William Shawcross

Although there are many books and films dealing with the Vietnam War, Sideshow tells the truth about America's secret and illegal war with Cambodia from 1969 to 1973. William Shawcross interviewed hundreds of people of all nationalities, including cabinet ministers, military men, and civil servants, and extensively researched U.S. Government documents. This full-scale investigation with material new to this edition exposes how Kissinger and Nixon treated Cambodia as a sideshow. Although the president and his assistant claimed that a secret bombing campaign in Cambodia was necessary to eliminate North Vietnamese soldiers who were attacking American troops across the border, Shawcross maintains that the bombings only spread the conflict, but led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge and the subsequent massacre of a third of Cambodia's population."… (altro)

"The Shah's last ride" is an enjoyable recounting of the Peacock throne, the Shah of Iran and the Iranian Revolution in 1979. One forgets that the Shah was one of the more important figures of the 20th Century as he was a key figure in the Cold War as a western ally on the border of the Soviet Union.

We get the full details of the Shah's upbringing and his attempts to modernise Iran, much to the chagrin of segments of the deeply Muslim population. SAVAK, Iran's secret police, are mentioned in all their glory, and the Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's role in westernising Iran is covered. Her efforts should be applauded, although you can probably imagine that her launch of an arts festival that included nudity in the streets of Tehran probably gave the Ayatollah's supporters plenty to complain about.… (altro)