modernity, 01 Aug 2000
As trenchant as Foucault and as dogmatic as Wittgenstein, rarely has a work of political or cultural criticism provided such a thorough-going and penetrative exposition of the modern world's formulation of life as commodity. Debord's approach is refreshingly independent of conventional leftist thought, owing little to the positivist teleolgy of Marx of the ruralistic utopianism of Kropotkin. Though not without its faults, especially his sometimes confused and overly 'clever' prose, Debord's work is a true modern classic, a revolutionary text for the consumer age. Far from seeming dated it becomes more relavent with time - witness the growth of surrogate programming (gardening programmes, cooking programmes and 'fly-on-the wall' documentaries) of fabricated experience as commodity. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels bemused by the banality of everyday life.

Completely torturous, unreadable, piece of navel gazing garbage, 14 Sep 2008
I cant believe that this book has had a single positive review and am tempted to believe that there something of an "emperor's new clothes" dynamic going on, intellectuals tell you what's hot, you'd like to be an intellectual yourself, therefore you agree.

The writing style is horrendous and convoluted in the extreme, for entire chapters I thought that I must surely be missing the point or lacked the insight being an initiate of some strange mystery school would provide.

The entire idea, from what I can tell, is that consumer society and economy have all sorts of ways of stealing your time, identity etc. and selling it back to you. No matter how much you attempt to develop yourself independently you are, in reality, only working to buy a sembalance of yourself. Everyone's reduced to a spectator and bystander.

Now the problem is that this is easily said, in a single paragraph, and other authors have hit upon this alienating aspect of modern life before but it doesnt deserve an entire book, some of them summed it up in a paragraph.

In addition I would say that its a very weak criticism of consumer culture, society and economy, lots of people are more than content with being relegated to the position of spectator, or so it would seem. The popularity of socialism, for instance, in third world nations for instance has often been premised upon the idea of fast tracking the country to the point that Guy criticises.

The promises, hopes or vision of socialism elsewhere couldnt provide the same allure or attraction compared with the prospect of constructing an identity through consumer choices and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise ruled the day.

To acknowledge my bias I'm not a fan of continental philosophy, classical philosophy, anglo-american philosophers can appear pedantic, repetitive and conservative by contrast but they are not inaccessible or convoluted in their style. It depends what sort of read you want but I think this will prove a disatisfying read to anyone who thinks about it.

society of the spectacular!, 09 Nov 2006
This book - in conjunction with some secondary literature and other NOT RANDOM situ texts - is one of the few which can come to revolutionise your perception ALL THE WAY DOWN. Of course : it is obscure and relies on a familiarity with alot of marxist terminology - but it bares, and demands, repeated readings which demonstrates how these concepts have alot of life in them! If I was to formulate its thesis then today it would be : you are always watching others do things instead of doing something which would exceed the gaze of another watching you. This is the road towards de-reification et al...

Disconcertingly accurate statement of things in general., 07 Nov 2001
Don't let the other reviews put you off, this is a great book, although I've not read this translation. It's nothing as tedious as a critique of consumerism or the like - its a really revolutionary book. The surprise that such a thing can exist tends to disorientate its younger readers for a while.
Get it, read it, resist his tendency to overwhelm you with his impressive grasp of reality, and then go around feeling superior to everybody else while musing on how to overthrow the autonomous rule of our products, preferably in your lifetime. I recommend it.

Personal helicopters, 03 Sep 2001
To put things into perspective, this is a Guy (boom boom to you too, dewd) who reckoned everyone would have their own private helicopter by c. 1980 - prescient, huh?

Still, without TSotS Vaneigem's brilliant Revolution of Everyday Life could never have the resonance it does, so credit where it's due - and GD did invent pyschogeography as a discipline...

A thorough-going deconstruction of modernity, 01 Aug 2000
As trenchant as Foucault and as dogmatic as Wittgenstein, rarely has a work of political or cultural criticism provided such a thorough-going and penetrative exposition of the modern world's formulation of life as commodity. Debord's approach is refreshingly independent of conventional leftist thought, owing little to the positivist teleolgy of Marx of the ruralistic utopianism of Kropotkin. Though not without its faults, especially his sometimes confused and overly 'clever' prose, Debord's work is a true modern classic, a revolutionary text for the consumer age. Far from seeming dated it becomes more relavent with time - witness the growth of surrogate programming (gardening programmes, cooking programmes and 'fly-on-the wall' documentaries) of fabricated experience as commodity. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels bemused by the banality of everyday life.

Helped Me To Exam Success, 08 Oct 2003
The Oxford Concise Political Dictionary is a must have for all those with even the slightest bit of interest in Politics. Having been designed for the use by Undergraduates and those in Politics it has almost everything you could desire in terms of Poltical Jargon and Terminology. I ordered it for my A-Level and it has proved to be an extensive help allowing me to have the extra bit more knowledge than the other books provides and giving me access to the grades that i thought impossible. It provides different ideologies views on the different subjects of politics and even has an appendix at the back full of the Political leaders of Russia, U.K., India, China, NATO and many other countries. This Dictionary with all of it's 1,700 entries has provided me and can provide you with incredibly useful knowledge for the future. I would recommend this book to all those who are either studying Politics at various levels or have jobs in Politics and even if it's just an interest in current affairs i would recommend it. A truly fantastic buy.

Great - a must have for essay writing, 02 Mar 2002
This book was primarily compiled by professors at Warwick University, where I am a student. When I realised this, I thought it was a ploy to get students to give them money. However, since using it, I wouldn't be with out it.

While not every political word is included, it has basic summaries of key concepts as well as more technical explanations. If you are at all uncertain or you're looking for a good definition of a word, this should be your first stop.

If you're a politics student or just curious, this is a cheap book that provides you with a great deal of information.

Completely torturous, unreadable, piece of navel gazing garbage, 14 Sep 2008
I cant believe that this book has had a single positive review and am tempted to believe that there something of an "emperor's new clothes" dynamic going on, intellectuals tell you what's hot, you'd like to be an intellectual yourself, therefore you agree.

The writing style is horrendous and convoluted in the extreme, for entire chapters I thought that I must surely be missing the point or lacked the insight being an initiate of some strange mystery school would provide.

The entire idea, from what I can tell, is that consumer society and economy have all sorts of ways of stealing your time, identity etc. and selling it back to you. No matter how much you attempt to develop yourself independently you are, in reality, only working to buy a sembalance of yourself. Everyone's reduced to a spectator and bystander.

Now the problem is that this is easily said, in a single paragraph, and other authors have hit upon this alienating aspect of modern life before but it doesnt deserve an entire book, some of them summed it up in a paragraph.

In addition I would say that its a very weak criticism of consumer culture, society and economy, lots of people are more than content with being relegated to the position of spectator, or so it would seem. The popularity of socialism, for instance, in third world nations for instance has often been premised upon the idea of fast tracking the country to the point that Guy criticises.

The promises, hopes or vision of socialism elsewhere couldnt provide the same allure or attraction compared with the prospect of constructing an identity through consumer choices and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise ruled the day.

To acknowledge my bias I'm not a fan of continental philosophy, classical philosophy, anglo-american philosophers can appear pedantic, repetitive and conservative by contrast but they are not inaccessible or convoluted in their style. It depends what sort of read you want but I think this will prove a disatisfying read to anyone who thinks about it.

society of the spectacular!, 09 Nov 2006
This book - in conjunction with some secondary literature and other NOT RANDOM situ texts - is one of the few which can come to revolutionise your perception ALL THE WAY DOWN. Of course : it is obscure and relies on a familiarity with alot of marxist terminology - but it bares, and demands, repeated readings which demonstrates how these concepts have alot of life in them! If I was to formulate its thesis then today it would be : you are always watching others do things instead of doing something which would exceed the gaze of another watching you. This is the road towards de-reification et al...

