About this item
At nearly every pivotal moment in international politics over the past twenty-five years-from the Reagan-Gorbachev summits, to the Iran-Contra scandal, to the collapse of the Soviet Union, to the decision to go to war in Iraq-if you dug deeply you would find a figure just behind the scenes influencing the action: that of Richard Perle. Largely eschewing senior cabinet appointments and other high-profile roles, the passionate, zealous Perle has been content to operate quietly - behavior which earned him the moniker of The Prince of Darkness. Nevertheless, his influence in Washington has helped to fuel an international disaster in Iraq and the growth of anti-Americanism worldwide. Alan Weisman, a former producer for 60 Minutes, CBS Sunday Morning, and the CBS Evening News, is now shining a light on this major political figure. While Perle has not authorized this biography, he has submitted to interviews with Weisman, encouraged his friends to do so, and provided non-classified material. Such access has granted Weisman a deep and critical insight into Perles methods and mindset. Weisman explores how Perle derailed a nuclear arms agreement between the U.S. and the then Soviet Union; his controversial business dealings; Perles tenure as Chairman of the Pentagons Defense Policy Board during the present Bush Administration; and his role leading up to the Iraqi War, including his dealings with Iraqi exiles like Ahmed Chalabi. From the collapse of the Soviet Union to the current saber-rattling over Iran, Syria, and North Korea, Perle has put his stamp on almost every decisive event in international politics. This is an insightful and incisive study of the highest quality, and one that everyone - not just policy experts - should read.From Prince of Darkness, What People Say about Richard Perle:"We used to have major problems when Richard would wander off the farm and be caught doing things that were not consistent with the policies that [Caspar] Weinberger and [George] Shultz were trying to implement." - Colin Powell, Secretary of State, 2001-2005"Richard can take a really bad idea and make it sound almost plausible and reasonable, even brilliant." - Richard Burt, Assistant Secretary of State, 1983-1985"I really dont understand Perle. If you talk about the real neocons, theres Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz, and theyre very different. Paul Wolfowitz is an idealist, but hes prepared to impose democracy by the sword. I dont think Perle gives a [bleep] about democracy. Fundamentally, its all a means to an end." - Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor, 1989-1993
About the Author
Author of the critically acclaimed NewYork Times best seller The WorldWithout Us, Alan Weisman is anaward-winning journalist whose reportshave appeared in HarperÄôs, the NewYork Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly,Discover, and Orion, among others,and on National Public Radio. A formercontributing editor to the Los AngelesTimes Magazine, he is a senior radioproducer for Homelands Productionsand teaches international journalism atthe University of Arizona. He lives inwestern Massachusetts.
