America's Secret War

Inside the Struggle Between the United States and Its Enemies

By: George Friedman

Narrated by: Brian Emerson

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Dubbed by Barron's as "The Shadow CIA", Stratfor, George Friedman's global intelligence company, has provided analysis to Fortune 500 companies, news outlets, and even the U.S. government. Now Friedman delivers the geopolitical story that the mainstream media has been unable to uncover, the startling truth behind America's foreign policy and war effort in Afghanistan, Iraq, and beyond.

Stratfor, one of the world's most respected private global intelligence firms, has an unmatched ability to provide clear perspective on the current geopolitical map. In America's Secret War, George Friedman identifies the United States' most dangerous enemies, delves into presidential strategies of the last quarter century, and reveals the real reasons behind the attack of September 11, and the Bush administration's motivation for the war in Iraq. It describes in eye-opening detail America's covert and overt efforts in the global war against terrorism: Not only are U.S. armies in combat on every continent but also, since September 11, the intelligence services of dozens of nations have been operating in close partnership with the CIA.

America's Secret War is an unprecedented look at the new world war being waged behind the scenes today. It is sure to stir debate and capture headlines around the world.

©2004 George Friedman (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Stratfor is changing the way we think about news." (American Spectator)
"A clearer, deeper, and subtler understanding of the post-9/11 world than we will ever get from listening to the cacophony of talking heads on television." (Booklist)

Good analysis, but I don’t agree with everything

As usual, Friedman’s analysis is for the most part very good and the facts he presents are well researched. His geopolitical analysis is fantastic but I think some of the Bush administration’s decisions had less to do with the type of analysis he assumes and more to do with an attempt to play to their base. I also don’t agree with all of his conclusions. However it is a good book and should be read by everyone interested in our adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan. It changed my mind on a number of issues.

Light on references

The analysis is interesting, but not very nuanced and based on facts without any kind of references-even vague ones.

Korea, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Iraq, Afghanistan

Friedman’s work — Excellent-has me wondering how the History Books are handling all the folly of the last 70 years without being “un- American!”

A must read. The lesson does seem to be that Our security state and military-industrial/technological complex -and our hubris have left us sorely exposed.

We are incapable of adapting to keep up with our potential enemies - and have to recruit intelligence and logistical support from such delights as Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia to fight our enemies accross the globe.

No “Secrets” in the Secret War Book

The author Friedman is widely praised as a forecaster of geopolitical events, and in this book he writes not about the future but about what was then the ‘now,’ events that were widely reported my major media. As a prognosticator in 1991 he wrote a book “The Coming War with Japan” which we presumably can write off as a total fail of his crystal ball. It’s not that there isn’t useful information in his “America’s Secret War” book, there is, such as the revelation that Iran had already prepared to govern the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq and lured the USA in to get rid of Hussein for them. My biggest issue is that there are a lot of individual errors in this book, based on my own personal first-hand experience with some of the topics covered, and when I see so many small errors in a book I always wonder about the accuracy of the things stated that I don’t have first-hand knowledge about. It’s also disturbing to read a book that is based 100% on the author’s opinion without one single (not one in the entire book) reference to data or external sources. Perhaps the printed version has such references but I have not explored that. The audio portion is jarring. The reader injects crazy inflections into sentences for no apparent reason, hangs certain parts of words out for inexplicable purposes, and the whole thing sounds like each paragraph is a separate roller coaster ride. Not the worst audio reading but very distracting.

Excellent book, very unbiased

What really stood out about this book to me was the lack of a political slant, Friedman doesn't rail for or against the US, nor for or against Bush. He just thoroughly lays out the strategies, politics and underlying motivations behind the actions of various countries and groups.

Personally it was exactly what I wanted, a book that laid out the information to me, and allowed me to decide whether or not I think the actions are right or not. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subjects of iraq, intelligence, and geopolitics

Behind the soundbites

This book provided a fascinating look at the human beings making decisions affecting all our lives. It is simply not possible to get this kind of in-depth thinking from newspapers or nightly news programs. After listening to this book I came away with a completely different understanding of the how and why of the war we are in. I can?t say the analysis is correct, but the perspective presented is not easily found elsewhere. If you want a better understanding of current events and the people making the decisions causing those events to happen I highly recommend this book.

America's Secret War

Great book, I listened to it twice. At first I thought this guy must be a Democrat, then later in the book, I thought, no he is a Republican. Then I realized that he is a fact finder and a seeker of the truth. If only half of what he writes is true, we Americans need to pay more attention to what our leaders say and speak up sooner rather than later if what they say can't be backed up with facts. Look at the impact that the 911 families had on policy. Yes, speaking up can make a difference; but we must pay attention all of the time.

Incredible point of view

Well done and seems to be pretty much right on!

Must Read...

One of the best I have read on our "New War" of the 21st Century.

A real explanation of the reasons for war in Iraq.

Personally I have much reading on the war against al-qeada, and the taliban. However I have not read up as much on the war in Iraq and its reasons. This book was perfect for filling in the gaps. I found the lead up to these wars very interesting and well thought out, going through WWII to current times while explaining the geo-political basis that brought the U.S. to its current position in the world. I also found the description of the United States in the Islamic worlds eyes enlightening. I would recommend this book to anyone who came of age before 9-11 and to anyone who's family had a member in the armed forces. All around very enlightening.