Disconcertingly accurate statement of things in general., 07 Nov 2001
Don't let the other reviews put you off, this is a great book, although I've not read this translation. It's nothing as tedious as a critique of consumerism or the like - its a really revolutionary book. The surprise that such a thing can exist tends to disorientate its younger readers for a while.
Get it, read it, resist his tendency to overwhelm you with his impressive grasp of reality, and then go around feeling superior to everybody else while musing on how to overthrow the autonomous rule of our products, preferably in your lifetime. I recommend it.

Personal helicopters, 03 Sep 2001
To put things into perspective, this is a Guy (boom boom to you too, dewd) who reckoned everyone would have their own private helicopter by c. 1980 - prescient, huh?

Still, without TSotS Vaneigem's brilliant Revolution of Everyday Life could never have the resonance it does, so credit where it's due - and GD did invent pyschogeography as a discipline...

A thorough-going deconstruction of modernity, 01 Aug 2000
As trenchant as Foucault and as dogmatic as Wittgenstein, rarely has a work of political or cultural criticism provided such a thorough-going and penetrative exposition of the modern world's formulation of life as commodity. Debord's approach is refreshingly independent of conventional leftist thought, owing little to the positivist teleolgy of Marx of the ruralistic utopianism of Kropotkin. Though not without its faults, especially his sometimes confused and overly 'clever' prose, Debord's work is a true modern classic, a revolutionary text for the consumer age. Far from seeming dated it becomes more relavent with time - witness the growth of surrogate programming (gardening programmes, cooking programmes and 'fly-on-the wall' documentaries) of fabricated experience as commodity. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels bemused by the banality of everyday life.

Helped Me To Exam Success, 08 Oct 2003
The Oxford Concise Political Dictionary is a must have for all those with even the slightest bit of interest in Politics. Having been designed for the use by Undergraduates and those in Politics it has almost everything you could desire in terms of Poltical Jargon and Terminology. I ordered it for my A-Level and it has proved to be an extensive help allowing me to have the extra bit more knowledge than the other books provides and giving me access to the grades that i thought impossible. It provides different ideologies views on the different subjects of politics and even has an appendix at the back full of the Political leaders of Russia, U.K., India, China, NATO and many other countries. This Dictionary with all of it's 1,700 entries has provided me and can provide you with incredibly useful knowledge for the future. I would recommend this book to all those who are either studying Politics at various levels or have jobs in Politics and even if it's just an interest in current affairs i would recommend it. A truly fantastic buy.

Great - a must have for essay writing, 02 Mar 2002
This book was primarily compiled by professors at Warwick University, where I am a student. When I realised this, I thought it was a ploy to get students to give them money. However, since using it, I wouldn't be with out it.

While not every political word is included, it has basic summaries of key concepts as well as more technical explanations. If you are at all uncertain or you're looking for a good definition of a word, this should be your first stop.

If you're a politics student or just curious, this is a cheap book that provides you with a great deal of information.

A brilliant book!, 27 Jun 2005
This is probably one of the most amazing, challenging and beautifully-written books I have ever read in my life (at least in English). Kenneth Minogue has produced an outstanding page-turner. The book covers the essential history of politics and looks at the ways in which it is experienced, construed, challenged and also threatened in our modern society. It is an excellent introduction that every serious student of Politics must read.

However, I think that first year university students, who have little or no knowledge of politics might find the content of this book a bit tricky and confusingly complicated. It thus seems appropriate to rename it from "A Very Short Introduction" to "A Very Short Review".

A Good Introduction to Politics, 19 Mar 2002
As a second year political science student, I considered it to be excellently written, even for people who don't have much idea on politics, and it gives a good insight on what the main theories and ideas that you need to retain on politics. He introduces a good evolution of politics from ancient Rome and Greece to the twentieth century. In all it's a great jargon-free introduction to politics and is very recomended.

Completely torturous, unreadable, piece of navel gazing garbage, 14 Sep 2008
I cant believe that this book has had a single positive review and am tempted to believe that there something of an "emperor's new clothes" dynamic going on, intellectuals tell you what's hot, you'd like to be an intellectual yourself, therefore you agree.

The writing style is horrendous and convoluted in the extreme, for entire chapters I thought that I must surely be missing the point or lacked the insight being an initiate of some strange mystery school would provide.

The entire idea, from what I can tell, is that consumer society and economy have all sorts of ways of stealing your time, identity etc. and selling it back to you. No matter how much you attempt to develop yourself independently you are, in reality, only working to buy a sembalance of yourself. Everyone's reduced to a spectator and bystander.

Now the problem is that this is easily said, in a single paragraph, and other authors have hit upon this alienating aspect of modern life before but it doesnt deserve an entire book, some of them summed it up in a paragraph.

In addition I would say that its a very weak criticism of consumer culture, society and economy, lots of people are more than content with being relegated to the position of spectator, or so it would seem. The popularity of socialism, for instance, in third world nations for instance has often been premised upon the idea of fast tracking the country to the point that Guy criticises.

The promises, hopes or vision of socialism elsewhere couldnt provide the same allure or attraction compared with the prospect of constructing an identity through consumer choices and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise ruled the day.

To acknowledge my bias I'm not a fan of continental philosophy, classical philosophy, anglo-american philosophers can appear pedantic, repetitive and conservative by contrast but they are not inaccessible or convoluted in their style. It depends what sort of read you want but I think this will prove a disatisfying read to anyone who thinks about it.

society of the spectacular!, 09 Nov 2006
This book - in conjunction with some secondary literature and other NOT RANDOM situ texts - is one of the few which can come to revolutionise your perception ALL THE WAY DOWN. Of course : it is obscure and relies on a familiarity with alot of marxist terminology - but it bares, and demands, repeated readings which demonstrates how these concepts have alot of life in them! If I was to formulate its thesis then today it would be : you are always watching others do things instead of doing something which would exceed the gaze of another watching you. This is the road towards de-reification et al...

Disconcertingly accurate statement of things in general., 07 Nov 2001
Don't let the other reviews put you off, this is a great book, although I've not read this translation. It's nothing as tedious as a critique of consumerism or the like - its a really revolutionary book. The surprise that such a thing can exist tends to disorientate its younger readers for a while.
Get it, read it, resist his tendency to overwhelm you with his impressive grasp of reality, and then go around feeling superior to everybody else while musing on how to overthrow the autonomous rule of our products, preferably in your lifetime. I recommend it.

Personal helicopters, 03 Sep 2001
To put things into perspective, this is a Guy (boom boom to you too, dewd) who reckoned everyone would have their own private helicopter by c. 1980 - prescient, huh?

Still, without TSotS Vaneigem's brilliant Revolution of Everyday Life could never have the resonance it does, so credit where it's due - and GD did invent pyschogeography as a discipline...

A thorough-going deconstruction of modernity, 01 Aug 2000
As trenchant as Foucault and as dogmatic as Wittgenstein, rarely has a work of political or cultural criticism provided such a thorough-going and penetrative exposition of the modern world's formulation of life as commodity. Debord's approach is refreshingly independent of conventional leftist thought, owing little to the positivist teleolgy of Marx of the ruralistic utopianism of Kropotkin. Though not without its faults, especially his sometimes confused and overly 'clever' prose, Debord's work is a true modern classic, a revolutionary text for the consumer age. Far from seeming dated it becomes more relavent with time - witness the growth of surrogate programming (gardening programmes, cooking programmes and 'fly-on-the wall' documentaries) of fabricated experience as commodity. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels bemused by the banality of everyday life.

Helped Me To Exam Success, 08 Oct 2003
The Oxford Concise Political Dictionary is a must have for all those with even the slightest bit of interest in Politics. Having been designed for the use by Undergraduates and those in Politics it has almost everything you could desire in terms of Poltical Jargon and Terminology. I ordered it for my A-Level and it has proved to be an extensive help allowing me to have the extra bit more knowledge than the other books provides and giving me access to the grades that i thought impossible. It provides different ideologies views on the different subjects of politics and even has an appendix at the back full of the Political leaders of Russia, U.K., India, China, NATO and many other countries. This Dictionary with all of it's 1,700 entries has provided me and can provide you with incredibly useful knowledge for the future. I would recommend this book to all those who are either studying Politics at various levels or have jobs in Politics and even if it's just an interest in current affairs i would recommend it. A truly fantastic buy.

