The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War
Autor Joshua Kurlantzicken Limba Engleză Paperback – 31 oct 2010
Jim Thompson landed in Thailand at the end of World War II, a former American society dilettante who became an Asian legend as a spy and silk magnate with access to Thai worlds outsiders never saw. As the Cold War reached Thailand, America had a choice: Should it, as Thompson believed, help other nations build democracies from their traditional cultures or, as his ex-OSS friend Willis Bird argued, remake the world through deception and self-serving alliances? In a story rich with insights and intrigue, this book explores a key Cold War episode that is still playing out today.Highlights a pivotal moment in Cold War history that set a course for American foreign policy that is still being followed todayExplores the dynamics that put Thailand at the center of the Cold War and the fighting in neighboring Laos that escalated from sideshow to the largest covert operation America had ever engaged inDraws on personal recollections and includes atmospheric details that bring the people, events and the Thailand of the time to lifeWritten by a journalist with extensive experience in Asian affairs who has spent years investigating every aspect of this story, including Thompson's tragic disappearance"
| Toate formatele și edițiile | Preț | Express |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback (1) | 86.72 lei 3-5 săpt. | |
| Wiley – 31 oct 2010 | 86.72 lei 3-5 săpt. | |
| Hardback (1) | 138.87 lei 3-5 săpt. | |
| Turner Publishing Company – noi 2011 | 138.87 lei 3-5 săpt. |
Preț: 86.72 lei
Puncte Express: 130
Preț estimativ în valută:
15.33€ • 18.32$ • 13.28£
15.33€ • 18.32$ • 13.28£
Carte disponibilă
Livrare economică 21 februarie-07 martie
Specificații
ISBN-13: 9781681620275
ISBN-10: 1681620278
Pagini: 272
Dimensiuni: 156 x 234 x 16 mm
Greutate: 0.43 kg
Ediția:
Editura: Wiley
ISBN-10: 1681620278
Pagini: 272
Dimensiuni: 156 x 234 x 16 mm
Greutate: 0.43 kg
Ediția:
Editura: Wiley
V-ar putea interesa
-
The CIA Book ClubCharlie EnglishPreț: 131.30 lei -
The Untold History of the United StatesOliver Stone-27%Preț: 96.31 lei131.91 lei -
The Quiet AmericanGraham Greene-21%Preț: 53.41 lei67.91 lei -
The Ugly AmericanEugene BurdickPreț: 82.60 lei -
The Myth of American IdealismNoam ChomskyPreț: 105.04 lei -
Preț: 200.74 lei -
Secrets of StateMatthew Palmer-26%Preț: 51.76 lei69.91 lei -
The PersianDavid McCloskeyPreț: 112.86 lei -
WarBob Woodward-23%Preț: 69.35 lei90.13 leiRecomandat -
Cry HavocJack Carr-21%Preț: 55.99 lei70.94 leiRecomandat -
A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIAJoshua Kurlantzick-45%Preț: 67.82 lei123.95 lei -
-27%Preț: 163.30 lei222.36 lei -
The Quiet AmericansScott Anderson-31%Preț: 49.38 lei71.52 lei -
-23%Preț: 106.07 lei138.18 lei -
Thailand: Shifting Ground between the US and a Rising ChinaBenjamin Zawacki-11%Preț: 155.97 lei175.26 lei -
Our ManGeorge Packer-18%Preț: 75.34 lei91.80 lei -
The Road Not TakenMax Boot-32%Preț: 97.18 lei142.06 lei -
The New Cold WarRobin NiblettPreț: 88.57 lei -
PeacemakerThant Myint-UPreț: 152.54 lei -
New Cold WarsDavid E. SangerPreț: 133.28 lei
Descriere
Descriere de la o altă ediție sau format:
Praise for The Ideal Man "Joshua Kurlantzick has written a sad, evocative tale of an American voyager who conquers a strange land only to be lost in it, caught between cultures and his own demons. The Ideal Man will appeal to readers of Graham Greene and The Ugly American, but it′s also a timeless story of innocence and knowing too much." — Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder and The War Lovers "Here is a more troubled and troubling Jim Thompson than we have previously encountered: the silk king enters the heart of darkness. After narrating the ultimate Asia hand′s unrequited love affair with Thailand, this remarkable book makes Thompson′s legendary and still unsolved disappearance at the height of the Cold War seem almost inevitable." — Duncan McCargo, author of Tearing Apart the Land "Woven throughout Kurlantzick′s biography of Our Man in Thailand is an essential question for our times: When Washington goes on ideological rampages overseas, running wars that trample on the aspirations of the local people, no matter how hard those aspirations may be for outsiders to discern, don′t these wars tend to boomerang? Doesn′t cultural clumsiness undercut military power every time? Kurlantzick′s glamorous protagonist, the ′silk king′ Jim Thompson, saw American anticommunism wreak such havoc in Southeast Asia that it helped give rise to a later communist victory. This fascinating book will leave you wondering how often this pattern is going to be repeated, on large and small scales, in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and beyond." — Roger Warner, author of Shooting at the Moon: The Story of America′s Clandestine War in Laos
