Books: Robert Fisk

Robert Fisk's "The Great War For Civilization : The Conquest of the Middle East" has now been published in paperback. Fisk is one of Britain's most respected journalist, who has covered (and lived in) the Middle East for a long time. This book runs 1000 pages, and in my view is a must read for anyone interested in the truth about the Middle East and the West's meddling. While it has no direct bearing on photography per se, it's an important enough book to include in TTP, as it describes Fisk's travels to dangerous places to report on conflicts, and wars.

I'm thrilled to read in a reviewer's commentary that in his book, Fisk heaps scorn at the US mainstream media (press and television) "for what he sees as their abject failure to challenge the lies, distortions and cover-ups of U.S. policymakers. The mendacity and bland pomposity of the suits and talking heads, both Western and Middle Eastern, are infuriating to anyone who has any direct knowledge of what is going on there."

I've have just started to read this book. His notes on his interviews and meetings with Usama Bin Laden (pre 2001) are riveting in their prescience. I expect nothing less than more brilliance from Mr Fisk as I continue reading.