Great - a must have for essay writing, 02 Mar 2002
This book was primarily compiled by professors at Warwick University, where I am a student. When I realised this, I thought it was a ploy to get students to give them money. However, since using it, I wouldn't be with out it.

While not every political word is included, it has basic summaries of key concepts as well as more technical explanations. If you are at all uncertain or you're looking for a good definition of a word, this should be your first stop.

If you're a politics student or just curious, this is a cheap book that provides you with a great deal of information.

A brilliant book!, 27 Jun 2005
This is probably one of the most amazing, challenging and beautifully-written books I have ever read in my life (at least in English). Kenneth Minogue has produced an outstanding page-turner. The book covers the essential history of politics and looks at the ways in which it is experienced, construed, challenged and also threatened in our modern society. It is an excellent introduction that every serious student of Politics must read.

However, I think that first year university students, who have little or no knowledge of politics might find the content of this book a bit tricky and confusingly complicated. It thus seems appropriate to rename it from "A Very Short Introduction" to "A Very Short Review".

A Good Introduction to Politics, 19 Mar 2002
As a second year political science student, I considered it to be excellently written, even for people who don't have much idea on politics, and it gives a good insight on what the main theories and ideas that you need to retain on politics. He introduces a good evolution of politics from ancient Rome and Greece to the twentieth century. In all it's a great jargon-free introduction to politics and is very recomended.

Modern Classic of Just War Theory, 15 Jun 2001
This book revived interest to just war theory and created influential debate about moral permissibility of war. Walzer develops his own theory about just war theory. It can be summarized as: War is just when it is fought only as a) self-defence b) in order to create country for a nation under foreign rule c) counter-intervention in order to repeal effect of original foreign intervention d) humanitarian intervention to stop grave an widespread human right violations. Walzer stresses also importance of rule of non-combatant immunity. Book is easy to read, without difficult terminology and it has many illustrative historical examples. I recommend this book to all who are interested in morality of war.

A classic in its field, 23 Jul 1999
This is an erudite work examining the philosophical subtelties and ethical issues that war evokes. Any one seriously interested in war, applied ethics, political philosophy, and international relations should be familiar with the arguments Walzer uses. The historical examples are standard dilemmas and problems which are useful in class discussions in philosophy as well as history. The only critique I have of the book (which I often use for my own philosophical writing) is that Walzer's ethical examination of war ends with nuclear war--in this I think he is wrong, we should not stop our analysis even with the nightmare scenario of a holocaust, for that is to give the moral hand over to those who would use nuclear arms. The book is challenging and insightful and deserves further reprints.

Excellent analysis of moral issues raised by war, 01 Mar 1999
This book is superb. Among other topics, it considers the morality of initiating armed force, the moral limits on the use of force in wartime, and individual responsibiity for war crimes. The writing is very clear and the use of historical examples brings the philosophical discussion down to earth.

Completely torturous, unreadable, piece of navel gazing garbage, 14 Sep 2008
I cant believe that this book has had a single positive review and am tempted to believe that there something of an "emperor's new clothes" dynamic going on, intellectuals tell you what's hot, you'd like to be an intellectual yourself, therefore you agree.

The writing style is horrendous and convoluted in the extreme, for entire chapters I thought that I must surely be missing the point or lacked the insight being an initiate of some strange mystery school would provide.

The entire idea, from what I can tell, is that consumer society and economy have all sorts of ways of stealing your time, identity etc. and selling it back to you. No matter how much you attempt to develop yourself independently you are, in reality, only working to buy a sembalance of yourself. Everyone's reduced to a spectator and bystander.

Now the problem is that this is easily said, in a single paragraph, and other authors have hit upon this alienating aspect of modern life before but it doesnt deserve an entire book, some of them summed it up in a paragraph.

In addition I would say that its a very weak criticism of consumer culture, society and economy, lots of people are more than content with being relegated to the position of spectator, or so it would seem. The popularity of socialism, for instance, in third world nations for instance has often been premised upon the idea of fast tracking the country to the point that Guy criticises.

The promises, hopes or vision of socialism elsewhere couldnt provide the same allure or attraction compared with the prospect of constructing an identity through consumer choices and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise ruled the day.

To acknowledge my bias I'm not a fan of continental philosophy, classical philosophy, anglo-american philosophers can appear pedantic, repetitive and conservative by contrast but they are not inaccessible or convoluted in their style. It depends what sort of read you want but I think this will prove a disatisfying read to anyone who thinks about it.

society of the spectacular!, 09 Nov 2006
This book - in conjunction with some secondary literature and other NOT RANDOM situ texts - is one of the few which can come to revolutionise your perception ALL THE WAY DOWN. Of course : it is obscure and relies on a familiarity with alot of marxist terminology - but it bares, and demands, repeated readings which demonstrates how these concepts have alot of life in them! If I was to formulate its thesis then today it would be : you are always watching others do things instead of doing something which would exceed the gaze of another watching you. This is the road towards de-reification et al...

Disconcertingly accurate statement of things in general., 07 Nov 2001
Don't let the other reviews put you off, this is a great book, although I've not read this translation. It's nothing as tedious as a critique of consumerism or the like - its a really revolutionary book. The surprise that such a thing can exist tends to disorientate its younger readers for a while.
Get it, read it, resist his tendency to overwhelm you with his impressive grasp of reality, and then go around feeling superior to everybody else while musing on how to overthrow the autonomous rule of our products, preferably in your lifetime. I recommend it.

Personal helicopters, 03 Sep 2001
To put things into perspective, this is a Guy (boom boom to you too, dewd) who reckoned everyone would have their own private helicopter by c. 1980 - prescient, huh?

Still, without TSotS Vaneigem's brilliant Revolution of Everyday Life could never have the resonance it does, so credit where it's due - and GD did invent pyschogeography as a discipline...

A thorough-going deconstruction of modernity, 01 Aug 2000
As trenchant as Foucault and as dogmatic as Wittgenstein, rarely has a work of political or cultural criticism provided such a thorough-going and penetrative exposition of the modern world's formulation of life as commodity. Debord's approach is refreshingly independent of conventional leftist thought, owing little to the positivist teleolgy of Marx of the ruralistic utopianism of Kropotkin. Though not without its faults, especially his sometimes confused and overly 'clever' prose, Debord's work is a true modern classic, a revolutionary text for the consumer age. Far from seeming dated it becomes more relavent with time - witness the growth of surrogate programming (gardening programmes, cooking programmes and 'fly-on-the wall' documentaries) of fabricated experience as commodity. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels bemused by the banality of everyday life.

Helped Me To Exam Success, 08 Oct 2003
The Oxford Concise Political Dictionary is a must have for all those with even the slightest bit of interest in Politics. Having been designed for the use by Undergraduates and those in Politics it has almost everything you could desire in terms of Poltical Jargon and Terminology. I ordered it for my A-Level and it has proved to be an extensive help allowing me to have the extra bit more knowledge than the other books provides and giving me access to the grades that i thought impossible. It provides different ideologies views on the different subjects of politics and even has an appendix at the back full of the Political leaders of Russia, U.K., India, China, NATO and many other countries. This Dictionary with all of it's 1,700 entries has provided me and can provide you with incredibly useful knowledge for the future. I would recommend this book to all those who are either studying Politics at various levels or have jobs in Politics and even if it's just an interest in current affairs i would recommend it. A truly fantastic buy.

Great - a must have for essay writing, 02 Mar 2002
This book was primarily compiled by professors at Warwick University, where I am a student. When I realised this, I thought it was a ploy to get students to give them money. However, since using it, I wouldn't be with out it.

