Reddit reviews In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story

Another great account of covert US proxy wars during the Cold War is In Search of Enemies. It is a firsthand account of the CIA's involvement in Angola by the CIA's Chief of the Angola task force.

I know this can be a contentious argument, so I am glad we can keep it civil.

> They can sell to both sides. The US is the #1 arms exporter in the world, why wouldn't they rather have 2 markets instead of 1? The instability in Iraq serves the military-industrial complex, it is profitable. There's your benefit for the US.

Sure, totally, that's always a possibility, but the U.S. arms manufacturers were making a killing just be selling to the American military, which made members of Congress happy whenever their district got a new weapons plant or some such. I also certainly agree that the military-industrial complex favored the war and pushed it via the Bush administration, especially with Dick Cheney in place (as the Downing Street memo mentions) "fixing the facts" to support the cause for war.

My own quibble here is with the idea that the Americans were knowingly supporting al-Qaeda in Iraq because American militarists are still very patriotic. Sure, they want to make billions of dollars by selling tanks, but they can happily do it through the Pentagon (and its half a trillion dollar DOD budget) while also kicking A-rab ass and waving the Stars and Stripes. 'Merica.

>In the same way it seems like Zionists may control the both sides of the Russia/China vs US/Europe/Saudi conflict, the US can control both sides of the Al-Nusra vs Iraq conflict.

The Syrian civil war is way too complex for any one or two or even three factions to control. American or Israeli intelligence just aren't that expansive or capable. Here is a post I recently wrote that briefly describe most of the sides here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3vwryz/isis_is_a_tool_of_western_governments_to/cxs7ioe

We also have to consider what the public or factions within each of these countries opine on the Syrian civil war, e.g., Republicans in America calling Obama a "pussy" since they believe he should be doing more.

>Basically, there's no reason they can't sell guns/rockets/trucks/etc to the losing side. That's a market too.

I agree. Many of these interests are nonstate arms dealers.

There is a good book called In Search of Enemies that describes CIA operations in Africa from an intelligence chief that was intimately involved, and he describes how field operations are often extremely difficult work with little money at hand and few personnel involved (meaning that their reputations often proceeds their abilities):
http://www.amazon.com/In-Search-Enemies-CIA-Story/dp/0393009262

>ome want the war over so they can get their hands on the resources or markets and start selling, but other parts of the military-industrial complex want the war to last forever. So there are various tensions at play between sub-factions within the military-industrial complex, that determine the speed and intensity of the war.

I agree with the sentiments behind your post, but I believe we have to consider all the competing interests at hand and whether one side or the other has the reach, the funds, the personnel, and the connections to accomplish their goals.

Syria is going to be a big mess, and while some groups may see a profit in rebuilding infrastructure, in loan programs (WTO), and so forth, it will be a messy situation, and I don't know if the profit will be there except for particular industries. War doesn't guarantee a profit so there are always more stable ways to make money than conflict (unless you sell bullets and troop transports).

Remember how people said the U.S. went into Iraq for oil? Well, the Americans never got any of it -- the Chinese won a lot of contracts and much of it has been transported through Turkey -- so we always have to keep a skeptical mind when it comes this topic, because we can often look back events more clearly like we can with the Iraqi war and occupation (which cost American public trillions of dollars at this point).

You're an uneducable and clueless fucking toady bitch. So sad. So clueless. So sad. Ha.

"John R. Stockwell is a former CIA officer who became a critic of United States government policies after serving in the Agency for thirteen years serving seven tours of duty. After managing U.S. involvement in the Angolan Civil War as Chief of the Angola Task Force during its 1975 covert operations, he resigned and wrote In Search of Enemies, a book which remains the only detailed, insider's account of a major CIA "covert action."


John Stockwell - CIA's War on Humans

This is probably not what you are looking for, but John Stockwell was a CIA officer and the Chief of the Angola Task Force during its 1975 covert operations. He later became a whistleblower. Here a video for those who are interested in what he did for the CIA in Angola.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqx_dijObjA

You probably have both Stockwells book In Search of Enemies and John A. Marcums book Angolan Revolution - Vol. 2: Exile Politics and Guerilla Warfare, 1962-1976.

I believe the footnotes of those books might be helpful.

check also
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/johnson/diph_3.pdf

http://www.cnss.org/data/files/resources/FirstPrinciples/FirstPrinciplesVol11No3.pdf