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The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism | 
 enlarge | Author: Matthew Carr
Publisher: New Press
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 609806
Media: Paperback
Pages: 416
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2
ISBN: 1595584080
Dewey Decimal Number: 909
EAN: 9781595584083
Publication Date: October 7, 2008
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Product Description
A highly accessible account of the history of terrorism that places 9/11 and al-Qaeda in historical context.
Today, political violence has become the scourge of our world and terrorism is routinely described as a uniquely modern evil. Yet however unprecedented in scope the new terrorist organizations might appear, Matthew Carr argues in this definitive history of terrorism that they are merely offshoots of a spectacular bombing in 1881: the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II by terrorists...or were they freedom fighters?
Thus begins a narrative of extraordinary sweep that Publishers Weekly called "engrossing, unsettling" and the Boston Globe praised as "brave and wise" and "a book for the ages." In The Infernal Machine, Carr unearths the complex realities of terrorist violence and its indelible impact on nations as different as Italy, Argentina, France, Algeria, Ireland, Russia, Japan, and the United States.
Spanning over a century of world history, The Infernal Machine reveals stunning similarities in societies' responses to terrorism despite profound political and cultural differences. Carr demonstrates again and again that the true impact of terrorism has been felt in the overreactions of government and the media to acts of political violence. This "encyclopedic and diagnostic...primer for our frightening times" (Edmonton Journal) allows us to see our current predicament against a background of striking historical parallels.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Terror in a Historic Context January 21, 2008
J. J. Kwashnak (Atlanta, GA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Many of the books to come out in the aftermath of 9/11 tried to look at the new (to Americans) phenomenon of terror attacks in the context of that attack - meaning in terms of a religious only context. Now that some time has passed, Carr brings us the movement of terrorism as a political tool. He does an excellent job providing an overview of the development of terrorism as a continuum from the late19th century Russian movement to try to violently assassinate Alexander II thus bringing down the stardom. He acknowledges that one man's terrorist can be another man's freedom fighter, especially as he wades into more populist terror activities such as in Northern Ireland, and Lebanon. In the work Carr shows the common threads that bind together all the terror movements, be they radical Marxist, Algerian or Argentinean opponents of government or the more modern religious based terrorism of Al-Qaeda or suicide bombings in Israel.
This terrorism is not examined out of context, and Carr spends a lot of time contrasting the terrorists with the responses of established governments in efforts to root out the terrorists, even to the point of adopting terrorist tactics in order to sway public opinion against the terrorists. Some readers may not agree with Carr's dim view of terrorism vs. state military action - how blowing up a civilian building by an individual is terrorist while the strategic bombing of civilian buildings by the military is acceptable. This view may rankle some but to Carr's credit he consistently applies it across the board. Some of the terrorist movements he writes about may to some point be "understandable" to the author, he does not romanticize them. In a world where even a body like the U.N. cannot agree upon a definition of terrorism, and thus cannot fully condemn it, Carr attempts to cut through the language and his definition, and by applying it to modern history shows the definition of terrorism is a moving target, albeit one with common threads. You may not agree with all that is said, but you will get a much better idea of how terrorism has come to be a force in the modern world.
This has all happened before. So different yet so similar. December 2, 2007
J Kragt (Fort Washington, Maryland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I felt strangely comforted by the realizations I gained from "The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism." It contextualizes our present struggle. Don't expect to find a final all-encompassing theory on terrorism here. Rather, you may experience an almost religious acceptance of the inevitable struggle. It's as if Matthew Carr is taking the Hindu god Vishnu's point of view.
Once in awhile Carr does force a more dogmatic perspective on the reader. Raising a question here and there would have been more effective. Perhaps he could have saved his conclusions and beliefs for a final chapter. Though Carr is more critical of the status quo powers, the counter-terrorists, I felt the total effect of his judgment was to redress an imbalance.