While not every political word is included, it has basic summaries of key concepts as well as more technical explanations. If you are at all uncertain or you're looking for a good definition of a word, this should be your first stop.

If you're a politics student or just curious, this is a cheap book that provides you with a great deal of information.

A brilliant book!, 27 Jun 2005
This is probably one of the most amazing, challenging and beautifully-written books I have ever read in my life (at least in English). Kenneth Minogue has produced an outstanding page-turner. The book covers the essential history of politics and looks at the ways in which it is experienced, construed, challenged and also threatened in our modern society. It is an excellent introduction that every serious student of Politics must read.

However, I think that first year university students, who have little or no knowledge of politics might find the content of this book a bit tricky and confusingly complicated. It thus seems appropriate to rename it from "A Very Short Introduction" to "A Very Short Review".

A Good Introduction to Politics, 19 Mar 2002
As a second year political science student, I considered it to be excellently written, even for people who don't have much idea on politics, and it gives a good insight on what the main theories and ideas that you need to retain on politics. He introduces a good evolution of politics from ancient Rome and Greece to the twentieth century. In all it's a great jargon-free introduction to politics and is very recomended.

Modern Classic of Just War Theory, 15 Jun 2001
This book revived interest to just war theory and created influential debate about moral permissibility of war. Walzer develops his own theory about just war theory. It can be summarized as: War is just when it is fought only as a) self-defence b) in order to create country for a nation under foreign rule c) counter-intervention in order to repeal effect of original foreign intervention d) humanitarian intervention to stop grave an widespread human right violations. Walzer stresses also importance of rule of non-combatant immunity. Book is easy to read, without difficult terminology and it has many illustrative historical examples. I recommend this book to all who are interested in morality of war.

A classic in its field, 23 Jul 1999
This is an erudite work examining the philosophical subtelties and ethical issues that war evokes. Any one seriously interested in war, applied ethics, political philosophy, and international relations should be familiar with the arguments Walzer uses. The historical examples are standard dilemmas and problems which are useful in class discussions in philosophy as well as history. The only critique I have of the book (which I often use for my own philosophical writing) is that Walzer's ethical examination of war ends with nuclear war--in this I think he is wrong, we should not stop our analysis even with the nightmare scenario of a holocaust, for that is to give the moral hand over to those who would use nuclear arms. The book is challenging and insightful and deserves further reprints.

Excellent analysis of moral issues raised by war, 01 Mar 1999
This book is superb. Among other topics, it considers the morality of initiating armed force, the moral limits on the use of force in wartime, and individual responsibiity for war crimes. The writing is very clear and the use of historical examples brings the philosophical discussion down to earth.

Another Heavyweight Exposé, 09 Nov 2006
Truth campaigner Michael C Ruppert throws his hat into the ring with a comprehensive examination of the murky world of American politics and the tragic events of 9/11. Ruppert is a former narcotics investigator, and has used his detective's powers to leave no stone unturned in his quest to discover who was behind the shocking events and why.

As the title of the book implies, he covers the world oil situation in depth, and delivers the stark forecast that the declining supply of oil will drive the powers-that-be in America to ever greater efforts to maintain their global dominance, and not necessarily by legitimate means.

Ruppert expertly covers the by now well-known elements in the scenario of 9/11 - the inexplicable military and governmental inaction, the "insider trading" on Wall Street immediately prior to the events, and so on. One interesting aspect which I hadn't considered previously, is the role of the "PROMIS" computer system - did someone break into it and knock out the Pentagon's defences? The 9/11 Commission is covered in depth - shades of the Warren Commission surely? For example, the mysterious collapse of Building 7 in New York was apparently ignored completely - unbelievable.

Ruppert highlights the pre-9/11 stonewalling and obfuscation that prevented many FBI agents from getting their findings to the top, notably concerning the flight school attendees in Arizona and Florida. This adds to one's suspicions that these people were being "run" by some group or groups within the intelligence agencies, and were being cultivated in their roles as hijackers to fit in with the plot.

No doubt the authorities are hoping that the public will shrug its shoulders and consign 9/11 to history. Michael Ruppert joins his fellow campaigners like Webster Tarpley, Barrie Zwicker, David Ray Griffin and the others, in ensuring that this will never happen.

Ruppert's book comes in at over 600 pages of smallish type - so be warned, it's a heavy read. One criticism for me is the lack of illustration, which adds to the slight feeling of stodginess. Nevertheless, Ruppert is a major player in the burgeoning truth movement. Only time will tell whether his forecasts turn out to be correct, but I've an uneasy feeling that he is very much on the right track.





















Superb Detailed Analysis of World Events + 9/11, 17 Oct 2006
Crossing the Rubicon was one of the first books I read in this subject area, but I've subsequently realised it is the best. Michael Ruppert was someone I found out about when, like many, I tried finding out about the realities of 9/11 and the politics and manoeuvring behind the scenes. I watched one of his lectures delivered at a University in which he covers, at a high level, all the major topics addressed in Crossing the Rubicon.

Rupert uses the massive interest in the attacks of 9/11 to get the reader interested, and then begins on his analysis. The core issues discussed in the book are:

- The role 'Peak Oil' plays in the geopolitical world
- US markets dependence on the 'liquid cash' of drug money
- Links between wall street and CIA - to the point where he concludes 'wallstreet is the CIA, CIA is wallstreet'.
- CIA drug trafficking and money laundering, including details of covert operations and how they were covered up.
- US tactics used to destabilise governments and support coups in strategic areas
- Mike Vreeland - who predicted the 9/11 attacks in details months prior and tried warning the government - something that is officially recorded.
- PROMIS software and the its role in the world of high tech crime.
- Blow-by-Blow analysis of the events of 9/11, and the best timeline I have read to date. Ruppert details the chain of command on the day, other events scheduled for that same day, the role of war games being played out on the day also.
- Biological warfare is looked at, exploring who was behind the 'anthrax' samples spread to people in the US via mail, and a look at the scary world of forced vaccinations and their results
- We end with another look at 'Peak Oil' and predictions about where the 'war on terror', which is really a 'war on oil and drugs', will go next.

This book has been a massive education for me. It is a disturbing book and its details will make readers very uncomfortable and at times just plain angry that such information is not being broadcast to the masses on TV. I cannot say that I checked all the hundreds of references in this book, but the ones I did check out were all credible. Reading this books gives you a much clearer picture of what is really going on in the world today and what are its driving forces
and who are the key players.

Many people are misdirecting their criticism of the 'war on terror' and as a Muslim I know many feel its a war on Islam. After reading this book I can know say confidently 'Its not a war on Islam, as the US need Saudi Arabia as a strong ally to get at Saudi oil, to have them as a key supporter of it Persian gulf area. They are key as approximately $700 billion of Saudi Money is invested in the US economy'. Before reading this book I could not have given, nor would have given that answer.

There are two small things that detract slightly from this book in my view and they are the following:


1. Using 9/11 to get people interested.
Ruppert talks about a lot more than 9/11, but he continually refers to it to keep the readers interest. The same can be seen in his lectures. This is a minor point, but at times it is a bit irritating for the readers who are prepared to wait and do not need to hear 'ok - we are going to get to the juicy part in a few pages!' constantly.


2. Self Importance + Promotion of From the Wilderness Magazine

Ruppert is constantly quoting from his magazine 'From the Wilderness' which is a subscription only publication, and many times he talks about how his predictions were right, how 'From the Wilderness' readers had this information in advance, and there is a lot of self promotion. This, again, is a minor criticism as he is selling products, like all of us he has to make a living etc. It does not detract from the material, but at times it can be frustrating.


Its interesting to note that in the US this book on Amazon has mixed reviews from readers, with some angrily opposed to its content. In the UK based Amazon reviews its has 100% 5-star record. The reason is simple - the book paints a very negative picture of the US government, and its foreign policy, and for some this is just too much to deal with. Denial is then the only path to avoid massive guilt for Americans who support - or have supported - the current administration.

