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Longitudes and Attitudes
Book

Longitudes and Attitudes

Exploring the World After September 11

Thomas L. Friedman
FSG, 2002

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Editorial Rating

10

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

If The New York Times were a high school yearbook, Thomas Friedman would be "Most Likely To Succeed." For more than two decades, he has trained his agile, disciplined mind on unraveling the palace intrigue and radical movements of Middle Eastern politics. He tells a story about a waitress in chaotic, war-torn Beirut, who politely asked if he would rather have desert now or wait until the ceasefire took effect. His point: humans can adapt to virtually anything. In this compendium of columns plus a diary of post-911 events, Friedman argues that 9/11 stemmed from U.S. failure to retaliate against prior terrorism. Here, he kicks over the log and shines his light on the origins of the religious intolerance that created 9/11. It’s not a pretty sight, but you had better look. To be even modestly informed about today’s issues, getAbstract maintains, you need to read this.

Take-Aways

  • The primary contributor to 9/11 was that the United States had lost the credibility of its deterrence because prior attacks against it went unpunished.
  • Lack of democracy and economic efficiency force Middle Eastern governments to deflect criticism by allowing media and academic attacks against the U.S.
  • Saudi Arabia, the Taliban’s biggest funder, has revealed little about its 9/11 hijackers.

About the Author

Nationally syndicated columnist Thomas L. Friedman is arguably the leading journalistic mind reporting on the Middle East and Israel. On three occasions, he has won the Pulitzer Prize for his work at The New York Times. He has written two best-selling books: From Beirut to Jerusalem, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction; and The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization. He resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

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