One is left amazed by the variety and differences in individuals, groups, and causes, and their matching and usually more terroristic counter-terrorists. Some similarities Carr reiterates throughout the book:
1. Remember the number of people killed by terrorists is relatively small. Terrorists who become the government, such as in the Soviet Union under communism, or governments who practice (counter)terrorism themselves, kill many many more people.
One major criticism: Carr does not address the fact that sometimes the terrorists win! Although if, following his approach, the Tsar, for example, had addressed the legitimate grievances of his people and understood the need for change...things would have been different.
However, it is intellectually irresponsible to ignore the Communist takeover when your discussion of terrorism is based on the very movements that led to it.
2. Always flesh out the facts--the full story. It's important to learn as much as possible about the situation, motives etc. of "terrorists." Each group, each individual, has a story that provides a bit more of the puzzle of a particular time and cultural/political situation.
Symbolism is central--behavior as message, often preceded or followed by words. Reflecting on the symbolism is a way to "connect the dots" or make sense of a seemingly senseless behavior--not to excuse it but to understand the "other," and yourself. Perhaps if we understand them, we will finally "get" them.
3. The language of the government uses is often a smoke screen that hides and distorts the facts.
4. Terrorism will always finally remain a mystery. Why did these particular people decide at this time that they had to take these particular horrific actions? The mystery at the center of terrorism raises the questions: Do they understand the larger forces behind their choices. Do we understand our reactions? One is left starring into a void.
Carr's approach has a strong affinity with Jungian psychology, applied not to individuals so much as to whole societies and political situations. The dark side must be met. Mortal combat continues unless we go deeper into the pathology of our own behavior, the contradictions of our rhetoric.
Countries and "civilizations" like individuals need to live with integrity--consistently true to their deeper principles. So the challenge of the "terrorist" can be met more clearly and with less fear and reactive destruction.
It is counterproductive to focus primarily on the "evil" of the enemy--often one's own shadow (or blowback). The "enemy" is an opportunity to own one's own identity and values, to weigh one's own soul and transcend it's failings. Only then do you win.
Jihad in spiritual terms is also an opportunity to respect without force or dominance the higher values of the "other." No one can study a history of such groups without feeling some respect for them as human beings. Unfortunately too many people would rather lash out in the dark in anger, hate, and ignorance rather than read a book like this.
Fascinating history we all need to study and reflect on.
Very Good Overview of Terror and Counter-Terror November 21, 2007
Johns (London, England)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Very good book. Matthew Carr goes back to the beginning of modern terrorism in imperial Russia, which began following the invention of dynamite. This book was originally released with the title Unknown Soldiers. The current edition is revised following the threat of litigation from a certain Saudi sheikh. The only criticism I have is that some topics are skirted over, e.g. I think Lockerbie deserves more than two pages, also the author makes no mention of the role of British Intelligence in the 1953 Iranian coup, and perhaps the allegations of CIA and DIA dissidents such as Philip Agee, John Stockwell and Lester Coleman could have been considered.
 State Terrorism Vastly Worse, Individual Terrorism Logical September 6, 2007
Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a superb book that should be read in conjunction with Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. Terrorism is nothing more nor less than individual and small group asymmetric violence that breaks the state's monopoly on violence.
THe author is to be commended for stating in blunt and ably-documented terms that terrorism is a logical asymmetric response and it is not senseless nor cowardly but rather coherent and calculated.
I share the author's view that most Western analysts of terrorism are witness, uninformed, and devoid of historical, cultural, or contextual analytic skills and knowledge. Most on the right, including the Zionists, push their ideological beliefs rather than the empirical evidence. As the author notes, Israel has genocided the Palestinians and out-terrorized their opponents time and again (while also attacking the USS Liberty, a war crime that will never be forgotten by our men and women in uniform).
There are other books that have documents the use by the extreme right of fake leftist terrorist actions that are actually extreme right and fascist actions intended to increase the totalitarian and fascist nature of the state. 9-11 certainly enabled Dick Cheney to do that. See American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America and Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency.