To conclude this book is a must read for everyone. Its 600 pages, so that will immediately limit its appeal, but its the most rewarding political book I have read to date. Its analysis fits world events and it opens the readers eyes to the real issues in the world today.

I recommend anyone considering this book should buy it read it right till the end - as there are some special bits of information saved till the very last chapter.

The causes and consequences of 9/11, 04 Oct 2006
I first read this book not long after it came out; several years on, I thought it deserved another look. My old review has now been deleted.

Michael C. Ruppert (publisher of the now-terminated From the Wilderness) has written, in Crossing the Rubicon, an in-depth analysis of the probable causes for both 9/11 and the ensuing invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

He reasons, with much evidence and justification, that world oil production will peak within a decade or two, a concept that has become known as Peak Oil (even mentioned in The West Wing episode entitled, "Hubbert Peak"). This awareness by the United State's planners, led to an obvious military scramble for most of the world's remaining supplies and their pipeline routes, ensuring that oil reserves will be in the hands of the population that counts, as seen from an elite U.S. perspective. The terrorist attack of 9/11, according to Ruppert, was engineered by some of the same U.S. planners, or at least those who had access to that intelligence and shared the same opinions.

This is obviously highly incendiary material. However, Ruppert's sources are often drawn from quite mainstream material, including the national press.

Ruppert's book is divided into a prosecutor's means, motive and opportunity and the quality of the various chapters varies widely. The first part of the book is generally very good (Motive) and the first chapter on Peak Oil is particularly excellent - indeed, this was the first book that really opened my eyes to this most urgent of issues. For helping to bring this subject to much needed public attention, Ruppert is to be congratulated. However, section two - Means - is erratic and quite poor in many places. The chapter on PROMIS software is confused and badly written; it is rather difficult to fathom what Ruppert's point actually is and the evidence he produces is vague. Another section on Delmart "Mike" Vreeland, is not worth the time or space he devotes to the subject, an interesting character though he is. Ruppert's rambling and incoherent style continues into Part Three - Opportunity - unnecessarily lengthy sections on the From the Wilderness reporters 'bravely' confronting Congress and the 9/11 Independent Commission, pages and pages on descriptions of Pentagon Wargames, the TRIPOD II scenario and so forth. Interesting but again, not worth the amount of space he devotes to it.

Essentially, there is some excellent material in Crossing the Rubicon but this is buried in amongst some bad and incoherent writing. Perhaps this is the editor's fault, as the book could be vastly improved with some judicious editing.

Other sections in the book include the by now, well documented relationship betwixt the Central Intelligence Agency and the international drug supply, how the Taleban eradicated approximately 95% of the heroin crop in Afghanistan and the impact this had on the CIA/Wall Street's profits, intelligence penetration of Al Qaeda and many others.

Crossing the Rubicon is, in places, a fascinating read for getting behind the headlines and the day-to-day gossip that passes for political analysis; the intention of the author Mike Ruppert was to provide a roadmap for comprehending the driving forces behind current events so as to correctly interpret forthcoming events. Whether it has succeeded in that is a judgement for other reviewers but the book certainly demands to be read. For assembling many of the controversial facts into one publication and putting them into the public domain, Michael Ruppert has at least to be congratulated. Read and make your own mind up.

Fascinating survey of US politics, 27 Jan 2006
This thought-provoking book by an independent American investigator gives us some useful snapshots of the US economy in the era of capitalism’s decline.

Capitalism now depends on the $1.5 trillion a year profits from organised crime, laundered via big business complicity and political laissez faire. The drug trade alone generates $700 billion a year in cash, largely from heroin (70% from Afghanistan, after US forces let the opium warlords out of Taliban prisons in November 2001). Drug traffickers were pioneers of globalization.

Capitalists are looting everything: industry, jobs, pensions, education, health, Iraq and Russia - from 1997 to the end of 1998 Russia’s GDP fell by two-thirds while $500 billion was looted out of Russia, cutting its population from 160 million in 1991 to 145 million in 2001.

Ruppert then turns to look at the US ruling class’s efforts to save itself by seizing the world’s oil. In 1997 ex-Secretary of State Zbigniew Brzezinski said that the USA needed ‘a new Pearl Harbor’ so that it could secure oil across the world.

Ruppert shows how Bush permitted, if not connived at, the 9/11 crime. This is not new: in 1962, the US Chiefs of Staff drew up Operation Northwoods, a plot to stage a terrorist attack in the USA and blame it on Cuba. Also, the US state, through the CIA, has trained and used thugs like Noriega, Saddam Hussein, the Kosovo Liberation Army, the Chechen rebels and Osama bin Laden to start wars or provide pretexts for them.

In June 2001, Bush put Vice-President Dick Cheney in charge of all planning for a terrorist attack. Then the French, German and Russian intelligence agencies all warned Bush that Al Qaeda intended to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center in the week of 9 September 2001. Ruppert shows how the US government managed to fail to arrest the hijackers, and how its actions before and during 9/11 enabled the crimes to be accomplished.

War is the most profitable business, 27 Nov 2005
In this book, Michael C. Ruppert attempts to find the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks. For him, the prime suspects are a group of people operating within certain government agencies, including the White House, for the benefit of major financial US and foreign interests. The only possible thread is the intelligence community.

This book is more or less a compilation of the author's contributions to the internet site 'From the Wilderness'. It lacks the solid structure of the works of N.M. Ahmed and M. Chossudovsky, on which it heavily draws. The style is rather egocentric (a lot of 'I's).

Nevertheless, it throws a shrill light on some major aspects of the framework wherein the 9/11 attacks took place.
Clearly exposed are the links between the CIA, Wall Street and 9/11, through the heavy buying of put options on airline shares before the attacks (2.5 M$ profits on one bet were not claimed!).
He shows also clearly that there was sabotage within the US intelligence services and that those services had infiltrated Al-Qaeda. More, US government services shielded the hijackers from being arrested. Still more baffling is the fact that a third tower in New York collapsed without being hit!
A very murky affair is the organization of 'wargames' on 9/11 apparently in order to paralyse information channels. There is also the Cleveland mystery: the landing of two unidentified planes. Still more outlandish are the claims that some of the alleged hijackers are still alive or that the planes flew under remote ground control.

The paramount question is: cui bono? After the 9/11 attacks the US defense budget was raised by 48.1 billion $. Indeed, war is the most profitable business.

For the author, the US government crossed the Rubicon after 9/11. From a republic, the US became an empire, a hegemon.
In order to defend its national security, the empire now can make preemptive strikes (war is peace) and create artificial terrorist activities in order to stimulate reactions which could serve as a pretext to invade other countries.
The Total Information Awareness asks the whole population to become spies (Big Brother in the nth degree), while the Patriot Act undermines general civil liberties.

On the economic front, the author stresses the importance of oil and 1.3 billion Chinese consumers.

However, he sometimes formulates extremely important issues without developping them. One example: the policy that 'the world population must be reduced by as much as 4 billion people is secretly accepted and is being acted upon by world leaders.'
Nevertheless, this book is a goldmine for those who want to understand the 9/11 massacre. Michael C. Ruppert poses at the end the right questions: who are we really? And why are we here?

A must read.

Completely torturous, unreadable, piece of navel gazing garbage, 14 Sep 2008
I cant believe that this book has had a single positive review and am tempted to believe that there something of an "emperor's new clothes" dynamic going on, intellectuals tell you what's hot, you'd like to be an intellectual yourself, therefore you agree.

The writing style is horrendous and convoluted in the extreme, for entire chapters I thought that I must surely be missing the point or lacked the insight being an initiate of some strange mystery school would provide.

The entire idea, from what I can tell, is that consumer society and economy have all sorts of ways of stealing your time, identity etc. and selling it back to you. No matter how much you attempt to develop yourself independently you are, in reality, only working to buy a sembalance of yourself. Everyone's reduced to a spectator and bystander.

Now the problem is that this is easily said, in a single paragraph, and other authors have hit upon this alienating aspect of modern life before but it doesnt deserve an entire book, some of them summed it up in a paragraph.