Praise for The Ideal Man "Joshua Kurlantzick has written a sad, evocative tale of an American voyager who conquers a strange land only to be lost in it, caught between cultures and his own demons. The Ideal Man will appeal to readers of Graham Greene and The Ugly American, but it′s also a timeless story of innocence and knowing too much." — Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder and The War Lovers "Here is a more troubled and troubling Jim Thompson than we have previously encountered: the silk king enters the heart of darkness. After narrating the ultimate Asia hand′s unrequited love affair with Thailand, this remarkable book makes Thompson′s legendary and still unsolved disappearance at the height of the Cold War seem almost inevitable." — Duncan McCargo, author of Tearing Apart the Land "Woven throughout Kurlantzick′s biography of Our Man in Thailand is an essential question for our times: When Washington goes on ideological rampages overseas, running wars that trample on the aspirations of the local people, no matter how hard those aspirations may be for outsiders to discern, don′t these wars tend to boomerang? Doesn′t cultural clumsiness undercut military power every time? Kurlantzick′s glamorous protagonist, the ′silk king′ Jim Thompson, saw American anticommunism wreak such havoc in Southeast Asia that it helped give rise to a later communist victory. This fascinating book will leave you wondering how often this pattern is going to be repeated, on large and small scales, in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and beyond." — Roger Warner, author of Shooting at the Moon: The Story of America′s Clandestine War in Laos
Textul de pe ultima copertă
Praise for "The Ideal Man"
"Joshua Kurlantzick has written a sad, evocative tale of an American voyager who conquers a strange land only to be lost in it, caught between cultures and his own demons. "The Ideal Man" will appeal to readers of Graham Greene and The Ugly American, but it's also a timeless story of innocence and knowing too much."
--Evan Thomas, author of "Sea of Thunder" and "The War Lovers"
"Here is a more troubled and troubling Jim Thompson than we have previously encountered: the silk king enters the heart of darkness. After narrating the ultimate Asia hand's unrequited love affair with Thailand, this remarkable book makes Thompson's legendary and still unsolved disappearance at the height of the Cold War seem almost inevitable."
--Duncan McCargo, author of "Tearing Apart the Land"
"Woven throughout Kurlantzick's biography of Our Man in Thailand is an essential question for our times: When Washington goes on ideological rampages overseas, running wars that trample on the aspirations of the local people, no matter how hard those aspirations may be for outsiders to discern, don't these wars tend to boomerang? Doesn't cultural clumsiness undercut military power every time? Kurlantzick's glamorous protagonist, the 'silk king' Jim Thompson, saw American anticommunism wreak such havoc in Southeast Asia that it helped give rise to a later communist victory. This fascinating book will leave you wondering how often this pattern is going to be repeated, on large and small scales, in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and beyond."
--Roger Warner, author of "Shooting at the Moon: The Story of America's Clandestine War in Laos"
--Evan Thomas, author of "Sea of Thunder" and "The War Lovers"
"Here is a more troubled and troubling Jim Thompson than we have previously encountered: the silk king enters the heart of darkness. After narrating the ultimate Asia hand's unrequited love affair with Thailand, this remarkable book makes Thompson's legendary and still unsolved disappearance at the height of the Cold War seem almost inevitable."
--Duncan McCargo, author of "Tearing Apart the Land"
"Woven throughout Kurlantzick's biography of Our Man in Thailand is an essential question for our times: When Washington goes on ideological rampages overseas, running wars that trample on the aspirations of the local people, no matter how hard those aspirations may be for outsiders to discern, don't these wars tend to boomerang? Doesn't cultural clumsiness undercut military power every time? Kurlantzick's glamorous protagonist, the 'silk king' Jim Thompson, saw American anticommunism wreak such havoc in Southeast Asia that it helped give rise to a later communist victory. This fascinating book will leave you wondering how often this pattern is going to be repeated, on large and small scales, in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and beyond."
--Roger Warner, author of "Shooting at the Moon: The Story of America's Clandestine War in Laos"
Cuprins
Preface v Chapter 1 1 Chapter 2 11 Chapter 3 21 Chapter 4 29 Chapter 5 43 Chapter 6 55 Chapter 7 67 Chapter 8 83 Chapter 9 99 Chapter 10 117 Chapter 11 131 Chapter 12 149 Chapter 13 161 Chapter 14 171 Chapter 15 181 Chapter 16 195 Epilogue 209 Acknowledgments 221 Notes 225 Index 255
Notă biografică
JOSHUA KURLANTZICK writes regularly about Asia for Newsweek and the New Republic . He also contributes to Mother Jones , the London Review of Books , the New York Times , Foreign Policy , the Atlantic , and Time . In 2007, Yale University Press published his book on China′s soft power, Charm Offensive .