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Title: The Battle of the Casbah: Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Algeria 1955-1957 by Paul Aussaressess, Paul Aussaresses, Robert L. Miller ISBN: 1-929631-12-X Publisher: Enigma Books Pub. Date: August, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.6 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A Good Solider's Account
Comment: This book is an important contribution to the English language literature on the French-Algerian War. However, the book's importance goes beyond adding to the historical record of France's occupation of Algeria. The subject of terrorism and how to deal with it became immeasurably more important for Americans after 9/11. This book provides a glimpse of one possible way to deal with terrorism - the fight fire with fire way. Aussaressess recounts how he helped set up and execute an anti-terrorist operation in Algiers. He unapologetically tells how he used nightly raids, torture, imprisonment and summary executions to break the back of the FLN in Algeirs during 1955-57 (The movie "Battle of Algiers" is a riveting account of this struggle).
In short, this is a good solider's account of the war. As valuable as this perspective is (and it is very valuable), it is narrow and demands some responses. First, the book fails to provide a context for the war (For context, I recommend reading Alistair Horne's "A Savage War of Peace"). Aussaressess begins with the massacre at Phillipeville but there were atrocities on all sides. This war was an [mass] of violence and hatred. Second, there is a number of moral responses I have to Aussaressess's statements in the book. The one I find most appalling is that Aussaressess believes that he and his intelligence officers were restoring "law and order". I guess as an attorney I find this claim most alarming. I might be more accurate to say that Aussaressess was restoring a kind of order but it was hardly lawful. Suspects were picked up in nightly raids, tortured and summarily executed if they were believed to be terrorists. In most thinkers idea of law, there is the concept of equity: fairness and accountability. Our system has rights and procedures to preserve some accuracy in outcomes and prevent the abuse of power. Aussaressess claims he never executed an innocent person. This is just too incredible to accept. Even in our system, innocent people are wrongly convicted and, police and prosecutors allow their judgments to be skewed by their egos or trying to preserve face. One can only imagine how many innocents were picked up and tortured and killed - which in the end probably caused more problems for the French in Algeria. As effective as Aussaressess was in eradicating a network of terrorists in Algeirs in 1957, France still lost Algeria. The Algerians did not lose heart because of the methods Aussressess employed. Moreover, French public opinion concerning the war turned negative upon revelations of torture.
Rating: 2
Summary: Should be titled: "Diary of a fascist"
Comment: Only in "The Rape of Nanking" have I read a tale of such remorseless killing. The author personally tortured, hung, and shot numerous people, and the disturbing thing about it was how casual he was in doing so. Considering that he fought the Nazis in WWII with the French resistance, it's surprising how much he seems to have become like them (and how much the French occupation of Algeria looked like the German occupation of France). As for the book as a whole, it's well written and provides an important perspective on the conflict given his key role in it. It also provides a little bit of historic background about how the French experience in Vietnam, the rise of Arab nationalism etc. helped fuel the conflict. But all in all it's a pretty distasteful book (and that's from a person who's read lots of war chronicles).
Rating: 5
Summary: He's French but he's no wimp!
Comment: Those who consider the French to be wimps who have no idea of how to handle terrorism should read this book. General Paul Aussaressess will certainly make you reevaluate your opinion France and how its military handles difficult situations such as urban guerilla warfare and terrorism. General Aussaressess was placed in charge of destroying the FLN terrorist infrastructure in the Algerian capital during the critical 1956-57 period. As impossible as this assignment was, he succeeded in dramatically reducing urban attacks during his tenure for several reasons. First, he was not afraid to employ tough measures against his enemy, including torture, assassination, and summary execution. Second and more importantly, he developed a superb human intelligence network to tracks down and eliminate the FLN. Finally, General Aussaressess worked extremely hard to get inside his enemy's head to predict when and where that enemy would strike next. Whatever people think about Aussaressess's methodologies, he definitely comes across as a thoughtful warrior. Like a good detective, Aussaressess was a man who could think on his feet to solve problems. His experience demonstrates how one person can make a difference in a war against terrorism. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with intelligence and terrorism issues, from the police officer on the street to high-level officials in Washington.
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Title:Battle of Algiers ASIN: 6302737249 Publisher: Rhino Video Pub. Date: 21 April, 1993 List Price(USD): $19.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $19.98 |
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Title: Journal, 1955 - 1962: Reflections on the French-Algerian War by Mouloud Feraoun, Mary Ellen Wolfe, Claude Fouillade, James D. Le Sueur, James D. Le Sueur, Mary E. Wolf, James D. Le Sueur ISBN: 080326903X Publisher: Bison Bks Corp Pub. Date: June, 2000 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 by Alistair Horne ISBN: 0670619647 Publisher: Viking Press |
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Title: The Battlefield: Algeria 1988-2002, Studies in a Broken Polity by Hugh Roberts ISBN: 185984684X Publisher: Verso Books Pub. Date: 27 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Algeria, 1830-2000: A Short History by Benjamin Stora, Jane Marie Todd, William B. Quandt ISBN: 0801437156 Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr Pub. Date: June, 2001 List Price(USD): $37.50 |
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