In addition I would say that its a very weak criticism of consumer culture, society and economy, lots of people are more than content with being relegated to the position of spectator, or so it would seem. The popularity of socialism, for instance, in third world nations for instance has often been premised upon the idea of fast tracking the country to the point that Guy criticises.

The promises, hopes or vision of socialism elsewhere couldnt provide the same allure or attraction compared with the prospect of constructing an identity through consumer choices and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise ruled the day.

To acknowledge my bias I'm not a fan of continental philosophy, classical philosophy, anglo-american philosophers can appear pedantic, repetitive and conservative by contrast but they are not inaccessible or convoluted in their style. It depends what sort of read you want but I think this will prove a disatisfying read to anyone who thinks about it.

society of the spectacular!, 09 Nov 2006
This book - in conjunction with some secondary literature and other NOT RANDOM situ texts - is one of the few which can come to revolutionise your perception ALL THE WAY DOWN. Of course : it is obscure and relies on a familiarity with alot of marxist terminology - but it bares, and demands, repeated readings which demonstrates how these concepts have alot of life in them! If I was to formulate its thesis then today it would be : you are always watching others do things instead of doing something which would exceed the gaze of another watching you. This is the road towards de-reification et al...

Disconcertingly accurate statement of things in general., 07 Nov 2001
Don't let the other reviews put you off, this is a great book, although I've not read this translation. It's nothing as tedious as a critique of consumerism or the like - its a really revolutionary book. The surprise that such a thing can exist tends to disorientate its younger readers for a while.
Get it, read it, resist his tendency to overwhelm you with his impressive grasp of reality, and then go around feeling superior to everybody else while musing on how to overthrow the autonomous rule of our products, preferably in your lifetime. I recommend it.

Personal helicopters, 03 Sep 2001
To put things into perspective, this is a Guy (boom boom to you too, dewd) who reckoned everyone would have their own private helicopter by c. 1980 - prescient, huh?

Still, without TSotS Vaneigem's brilliant Revolution of Everyday Life could never have the resonance it does, so credit where it's due - and GD did invent pyschogeography as a discipline...

A thorough-going deconstruction of modernity, 01 Aug 2000
As trenchant as Foucault and as dogmatic as Wittgenstein, rarely has a work of political or cultural criticism provided such a thorough-going and penetrative exposition of the modern world's formulation of life as commodity. Debord's approach is refreshingly independent of conventional leftist thought, owing little to the positivist teleolgy of Marx of the ruralistic utopianism of Kropotkin. Though not without its faults, especially his sometimes confused and overly 'clever' prose, Debord's work is a true modern classic, a revolutionary text for the consumer age. Far from seeming dated it becomes more relavent with time - witness the growth of surrogate programming (gardening programmes, cooking programmes and 'fly-on-the wall' documentaries) of fabricated experience as commodity. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels bemused by the banality of everyday life.

Helped Me To Exam Success, 08 Oct 2003
The Oxford Concise Political Dictionary is a must have for all those with even the slightest bit of interest in Politics. Having been designed for the use by Undergraduates and those in Politics it has almost everything you could desire in terms of Poltical Jargon and Terminology. I ordered it for my A-Level and it has proved to be an extensive help allowing me to have the extra bit more knowledge than the other books provides and giving me access to the grades that i thought impossible. It provides different ideologies views on the different subjects of politics and even has an appendix at the back full of the Political leaders of Russia, U.K., India, China, NATO and many other countries. This Dictionary with all of it's 1,700 entries has provided me and can provide you with incredibly useful knowledge for the future. I would recommend this book to all those who are either studying Politics at various levels or have jobs in Politics and even if it's just an interest in current affairs i would recommend it. A truly fantastic buy.

Great - a must have for essay writing, 02 Mar 2002
This book was primarily compiled by professors at Warwick University, where I am a student. When I realised this, I thought it was a ploy to get students to give them money. However, since using it, I wouldn't be with out it.

While not every political word is included, it has basic summaries of key concepts as well as more technical explanations. If you are at all uncertain or you're looking for a good definition of a word, this should be your first stop.

If you're a politics student or just curious, this is a cheap book that provides you with a great deal of information.

A brilliant book!, 27 Jun 2005
This is probably one of the most amazing, challenging and beautifully-written books I have ever read in my life (at least in English). Kenneth Minogue has produced an outstanding page-turner. The book covers the essential history of politics and looks at the ways in which it is experienced, construed, challenged and also threatened in our modern society. It is an excellent introduction that every serious student of Politics must read.

However, I think that first year university students, who have little or no knowledge of politics might find the content of this book a bit tricky and confusingly complicated. It thus seems appropriate to rename it from "A Very Short Introduction" to "A Very Short Review".

A Good Introduction to Politics, 19 Mar 2002
As a second year political science student, I considered it to be excellently written, even for people who don't have much idea on politics, and it gives a good insight on what the main theories and ideas that you need to retain on politics. He introduces a good evolution of politics from ancient Rome and Greece to the twentieth century. In all it's a great jargon-free introduction to politics and is very recomended.

Modern Classic of Just War Theory, 15 Jun 2001
This book revived interest to just war theory and created influential debate about moral permissibility of war. Walzer develops his own theory about just war theory. It can be summarized as: War is just when it is fought only as a) self-defence b) in order to create country for a nation under foreign rule c) counter-intervention in order to repeal effect of original foreign intervention d) humanitarian intervention to stop grave an widespread human right violations. Walzer stresses also importance of rule of non-combatant immunity. Book is easy to read, without difficult terminology and it has many illustrative historical examples. I recommend this book to all who are interested in morality of war.

A classic in its field, 23 Jul 1999
This is an erudite work examining the philosophical subtelties and ethical issues that war evokes. Any one seriously interested in war, applied ethics, political philosophy, and international relations should be familiar with the arguments Walzer uses. The historical examples are standard dilemmas and problems which are useful in class discussions in philosophy as well as history. The only critique I have of the book (which I often use for my own philosophical writing) is that Walzer's ethical examination of war ends with nuclear war--in this I think he is wrong, we should not stop our analysis even with the nightmare scenario of a holocaust, for that is to give the moral hand over to those who would use nuclear arms. The book is challenging and insightful and deserves further reprints.

Excellent analysis of moral issues raised by war, 01 Mar 1999
This book is superb. Among other topics, it considers the morality of initiating armed force, the moral limits on the use of force in wartime, and individual responsibiity for war crimes. The writing is very clear and the use of historical examples brings the philosophical discussion down to earth.

Another Heavyweight Exposé, 09 Nov 2006
Truth campaigner Michael C Ruppert throws his hat into the ring with a comprehensive examination of the murky world of American politics and the tragic events of 9/11. Ruppert is a former narcotics investigator, and has used his detective's powers to leave no stone unturned in his quest to discover who was behind the shocking events and why.

As the title of the book implies, he covers the world oil situation in depth, and delivers the stark forecast that the declining supply of oil will drive the powers-that-be in America to ever greater efforts to maintain their global dominance, and not necessarily by legitimate means.

Ruppert expertly covers the by now well-known elements in the scenario of 9/11 - the inexplicable military and governmental inaction, the "insider trading" on Wall Street immediately prior to the events, and so on. One interesting aspect which I hadn't considered previously, is the role of the "PROMIS" computer system - did someone break into it and knock out the Pentagon's defences? The 9/11 Commission is covered in depth - shades of the Warren Commission surely? For example, the mysterious collapse of Building 7 in New York was apparently ignored completely - unbelievable.

Ruppert highlights the pre-9/11 stonewalling and obfuscation that prevented many FBI agents from getting their findings to the top, notably concerning the flight school attendees in Arizona and Florida. This adds to one's suspicions that these people were being "run" by some group or groups within the intelligence agencies, and were being cultivated in their roles as hijackers to fit in with the plot.

