An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror

by Richard Perle and David Frum

Book Overview

An End to Evil charts the agenda for what's next in the war on terrorism, as articulated by David Frum, former presidential speechwriter and bestselling author of The Right Man, and Richard Perle, former assistant secretary of defense and one of the most influential foreign-policy leaders in Washington.

This world is an unsafe place for Americans--and the U.S. government remains unready to defend its people. In An End to Evil, David Frum and Richard Perle sound the alert about the dangers around us: the continuing threat from terrorism, the crisis with North Korea, the aggressive ambitions of China. Frum and Perle provide a detailed, candid account of America's vulnerabilities: a military whose leaders resist change, intelligence agencies mired in bureaucracy, diplomats who put friendly relations with their foreign colleagues ahead of the nation's interests. Perle and Frum lay out a bold program to defend America--and to win the war on terror.

Among the topics this book addresses:

- why the United States risks its security if it submits to the authority of the United Nations
- why France and Saudi Arabia have to be treated as adversaries, not allies, in the war on terror
- why the United States must take decisive action against Iran--now
- what to do in North Korea if negotiations fail
- why everything you read in the newspapers about the Israeli-Arab dispute is wrong
- how our government must be changed if we are to fight the war on terror to victory--not just stalemate
- where the next great terror threat is coming from--and what we can do to protect ourselves

An End to Evil will define the conservative point of view on foreign policy for a new generation--and shape the agenda for the 2004 presidential-election year and beyond. With a keen insiders' perspective on how our leaders are confronting--or not confronting--the war on terrorism, David Frum and Richard Perle make a convincing argument for why the toughest line is the safest line.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345477170
• ISBN13: 9780345477170
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Want to know the Bush admin world-view?

I constantly hear the prominent liberals (i.e. politicians, news reporters, brain-dead Hollywood actors, etc.) claim that the Bush administration has no international strategy. If you ever want to know elements of "the plan" or the overall administration policy with respect to terrorism, Iraq, Iran, Korea, China, etc., read this book. It's all there. I personally believe it's a bit too ambitious but some of it makes a lot of sense. The authors don't mince words and offer a very direct explanation for their beliefs. In some areas of the world, they advocate preemptive strikes (like Iraq) to address the problems. In other areas (example: N. Korea), they believe the problem is greater for other countries (China, S. Korea, Japan, etc.) and recommend encouraging them to resolve it. This book will not make you feel good about war/conflicts on the international scene nor America's involvement. However, whether or not you agree with the conclusions, it's an easy read and a good education about the challenges and proposed solutions from the current administration.

WMD armed terrorists? How to defeat them.

The authors at least take seriously the threat which proliferation of WMD presents. Their critics (see Katutani in NYTimes) often fail to address their essential arguments, much less offer an alternative which would take the threat seriously, focusing their criticism instead on the authors' attitude or on ancillary points. Frum's recent article in National Review Online challenges critics to offer their own strategy for meeting the threat of WMD getting into the hands of terrorists.

radical Islam

I completely agree with Perle and Frum. AS a refugee from Libya, during the Arab Israeli War of 1967, I seen this all coming. Al Qaeda will never give up, CNN ran a story about it on 1/11/04 and said the same thing. Radical Islam will never give up, we don't listen, at our own peril. Something is wrong with the Liberals in this country, they want to turn us over to radical Islam, I for one, never want to live under a government controlled by them. I have seen what it can do and it terrifies me. Our worst nightmare is on our doorstep.

A must-read for "neocons" and everybody else

To clarify, a "neocon", or neo-conservative, can best be described someone who would have been called a liberal 30 or 40 years ago (or maybe was a liberal), but is now considered a Reagan/ GW Bush style of conservative. In foreign policy they can be characterized by ambitious and optimistic ideas. Frum and Perle, two of the leading minds in the neocon movement, describe this foreign policy brilliantly. Their bold ideas about the war on terror and nation building are not founded on any desire for war just for the sake of war. They are founded on idea that by replacing terrorist regimes with democracies, we can end much of the conflict in the world today. After all, when did any two democracies ever go to war? Never. And which democracy did the 9/11 hijackers come from? In short, it's a thought provoking and optimistic book, a must read no matter which side you're on.

Amazing book!

This book is packed with useful information about Neo-Con¡¯s thinking on the current world crisis. Although the left-wingers would cry foul and become abhorred by the book¡¯s content, it is clear that the paths shown by David Frum & Richard Perle do provide a functional alternative. FACE IT FOLKS, WE ARE NOT LIVING IN A PARADISE! BOMBING ¡°BREAD¡± ON TALIBAN & AL QUEDA WILL NOT STOP OSAMA BIN LADEN!Richard Perle does not preach ¡°bomb-all¡± policy. Perle¡¯s proposed policy is more mature and more objective than the unorganized thoughts of the anti-war/hate-American factions. Richard Perle, too, expresses that the force should be used as a last option. There are other ways to ¡®convince¡¯ and ¡®sway¡¯ other countries, Perle insists. Finally, Perle¡¯s methods worked, now Libya is giving up its Weapons of Mass Destruction program. With ¡®facts¡¯ and ¡®results¡¯ the book is fascinating to read.I¡¯d give the book 5/5.