In the author's view, the CIA created the conditions for the Islamic jihad with its over-turning of the Iranian election results and restoration of the hated Shah to the throne--as we learn in Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, CIA has been all too fond of dictators and secret police as their proxies; its presence in Saudi Arabia (ably covered by Robert Baer in Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude, and of course providing billions in aid (see Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times that the Pakistani's used to create jihad with close ties to Afghan drugs, guns, and global logistics.
The author makes three key points in his conclusion:
1) USG ignores and does not publicize the thousands of acts of civil dissent, including hundreds (as many as 900) bombs a year across America;
2) The government consistently lies to the public and covers up larger group anger by claiming that major incidents are "a lone wolf" operation. This has since been proven untrue for the JFK assassination (see Someone Would Have Talked: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the Conspiracy to Mislead History and A Farewell to Justice: Jim Garrison, JFK's Assassination, And the Case That Should Have Changed History, and in the Oklahoma City bombing and most certainly in the 9-11 case where CHeney, Gulliani, and Silverstein and Rumsfeld are clearly more culpable than Bin Laden or the Pakistanis for the bulk of the deats (see Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory among many other books and DVDs.}
The author ends by calling the US Government, essential, a persistent liar, with hollow propaganda and specious claims that--in combination with the destruction of civil liberties--do vastly more damage to the national fabric than any small band of terrorists might. As one reviewer notes, what 19 alleged terrorists have done is nothing compared to the state terror that Bush-Cheney have unleashed on Iraq, Iran, around the world in secret renditions and secret torture, and of course here at home, where a "state of fear" and grotesque abuses of executive privilege are used to avoid justice and liberty for all, reducing both dignity and accountability.
Excellent needed perspective and "reality check" May 28, 2007
L. F Sherman (Wiscasset, ME United States)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Descriptions, explanations, and histories of terrorism have been "one-eyed" - lacking depth perception and without perspective to find their way. History has been written by the establishment and terror defined to exclude "state terrorism". Worse still, accounts have covered up actions that have been government provocation and extreme measures that inspired escalation of conflict. Anger, fear, labeling undermine any hope of truth and understanding. Strong simplistic answers meet emotional needs and belief is inversely proportional to facts and analysis.
The very language of reporting misleads and corrupts implying responsibility and guilt. One would not sense that Israel used every method of terror before the Palestinians did excepting suicide bombing, or that civilian deaths of Palestinians have generally been at least six times as high as Israelis. Israel was founded on successful terror and several Prime Ministers were active with the Stern Gang, Irgun, and other elements. The School for the Americas (renamed but not discontinued) has trained thousands of state terrorists in Latin America. The Contras are terrorists too. Carr at least mentions such things, albeit not greatly emphasizing them. That in itself is a great improvement over "politically correct" writing that is more common.
Terrorism is a strategy of the weak, politically driven, identity based, associated with nationalism and sometimes justified by religion. Violent suppression may reinforce a sense of moral justification. Often terrorism eventually works, discredits governments, and conflict is resolved - counter intuitively - by negotiation and compromise.
Carr briefly tells of terror in the French Revolution then Imperial Russia where, after the introduction of dynamite, the "infernal machine", the bomb, became the tool enhancing the capacity for resistance from minorities committed to a cause believed to be just. A terrorist assassination was a major immediate cause of World War I (hardly more "civilized" than terrorism?).
Cases include Ireland, Mau Mau, Basques, Red Brigades, Japan, Palestine, Israel, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Nicaragua, and others. Many examples are vaguely familiar and here become 3-D and Technicolor. Some lessons can be drawn regarding the political nature of terror, relative success as a strategy for the weak, and blowback of most efforts at suppression. But summaries of key examples rather than a `political science' analysis is the focus. The perspective and openness retelling both sides are what make the book distinctive and valuable. The greater objectivity is greater value.
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