Dirty Wars

The World Is a Battlefield

By: Jeremy Scahill

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 24 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

In this groundbreaking book of new reportage, sure to stir a global debate, journalist Jeremy Scahill - author of the acclaimed international best seller Blackwater - takes us into the heart of the War on Terror’s most dangerous battlefields as he chases down the most important foreign-policy story of our time.

From Afghanistan and Pakistan to Yemen, Somalia, and beyond, Scahill speaks to the CIA agents, mercenaries, and elite Special Operations Forces operators who populate the dark side of American war-fighting. He goes deep into al Qaeda-held territory in Yemen and walks the streets of Mogadishu with CIA-backed warlords. We also meet the survivors of US night raids and drone strikes - including families of US citizens targeted for assassination by their own government - who reveal the human consequences of the dirty wars the United States struggles to keep hidden.

Written in a gripping, action-packed narrative nonfiction style, Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield reveals that, despite his pledge to bring accountability to US wars and to end Bush-era abuses, President Barack Obama has kept in place many of the most dangerous and secret programs that thrived under his predecessor. In stunning detail, Scahill exposes how Obama has escalated these secret US wars and has built up an elite secret US military unit that answers to no one but the president himself. Scahill reveals the existence of previously unreported secret prisons, kidnappings, assassinations, and cover-ups of covert operations gone terribly wrong.

In this remarkable story from the frontlines of the undeclared battlefields of the War on Terror, journalist Jeremy Scahill documents the new paradigm of American war: fought far from any declared battlefield, by units that do not officially exist, in thousands of operations a month that are never publicly acknowledged.

The devastating picture that emerges in Dirty Wars is of a secret US killing machine that has grown more powerful than whatever president happens to reside in the White House. Scahill argues that far from keeping the United States - and the world - safe from terrorism, these covert American wars ensure that the terror will grow and spread.

©2013 Jeremy Scahill (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Dirty Wars is the most thorough and authoritative history I’ve read yet of the causes and consequences of America’s post-9/11 conflation of war and national security. I know of no other journalist who could have written it: for over a decade, Scahill has visited the war zones, overt and covert; interviewed the soldiers, spooks, jihadists, and victims; and seen with his own eyes the fruits of America’s bipartisan war fever. He risked his life many times over to write this book, and the result is a masterpiece of insight, journalism, and true patriotism.”—Barry Eisler, New York Times bestselling author

“There is no journalist in America who has exposed the truth about US government militarism more bravely, more relentlessly, and more valuably than Jeremy Scahill. Dirty Wars is highly gripping and dramatic, and of unparalleled importance in understanding the destruction being sown in our name.”—Glenn Greenwald, New York Times bestselling author and Guardian columnist

“A surefire hit for fans of Blackwater and studded with intriguing, occasionally damning material.”—Kirkus Reviews

Great content but poor flow

Although this book has incredible detail and great content, the book lacks good flow. Sometimes it feels a bit disorganized, it goes on long strides about a subject and then brings you back to an older one. I feel like the editor did not get enough time to properly polish this book.

Anyways, I still enjoyed the content very much!

Best book on the war on terror available

Where does Dirty Wars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

On the informative side, it was one of the best ever. VERY well researched, professionally written and non-political. The writer presents in depth knowledge and primary source research in a manner that is easy to understand and follow.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Non-fiction work

Have you listened to any of Tom Weiner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Good

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The war on terror transcends political parties, presidents and common understanding.

Any additional comments?

Do not let the length of the work hold you back, the content is spread out enough to provide information throughout.

A sobering report from the field

Put this book on your to-do.

Scahill's book on covert US (and allies) military and intelligence actions across the planet reads like an intelligence report. It presents evidence where it is known and presents multiple possibilities-including their sources-where only speculation is known allowing the reader to perform their own research and come to their own conclusions. It does not play politics; it does not play favorites. No matter where one stands on US covert action executed in the vein or name of anti-terror, I highly recommend every US citizen read this book as an introduction to the decisions being made and the raging war our military forces and intelligence agencies are being asked to wage on our behalf.

Amazon Audible is a Rippoff

Would you try another book from Jeremy Scahill and/or Tom Weiner?

I love Jeremy Schill's books, Unfortunately I was not able to read this one and wasted my money trusting Amazon. I foolishly bought a Kindle book for 9.50 and then the audio book for 3.99. It's the first time I have ever bought a book that wasn't made out of paper. I did so because I live in Japan and didn't want to wait for shipping or pay for it. Silly me, thought I could just download the book and read it. I didn't know that Kindle was a machine you had to buy. I also didn't know after you buy an audio book you also have to then buy a membership too or you wont have the password to start the book. Anyway I have "Dirty Wars" but I can't read it however if you have a membership to audible on amazon or if you own a Kindle Screw Amazon I will never ever use them again for purchasing. Kindle is my fault for being out of the loop though audible did say listen on your desktop as an option for the audible and that was pure BS you have to get a membership too and that was not mentioned until afterwards.

Incredible

Incredible investigative journalism and writing by Jeremy Scahill. This is a must for anyone who wants to know about events leading up to, and following 9/11. It is disturbing what we have done in the name of War on Terror.

This is What Real Journalism is About

I had many gutt feelings about the players involved in this terrible never-ending ongoing saga of war and terrorism. I believe the author to be impartial in his reporting. I have been proved correct in my thinking about key American figures, and our big
part in creating further instability in the Middle East. I'd rather be wrong, but we cannot go back and change our choices.
Learning from our bad choices and grievous mistakes would be nice. If only!

Awesome

Excellent synopsis of the last decade of the wars on Islam territories. I suggest reading this if world war is of interest to you.

Good book but not his best.

There are some really great stories in here. but it was very wordy .

USA: Still the Same Country as Before

Answer: Kill them, unless you can torture them first. What was the question?

If you're looking for the country that ruthlessly eliminated indigenous peoples, tried to annex Canada in 1812, then annexed Texas from Mexico, then invaded Mexico, occupying Mexico City hoping to seize the continent by divine mandate, who invaded and conquered Hawaii, who then went after territories around the planet--you'll find she's alive and kicking, stomping and shooting.

This amply researched work reveals the dark side that so many pretend is not there or know is there but imagine there's nothing wrong with bellicose imperialism.

If this book won't provide a stroke of conscience, nothing will.

JSOC

I thought this would be a good story about the possible unlawful use of force by the American military in other countries and, to a large degree, it was. But, in telling the story, the author also provided an incredible picture of one of the most effective and efficient non-traditional military forces in the world - JSOC. It amazes how well they are trained, supplied, and led while, at the same time, are abused by the very government they serve.

This was one of the best books I have read about the US special operations world.