It is hard not to like Ahmad as you read these interviews. First, he is a thoughtful critic of international politics and economic systems. He is as tough on the Soviet left as he is on the capitalist right. And in the process he is engaged by such thinkers as Edward Said, Albert Camus and Antonia Gramsci. Like many leftists, however, Ahmad offers more criticism than solutions. He is not as rabidly anti-American as Chomsky, but he does embrace some of the third-world cliches about the West and the US that grow tiresome after a while. I, for one, am not convinced that the rest of the world is trapped in an American economic construct from which there is no possibility of liberation or advancement. The tough work of building a civil society, of opening the doors of debate and freedom, of embracing a reasonable economic policy that allows for some human ingenuity, none of this is prevented by a US power structure. On the contrary, the US generally has only blocked -- on a few occasions -- forays into Stalinist systems hostile to both local and international interests. On the other hand, some of his observations are keen -- his conclusion, for example, that non-violent resistance can only be effective against oppression that is morally founded, such as British colonialism (bringing enlightenment to the rest of the world). It would not work against Stalin or Hitler (or Saddam). He is also a valuable guide through some of the India/Pakistan issues that are confusing to many of us. Like William Appleman Williams, another US critic, Ahmad has some interesting things to say, but they must be weighed against the total evidence of history.

I read this book in 3 hours on a long haul flight and then talked my neighbouring passenger into following suit. It's that good.

A stirring page turner with simple unawashed straight-talk about politics, religion, world order, even the vagaries of corporatization. Really, I hesitate to make this into a long intellectual review but you will find themes ranging from the opportunism of Gandhi, to the seeds of discord that US itself sowed in the middle east and south east asia (and what the future holds), to the after-effects of blatant commercialization on our social lives, to.... Wait, what am I doing. There is no way you will regret the 11 dollars that go into this incredibly eye-opening insight, so stop wasting your time reading these reviews and just buy it!

Quite simply as close to an intelligent thriller as a work of non-fiction can come. Required reading.

Eqbal Ahmad is a rare example of a man who struggled to live by his principles and has shown others the way by the sheer humanity and clarity of his thought. He was a true and worthy inheritor of the sufi tradition.

The late Eqbal Ahmad (d. 1999) led a full life. Apart from being a social activist, a political science professor in the United States, a short stint in the Pakistani army, and valuable contributions to the Algerian independence movement-he managed to be accused (unfairly) of attempting to kidnap Henry Kissinger and found the time to interview Osama bin Ladin in 1986. This world traveler and intellectual par excellence warned the world about September 11 two years before it happened. This short booklet includes an eloquent essay by Eqbal on terrorism and a couple of interviews of him by David Barsamian. Everything from Taliban, American foreign policy, Pakistani politics, the Kashmir issue, and the Arab-Israeli conflict is touched upon. The main, focus, of course, is terrorism: what is it, who defines it, who practices it, and what causes it.

Eqbal asserts that since WW II, the U.S. saw Islamic fundamentalism as a way to combat Communism in the Muslim world. He notes that the same groups that the U.S. gave billions of dollars in 1980s to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan have are now attacking the U.S. (what the CIA calls "Islamic blowback"). Eqbal explains why these groups now see the U.S. as their enemy, when just yesterday the U.S. was a friend. While Eqbal is very critical of U.S. foreign policy, no one should think that Eqbal is an apologist for terrorism. He was a committed secularist and a democrat, and had little sympathy for fundamentalists of any religion. (He called the Taliban "barbarians" when the Clinton administration was trying to secure an oil pipeline through Afghanistan.)

One criticism of this book is that it is too short. That is why readers who like this book should also get "9-11" by Noam Chomsky and "Rogue State" by William Blum. Also, you can find many of Eqbal Ahmad's articles online. Read them before you buy this book.

... Man, this little book of 59 pages packs a powerful punch...! It is worth every penny. You can read it in a few hours, and you will be glad you did; for, it opens your eyes to seeing our country as much of the rest of the world sees us - with total clarity!

... Ahmad states on page 24: "What is my recommendation to America? First, avoid extremes of double standards. If you're going to practice double standards, you will be paid with double standards. Don' use it. Don't condone Israeli terror, Pakistani terror, Nicaraguan terror, El Salvadoran terror, on the one hand, and then complain about Afghan terror or Palesinian terror. It doesn' work. Try to be even-handed. A superpower cannot promote terror in one place and reasonably expect to discourage terrorism in another place. It doesn't work in this shrunken world." Also, on page 20, he states: "Sometimes it's the fact that you have experienced violence at other people's hands. Victims of violent abuse often become violent people. The only time when Jews produced terrorists in organized fashion was during and after the Holocaust. It is rather remarkable that Jewish terrorists hit largely innocent people or U.N. peacemakers like Count Bernadotte of Sweden, whose country had a better record on the Holocaust. The men of Irgun, the Stern Gang, and the Hagannah terrorist groups came in the wake of the Holocaust. The experience of victimhood itself produces a violent reaction."

... This book comes in two sections: the first section is an edited transcript of a public talk the auther gave at the University of Colorado, in Boulder, on October 12, 1998; the second section is composed of excerpts edited from: Eqbal Ahmad: Confronting Empire, Interviews with David Barsamian ( Souh End Press, 2000 ). ... This is a great litle book with a great wrap-around cover photo of former U.S. President, Ronald Reagan ( beardless! ), sitting in a room in the White House on June 16, 1986 while meeting with a group of heavily bearded mujahideen leaders from Afghanistan. Somehow, Reagan looks out of place in his own house! ... Read this book! You won't regret it. ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid

A classic, prescient lecture from the Pakistani activist-scholar, and mentor of Edward Said, together with an interview conducted with David Barsamian (who also provides a foreword). It was obvious to many, not least Ahmad, that American foreign policy, and use of terror, could only lead to a 9-11; indeed it has been delivering 9-11's across the globe for years. Here Ahmad lays out this trajectory from 1998.