No doubt the authorities are hoping that the public will shrug its shoulders and consign 9/11 to history. Michael Ruppert joins his fellow campaigners like Webster Tarpley, Barrie Zwicker, David Ray Griffin and the others, in ensuring that this will never happen.

Ruppert's book comes in at over 600 pages of smallish type - so be warned, it's a heavy read. One criticism for me is the lack of illustration, which adds to the slight feeling of stodginess. Nevertheless, Ruppert is a major player in the burgeoning truth movement. Only time will tell whether his forecasts turn out to be correct, but I've an uneasy feeling that he is very much on the right track.





















Superb Detailed Analysis of World Events + 9/11, 17 Oct 2006
Crossing the Rubicon was one of the first books I read in this subject area, but I've subsequently realised it is the best. Michael Ruppert was someone I found out about when, like many, I tried finding out about the realities of 9/11 and the politics and manoeuvring behind the scenes. I watched one of his lectures delivered at a University in which he covers, at a high level, all the major topics addressed in Crossing the Rubicon.

Rupert uses the massive interest in the attacks of 9/11 to get the reader interested, and then begins on his analysis. The core issues discussed in the book are:

- The role 'Peak Oil' plays in the geopolitical world
- US markets dependence on the 'liquid cash' of drug money
- Links between wall street and CIA - to the point where he concludes 'wallstreet is the CIA, CIA is wallstreet'.
- CIA drug trafficking and money laundering, including details of covert operations and how they were covered up.
- US tactics used to destabilise governments and support coups in strategic areas
- Mike Vreeland - who predicted the 9/11 attacks in details months prior and tried warning the government - something that is officially recorded.
- PROMIS software and the its role in the world of high tech crime.
- Blow-by-Blow analysis of the events of 9/11, and the best timeline I have read to date. Ruppert details the chain of command on the day, other events scheduled for that same day, the role of war games being played out on the day also.
- Biological warfare is looked at, exploring who was behind the 'anthrax' samples spread to people in the US via mail, and a look at the scary world of forced vaccinations and their results
- We end with another look at 'Peak Oil' and predictions about where the 'war on terror', which is really a 'war on oil and drugs', will go next.

This book has been a massive education for me. It is a disturbing book and its details will make readers very uncomfortable and at times just plain angry that such information is not being broadcast to the masses on TV. I cannot say that I checked all the hundreds of references in this book, but the ones I did check out were all credible. Reading this books gives you a much clearer picture of what is really going on in the world today and what are its driving forces
and who are the key players.

Many people are misdirecting their criticism of the 'war on terror' and as a Muslim I know many feel its a war on Islam. After reading this book I can know say confidently 'Its not a war on Islam, as the US need Saudi Arabia as a strong ally to get at Saudi oil, to have them as a key supporter of it Persian gulf area. They are key as approximately $700 billion of Saudi Money is invested in the US economy'. Before reading this book I could not have given, nor would have given that answer.

There are two small things that detract slightly from this book in my view and they are the following:


1. Using 9/11 to get people interested.
Ruppert talks about a lot more than 9/11, but he continually refers to it to keep the readers interest. The same can be seen in his lectures. This is a minor point, but at times it is a bit irritating for the readers who are prepared to wait and do not need to hear 'ok - we are going to get to the juicy part in a few pages!' constantly.


2. Self Importance + Promotion of From the Wilderness Magazine

Ruppert is constantly quoting from his magazine 'From the Wilderness' which is a subscription only publication, and many times he talks about how his predictions were right, how 'From the Wilderness' readers had this information in advance, and there is a lot of self promotion. This, again, is a minor criticism as he is selling products, like all of us he has to make a living etc. It does not detract from the material, but at times it can be frustrating.


Its interesting to note that in the US this book on Amazon has mixed reviews from readers, with some angrily opposed to its content. In the UK based Amazon reviews its has 100% 5-star record. The reason is simple - the book paints a very negative picture of the US government, and its foreign policy, and for some this is just too much to deal with. Denial is then the only path to avoid massive guilt for Americans who support - or have supported - the current administration.

To conclude this book is a must read for everyone. Its 600 pages, so that will immediately limit its appeal, but its the most rewarding political book I have read to date. Its analysis fits world events and it opens the readers eyes to the real issues in the world today.

I recommend anyone considering this book should buy it read it right till the end - as there are some special bits of information saved till the very last chapter.

The causes and consequences of 9/11, 04 Oct 2006
I first read this book not long after it came out; several years on, I thought it deserved another look. My old review has now been deleted.

Michael C. Ruppert (publisher of the now-terminated From the Wilderness) has written, in Crossing the Rubicon, an in-depth analysis of the probable causes for both 9/11 and the ensuing invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

He reasons, with much evidence and justification, that world oil production will peak within a decade or two, a concept that has become known as Peak Oil (even mentioned in The West Wing episode entitled, "Hubbert Peak"). This awareness by the United State's planners, led to an obvious military scramble for most of the world's remaining supplies and their pipeline routes, ensuring that oil reserves will be in the hands of the population that counts, as seen from an elite U.S. perspective. The terrorist attack of 9/11, according to Ruppert, was engineered by some of the same U.S. planners, or at least those who had access to that intelligence and shared the same opinions.

This is obviously highly incendiary material. However, Ruppert's sources are often drawn from quite mainstream material, including the national press.

Ruppert's book is divided into a prosecutor's means, motive and opportunity and the quality of the various chapters varies widely. The first part of the book is generally very good (Motive) and the first chapter on Peak Oil is particularly excellent - indeed, this was the first book that really opened my eyes to this most urgent of issues. For helping to bring this subject to much needed public attention, Ruppert is to be congratulated. However, section two - Means - is erratic and quite poor in many places. The chapter on PROMIS software is confused and badly written; it is rather difficult to fathom what Ruppert's point actually is and the evidence he produces is vague. Another section on Delmart "Mike" Vreeland, is not worth the time or space he devotes to the subject, an interesting character though he is. Ruppert's rambling and incoherent style continues into Part Three - Opportunity - unnecessarily lengthy sections on the From the Wilderness reporters 'bravely' confronting Congress and the 9/11 Independent Commission, pages and pages on descriptions of Pentagon Wargames, the TRIPOD II scenario and so forth. Interesting but again, not worth the amount of space he devotes to it.

Essentially, there is some excellent material in Crossing the Rubicon but this is buried in amongst some bad and incoherent writing. Perhaps this is the editor's fault, as the book could be vastly improved with some judicious editing.

Other sections in the book include the by now, well documented relationship betwixt the Central Intelligence Agency and the international drug supply, how the Taleban eradicated approximately 95% of the heroin crop in Afghanistan and the impact this had on the CIA/Wall Street's profits, intelligence penetration of Al Qaeda and many others.

Crossing the Rubicon is, in places, a fascinating read for getting behind the headlines and the day-to-day gossip that passes for political analysis; the intention of the author Mike Ruppert was to provide a roadmap for comprehending the driving forces behind current events so as to correctly interpret forthcoming events. Whether it has succeeded in that is a judgement for other reviewers but the book certainly demands to be read. For assembling many of the controversial facts into one publication and putting them into the public domain, Michael Ruppert has at least to be congratulated. Read and make your own mind up.

Fascinating survey of US politics, 27 Jan 2006
This thought-provoking book by an independent American investigator gives us some useful snapshots of the US economy in the era of capitalism’s decline.

Capitalism now depends on the $1.5 trillion a year profits from organised crime, laundered via big business complicity and political laissez faire. The drug trade alone generates $700 billion a year in cash, largely from heroin (70% from Afghanistan, after US forces let the opium warlords out of Taliban prisons in November 2001). Drug traffickers were pioneers of globalization.

Capitalists are looting everything: industry, jobs, pensions, education, health, Iraq and Russia - from 1997 to the end of 1998 Russia’s GDP fell by two-thirds while $500 billion was looted out of Russia, cutting its population from 160 million in 1991 to 145 million in 2001.

