Violence All Around

A sober account of our capacity for violence, our legitimizing of it and our need to keep it hidden. The author doesn't theorize or speculate; he reports on his observations and interviews with the victims of our violence as well as other human rights workers and journalists.

A true must read to understand the nefariousness of our spook agencies and how they have screwed up Middle East (as well as other) relationships and fostered terrorism for decades to come.

<i>Violence All Around</i> provides its reader with an expanded perspective on the subject of violence, examining its character, history and expressions in politics, war, rebellion, revolution and in common everyday life situations. As a human rights attorney, Sifton was an embedded researcher for Human Rights Watch (sometimes a private investigator or authoritative consultant for the ACLU) active in the Middle East and Eastern Europe before, and for many years, after, the September 11 attacks. He shares in-depth inside knowledge and detail as a focused backdrop for what evolves into an extensive treatise on violence as well as the workings of international intelligence agencies and the difficulties involved in attempting to influence those in power. Although detailed attention is given to the period prior to publication, its select examples don’t make the book dated. References are sometimes made to ancient history as samples of enduring relevance. This thorough treatise on the subject is a must read for anyone wishing to have a well-rounded view.