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Blackwater
- The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
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Publisher's summary
Meet Blackwater USA, the most secretive, most powerful, and fastest-growing private army on the planet. Founded by fundamentalist Christian mega-millionaire Erik Prince, the scion of a conservative dynasty that bankrolls extreme-right-wing causes, this company of soldiers is now being sent "to the front lines of a global battle, waged largely on Muslim lands, that an evangelical president, whom Prince helped put in the White House, has boldly defined as a 'crusade'."
Ranging from the blood-soaked streets of Fallujah to Washington, D.C., where they are hailed as heroes, this is the dark story of Blackwater's rise to power.
Critic reviews
"Jeremy Scahill's Blackwater would be a masterpiece of the genre of futuristic sci fi were it not so regrettably real....It's got all the twists and turns and secret corners of a Hollywood thriller....[A] horrifying but necessary read." ( Daily Kos)
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A revelatory account of the cloak-and-dagger Israeli campaign to target the finances fueling terror organizations - an effort that became the blueprint for US efforts to combat threats like ISIS and drug cartels. ISIS boasted $2.4 billion of revenue in 2015, yet for too long the global war on terror overlooked financial warfare as an offensive strategy. "Harpoon", the creation of Mossad legend Meir Dagan, directed spies, soldiers, and attorneys to disrupt and destroy money pipelines and financial institutions that paid for the bloodshed.
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Riveting!!!
- By Treavor on 12-11-17
By: Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, and others
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Ghost Wars
- The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 26 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan. With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
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An Exceptional Accomplishment
- By Joe on 11-08-13
By: Steve Coll
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Twilight Warriors
- The Soldiers, Spies, and Special Agents Who Are Revolutionizing the American Way of War
- By: James Kitfield
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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In Twilight Warriors, award-winning foreign correspondent James Kitfield introduces us to the tight-knit brotherhood that strives to keep the United States safe from the dimly understood threats it now faces. Together these men have broken down the boundaries between their respective agencies to engineer a network-centric way of fighting using a seamless web of intelligence analysts, information networks, FBI forensics experts, and Special Forces units to take the fight to America's enemies as never before.
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South African Perspectives
- By Bernard Remacle on 03-22-17
By: James Kitfield
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Fiasco
- The American Military Adventure in Iraq
- By: Thomas E. Ricks
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
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The American military is a tightly sealed community, and few outsiders have reason to know that a great many senior officers view the Iraq war with incredulity and dismay. But many officers have shared their anger with renowned military reporter Thomas E. Ricks, and in Fiasco, Ricks combines these astonishing on-the-record military accounts with his own extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to create a spellbinding account of an epic disaster.
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History not Politics
- By Scott on 08-10-06
By: Thomas E. Ricks
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ISIS
- Inside the Army of Terror
- By: Michael Weiss, Hassan Hassan
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Initially dismissed by US President Barack Obama, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shocked the world by conquering massive territories in both countries and promising to create a vast new Muslim caliphate that observes the strict dictates of Sharia law. In ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, American journalist Michael Weiss and Syrian analyst Hassan Hassan explain how these violent extremists evolved from a nearly defeated Iraqi insurgent group into a jihadi army of international volunteers who have conquered territory equal to the size of Great Britain.
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Dunce Hat, Please...
- By Mel on 02-16-16
By: Michael Weiss, and others
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The New Nobility
- The Restoration of Russia's Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB
- By: Andrei Soldatov, Irina Borogin
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
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While Vladimir Putin has been president and prime minister of Russia, the Kremlin has deployed the security services to intimidate the political opposition, reassert the power of the state, and carry out assassinations overseas. At the same time, its agents and spies were put beyond public accountability and blessed with the prestige, benefits, and legitimacy lost since the Soviet collapse.
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A little difficult to follow
- By Jairus on 12-10-10
By: Andrei Soldatov, and others
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Good Hunting
- An American Spymaster's Story
- By: Jack Devine
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story is the spellbinding memoir of Devine's time in the CIA, where he served for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations, responsible for all of the agency's spying operations. This is a story of intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering - all the more gripping when the fate of our geopolitical order hangs in the balance. But this audiobook also sounds a warning to our nation's decision makers.
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Fascinating, An education on spying
- By Anthony on 12-13-15
By: Jack Devine
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Legacy of Ashes
- The History of the CIA
- By: Tim Weiner
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This is the book the CIA does not want you to read. For the last 60 years, the CIA has maintained a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, never disclosing its blunders to the American public. It spun its own truth to the nation while reality lay buried in classified archives. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Tim Weiner offers a stunning indictment of the CIA, a deeply flawed organization that has never deserved America's confidence.
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Flawed but Important
- By Michael on 07-18-08
By: Tim Weiner
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The Phoenix Program: America's Use of Terror in Vietnam
- By: Douglas Valentine
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 17 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A shocking expos of the covert CIA program of widespread torture, rape, and murder of civilians during America’s war in Vietnam, with a new introduction by the author. In the darkest days of the Vietnam War, America’s Central Intelligence Agency secretly initiated a sweeping program of kidnap, torture, and assassination devised to destabilize the infrastructure of the National Liberation Front (NLF) of South Vietnam, commonly known as the “Viet Cong.”
