At the dawn of a new century, a newly elected U.S. president was forced to confront an escalating series of unprovoked attacks on Americans by Muslim terrorists sworn to carry out jihad against all Western powers. As timely and familiar as these events may seem, they occurred more than two centuries ago. The president was Thomas Jefferson, and the terrorists were the Barbary pirates. Victory in Tripoli recounts the untold story of one of the defining challenges overcome by the young U.S. republic. This fast-moving and dramatic tale examines the events that gave birth to the Navy and the Marines and re-creates the startling political, diplomatic, and military battles that were central to the conflict. This highly interesting and informative history offers deep insight into issues that remain fundamental to U.S. foreign policy decisions to this day.
Library Journal
This book is a good starting point for the lay reader. Its focus is on the individuals who were prominent in the scenes of action around Tripoli: William Bainbridge, Edward Preble, Stephen Decatur, and William Eaton, among others. London takes the reader through the march to capture Tripoli (that's the bicentennial) and then quickly through to the later treaty signings in 1815, showing how the U.S. response to Barbary depredations resulted in a navy and marine corps capable of securing the rights of Americans in foreign lands. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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JOSHUA E. LONDON is a Washington, D.C.-based writer. He has written on politics and public policy for many publications, including the American Spectator, Human Events, National Review Online, and Details: Promoting Jewish Conservative Values. London holds an M.A. in social science from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Davis.