Ruppert then turns to look at the US ruling class’s efforts to save itself by seizing the world’s oil. In 1997 ex-Secretary of State Zbigniew Brzezinski said that the USA needed ‘a new Pearl Harbor’ so that it could secure oil across the world.

Ruppert shows how Bush permitted, if not connived at, the 9/11 crime. This is not new: in 1962, the US Chiefs of Staff drew up Operation Northwoods, a plot to stage a terrorist attack in the USA and blame it on Cuba. Also, the US state, through the CIA, has trained and used thugs like Noriega, Saddam Hussein, the Kosovo Liberation Army, the Chechen rebels and Osama bin Laden to start wars or provide pretexts for them.

In June 2001, Bush put Vice-President Dick Cheney in charge of all planning for a terrorist attack. Then the French, German and Russian intelligence agencies all warned Bush that Al Qaeda intended to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center in the week of 9 September 2001. Ruppert shows how the US government managed to fail to arrest the hijackers, and how its actions before and during 9/11 enabled the crimes to be accomplished.

War is the most profitable business, 27 Nov 2005
In this book, Michael C. Ruppert attempts to find the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks. For him, the prime suspects are a group of people operating within certain government agencies, including the White House, for the benefit of major financial US and foreign interests. The only possible thread is the intelligence community.

This book is more or less a compilation of the author's contributions to the internet site 'From the Wilderness'. It lacks the solid structure of the works of N.M. Ahmed and M. Chossudovsky, on which it heavily draws. The style is rather egocentric (a lot of 'I's).

Nevertheless, it throws a shrill light on some major aspects of the framework wherein the 9/11 attacks took place.
Clearly exposed are the links between the CIA, Wall Street and 9/11, through the heavy buying of put options on airline shares before the attacks (2.5 M$ profits on one bet were not claimed!).
He shows also clearly that there was sabotage within the US intelligence services and that those services had infiltrated Al-Qaeda. More, US government services shielded the hijackers from being arrested. Still more baffling is the fact that a third tower in New York collapsed without being hit!
A very murky affair is the organization of 'wargames' on 9/11 apparently in order to paralyse information channels. There is also the Cleveland mystery: the landing of two unidentified planes. Still more outlandish are the claims that some of the alleged hijackers are still alive or that the planes flew under remote ground control.

The paramount question is: cui bono? After the 9/11 attacks the US defense budget was raised by 48.1 billion $. Indeed, war is the most profitable business.

For the author, the US government crossed the Rubicon after 9/11. From a republic, the US became an empire, a hegemon.
In order to defend its national security, the empire now can make preemptive strikes (war is peace) and create artificial terrorist activities in order to stimulate reactions which could serve as a pretext to invade other countries.
The Total Information Awareness asks the whole population to become spies (Big Brother in the nth degree), while the Patriot Act undermines general civil liberties.

On the economic front, the author stresses the importance of oil and 1.3 billion Chinese consumers.

However, he sometimes formulates extremely important issues without developping them. One example: the policy that 'the world population must be reduced by as much as 4 billion people is secretly accepted and is being acted upon by world leaders.'
Nevertheless, this book is a goldmine for those who want to understand the 9/11 massacre. Michael C. Ruppert poses at the end the right questions: who are we really? And why are we here?

A must read.

A course essential, 12 Apr 2001
If you are studying any politics related subject I highly recommend this book. It seems to cover simply everything you will. It was incredibly valuable during my degree and masters study. The issues it covers are presented clearly and concisely so a previously indecipherable topic can suddenly appear crystal clear. It really is superb. It is also very useful for Philosophy students and to a lesser degree Economics.

Completely torturous, unreadable, piece of navel gazing garbage, 14 Sep 2008
I cant believe that this book has had a single positive review and am tempted to believe that there something of an "emperor's new clothes" dynamic going on, intellectuals tell you what's hot, you'd like to be an intellectual yourself, therefore you agree.

The writing style is horrendous and convoluted in the extreme, for entire chapters I thought that I must surely be missing the point or lacked the insight being an initiate of some strange mystery school would provide.

The entire idea, from what I can tell, is that consumer society and economy have all sorts of ways of stealing your time, identity etc. and selling it back to you. No matter how much you attempt to develop yourself independently you are, in reality, only working to buy a sembalance of yourself. Everyone's reduced to a spectator and bystander.

Now the problem is that this is easily said, in a single paragraph, and other authors have hit upon this alienating aspect of modern life before but it doesnt deserve an entire book, some of them summed it up in a paragraph.

In addition I would say that its a very weak criticism of consumer culture, society and economy, lots of people are more than content with being relegated to the position of spectator, or so it would seem. The popularity of socialism, for instance, in third world nations for instance has often been premised upon the idea of fast tracking the country to the point that Guy criticises.

The promises, hopes or vision of socialism elsewhere couldnt provide the same allure or attraction compared with the prospect of constructing an identity through consumer choices and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise ruled the day.

To acknowledge my bias I'm not a fan of continental philosophy, classical philosophy, anglo-american philosophers can appear pedantic, repetitive and conservative by contrast but they are not inaccessible or convoluted in their style. It depends what sort of read you want but I think this will prove a disatisfying read to anyone who thinks about it.

society of the spectacular!, 09 Nov 2006
This book - in conjunction with some secondary literature and other NOT RANDOM situ texts - is one of the few which can come to revolutionise your perception ALL THE WAY DOWN. Of course : it is obscure and relies on a familiarity with alot of marxist terminology - but it bares, and demands, repeated readings which demonstrates how these concepts have alot of life in them! If I was to formulate its thesis then today it would be : you are always watching others do things instead of doing something which would exceed the gaze of another watching you. This is the road towards de-reification et al...

Disconcertingly accurate statement of things in general., 07 Nov 2001
Don't let the other reviews put you off, this is a great book, although I've not read this translation. It's nothing as tedious as a critique of consumerism or the like - its a really revolutionary book. The surprise that such a thing can exist tends to disorientate its younger readers for a while.
Get it, read it, resist his tendency to overwhelm you with his impressive grasp of reality, and then go around feeling superior to everybody else while musing on how to overthrow the autonomous rule of our products, preferably in your lifetime. I recommend it.

Personal helicopters, 03 Sep 2001
To put things into perspective, this is a Guy (boom boom to you too, dewd) who reckoned everyone would have their own private helicopter by c. 1980 - prescient, huh?

Still, without TSotS Vaneigem's brilliant Revolution of Everyday Life could never have the resonance it does, so credit where it's due - and GD did invent pyschogeography as a discipline...

A thorough-going deconstruction of modernity, 01 Aug 2000
As trenchant as Foucault and as dogmatic as Wittgenstein, rarely has a work of political or cultural criticism provided such a thorough-going and penetrative exposition of the modern world's formulation of life as commodity. Debord's approach is refreshingly independent of conventional leftist thought, owing little to the positivist teleolgy of Marx of the ruralistic utopianism of Kropotkin. Though not without its faults, especially his sometimes confused and overly 'clever' prose, Debord's work is a true modern classic, a revolutionary text for the consumer age. Far from seeming dated it becomes more relavent with time - witness the growth of surrogate programming (gardening programmes, cooking programmes and 'fly-on-the wall' documentaries) of fabricated experience as commodity. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels bemused by the banality of everyday life.

Helped Me To Exam Success, 08 Oct 2003
The Oxford Concise Political Dictionary is a must have for all those with even the slightest bit of interest in Politics. Having been designed for the use by Undergraduates and those in Politics it has almost everything you could desire in terms of Poltical Jargon and Terminology. I ordered it for my A-Level and it has proved to be an extensive help allowing me to have the extra bit more knowledge than the other books provides and giving me access to the grades that i thought impossible. It provides different ideologies views on the different subjects of politics and even has an appendix at the back full of the Political leaders of Russia, U.K., India, China, NATO and many other countries. This Dictionary with all of it's 1,700 entries has provided me and can provide you with incredibly useful knowledge for the future. I would recommend this book to all those who are eith