Jason Burke...Heard of him?

[american.swan]

Jason Burke is a British journalist. He has written one of the definitive guides on Al-Qaeda you can ever get your hands on. He has spent years reporting from the middle east.

You might remember Jason Burke from that BBC documentary "Power of Nightmares".

One of my soap boxes is reading books. The Youtube.com documentary propaganda network doesn't always give you the FULL story, so I ask, "Have you read "Al-Qaeda" or "On the Road to Kandahar" by Jason Burke?" [wait for poll]

Check out this link I found listing some of Jason Burke's reports (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/worldview/page/0,,715400,00.html) for the UK Observer.

(my last thread like this was "sad". So few are reading (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=121455).)

[Enzo]

I find a great deal of Jason Burke's writing to be quite ignorant... and overly opinionated...

Much of the time straying from journalism... and devolving into "what he thinks is going on" or "What he thinks is right"

[american.swan]

I find a great deal of Jason Burke's writing to be quite ignorant... and overly opinionated...

Much of the time straying from journalism... and devolving into "what he thinks is going on" or "What he thinks is right"

Interesting take. I haven't gotten that out of what I have read so far. I'll keep your opinion in mind in case I sense the same thing.

And by the way, isn't most books opinions backed up by evidence?

[Enzo]

I don't mean to discredit the man. He is considered one of the best sources on certain subjects. Specifically Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.

It's mostly his writing on Iraq that bothers me... and strikes me as ignorant.

On the positive, He is willing to cover topics that most journalists won't touch.

And question the motives and reasons behind the terror.


I've not read either book mentioned.... but I will. Thanks for the recommendations.

I've started re-reading Pity The Nation (The Abduction of Lebanon) by Robert Fisk... another British journalist... whose been living in Lebanon since the late 1970s. It focuses very much on Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinians, but deals with many of the same themes as any writing on the region I'm sure.

[american.swan]

bump for more vote :)