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An Answer To My Unanswered Questions
- By JustBill on 08-27-19
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Rise and Kill First
- The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations
- By: Ronen Bergman
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Talmud says: “If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.” This instinct to take every measure, even the most aggressive, to defend the Jewish people is hardwired into Israel’s DNA. From the very beginning of its statehood in 1948, protecting the nation from harm has been the responsibility of its intelligence community and armed services, and there is one weapon in their vast arsenal that they have relied upon to thwart the most serious threats: Targeted assassinations have been used countless times, on enemies large and small....
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Eye Opening
- By Ari Safari on 02-09-18
By: Ronen Bergman
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Descent into Chaos
- The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia
- By: Ahmed Rashid
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
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Performance
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Rashid examines Central Asia, and the corridors of power in Washington and Europe, to see how the promised nation building in the region has progressed. His conclusions are devastating.
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Useful!
- By John Robert BEHRMAN on 02-24-09
By: Ahmed Rashid
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The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan. With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
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What listeners say about Blackwater
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Martin A. Oakes
- 12-22-09
5% fact and 95% rants
The author places a few Blackwater facts in each chapter, and then disgresses to rant about something tangential. e.g. Chapter 1 turns into a rant against the Christian Right because somehow Charles Colson's name comes up. Another Chapter against Bush judicial appointments (e.g. "extremist Judge Bork" -- how is this relevant). Another Chapter indicts the embedded journalists vs the "free" press. Well narrated but junque.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 01-28-19
Opinion Editorial
I am fairly confident the author fits in at the Huffington Post editorial staff meetings.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Hasmi
- 02-25-14
Horrid Narration!
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
If the talent director had been better, or the narrator better, it would have been worth listening to. I couldn't get past the first chapter. I ground my teeth every time the narrator put on his fake TV Announcer voice.
What was most disappointing about Jeremy Scahill’s story?
There was nothing wrong with the story. I was looking forward to it but I just couldn't stand it.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tom Weiner?
If the narrator could keep from putting on his fake "TV Announcer" voice every time a strong point was to be made in the story, it would have been better. Working in the voice industry I know this is often the voice director's fault and yet narrators are blamed all the time. So my comment is to whomever decided on this creative approach - stop it! I don't need a fake tone to emphasize that this is an "important" point. I just want the facts, straight forward and I can make my own decision on how I feel about what I'm listening to. I haven't seen the book in printed form and perhaps the writer italicized these areas but a good director should have known better and that it would sound 'put on' or fake.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Frustration. It felt like such a waste to take non-fiction work with existing political undercurrents and to add additional commentary by having the narrator take on such an over the top attitude to nail a point home. I'm not stupid and don't need it pointed out. It just ruined the book.
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Overall
- Bob Gray
- 11-09-07
Blackwater
Very disappointing; don't waste you time.
I’d expected an objective description about Blackwater’s origins and operations but I gave up after the first hour of nothing but Bush / Republican bashing and conspiracy theory centered on the dangers of “the military / industrial complex”.
Maybe I just got tired of the author's self righteous criticisms of all things outside his own pronounced political orientation.
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18 people found this helpful
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Overall
- John
- 02-27-09
Several hours of whining
It is a sad state when someone will spend this much time whining about the former president. I though the book would have been about Blackwater, it was not. This is difficult to listen to and to follow. I find it offensive that someone would twist the facts in such a manner to get their personal slanted lean.
Write a book about how things were messed up by Secretary of Defense and others. Their actions forced a company to come into play.
Too often the author references religion instead of why things were done. The narration is horrible and almost impossible to listen to.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Jesse
- 05-13-10
anti Bush anti Christian
This was not a history of Blackwater. It is simply a thinly veiled left wing spewing of hatred. I am sure that Blackwater is many things,good and bad. This severely imbalanced book was like a 14 hour MSNBC Keith Olberman tirade against conservatives and Christians.
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2 people found this helpful
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- M. Fulkerson
- 07-20-09
More Bush Bashing - whats wrong with the world
I expected more of a balanced piece about Blackwater and what I got was a Bush/right wing bashing book. If that is what you want, this is your book. If you are looking for a balanced story about Blackwater keep looking.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Bridgett Atwell
- 07-16-21
Awful
This book was a huge waste of money. it is a one sided story with obvious pre-conceived feelings by the author. I assume that someone with a conservative background or a God fearing person must have done something to the author to really upset him. if you are a far-left or God hating person you will love this book.
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- Richard
- 04-29-13
Awful
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
The author obviously hates private military contractors, Blackwater, Republicans and Christians. A real hit job. I only made it through a couple of chapters.
What could Jeremy Scahill have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Nothing. The author obviously has an anti Blackwater agenda.
How could the performance have been better?
Reader sounded condescending and cynical.
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- Retired Builder/Developer
- 10-06-23
Outdated and Troubling
A boring, somewhat repetitive account of the troubling right-wing, Christian lead mercenary for-profit army formerly know as Blackwater. This 2007 book needs updating, but does provide background information on its founders, growth of the company and its usage in the Iraq war.
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