The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals

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Synopsis

A dramatic and damning narrative account of how America has fought the "War on Terror." In the days immediately following September 11th, the most powerful people in the country were panic-stricken. The radical decisions about how to combat terrorists and strengthen national security were made in a state of utter chaos and fear, but the key players, Vice President Dick Cheney and his powerful, secretive adviser David Addington, used the crisis to further a long held agenda to enhance Presidential powers to a degree never known in U.S. history, and obliterate Constitutional protections that define the very essence of the American experiment.

THE DARK SIDE is a dramatic, riveting, and definitive narrative account of how the United States made terrible decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world-- decisions that not only violated the Constitution to which White House officials took an oath to uphold, but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda. In gripping detail, acclaimed New Yorker writer and bestselling author, Jane Mayer, relates the impact of these decisions--U.S.-held prisoners, some of them completely innocent, were subjected to treatment more reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition than the twenty-first century.

THE DARK SIDE will chronicle real, specific cases, shown in real time against the larger tableau of what was happening in Washington, looking at the intelligence gained--or not--and the price paid. In some instances, torture worked. In many more, it led to false information, sometimes with devastating results. For instance, there is the stunning admission of one of the detainees, Sheikh Ibn al-Libi, that the confession he gave under duress--which provided a key piece of evidence buttressing congressional support of going to war against Iraq--was in fact fabricated, to make the torture stop. In all cases, whatever the short term gains, there were incalculable losses in terms of moral standing, and our country's place in the world, and its sense of itself.

THE DARK SIDE chronicles one of the most disturbing chapters in American history, one that will serve as the lasting legacy of the George W. Bush presidency.

Copyright:
2008

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9780307456502
Related ISBNs:
9780385526395, 9781921372506, 9780739375938, 9780307456298, 9781415958018
Publisher:
Doubleday
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Doubleday
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Politics and Government
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

Reviews

4 out of 5

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I just finished reading this book for a college Public Policy class, and the description in the synopsis of this book which calls it "a dramatic and damning narrative", is an accurate one. Growing up, I had always believed that America's values, the Constitution and policies in place to enforce it were infallible. I was vaguely aware of the news coverage of Abu Ghraib but had no idea about the extent of the abuse to prisoners without due process. Although Barack Obama has ended the practice of torture, I will never look at our government the same way having read this book. Although this book was disturbing in places, I think it should be required reading for every American.