The Death Lobby by Kenneth R. Timmerman

The best kept secret of the Western nations, arms as opposed to the much publicised oil of the Middle East. The extent and manner how oil rich Iraq was wooed and accosted is very well detailed in this almost surreal account of factual events. This book can be used as a template for many a suspense novels for years to come. The Death Lobby would have happily continued to supply Iraq with anything it required if only Saddam Hussein was not in such a hurry for Arab domination. But dictator is a dictator and sooner or later becomes completely detached from reality, choosing to instead believe in his own self created delusion. But au regress as I will not do justice to the extent of this authors research and rich material which is on hand in this tiny book. Consider the full extent of how Iraq was welcomed by France, massaged by West Germany, abetted by Brazil, Argentina and South Africa for weapons against hard cash or oil. When the oil and cash ran out the more sophisticated and articulate British and Americans took over. No more cash or oil, no problem. Why don't we give you wheat so that you can use the food portion of your budget to keep buying more weapons and over the top telecom and building projects from us? Must have felt like music to the ears of a power hungry revolutionary dictator like Saddam whose strategy was to rule through the barrel of a gun, literally as this books details of the regimes fetish with guns, from the smallest to the development of the largest and longest firing artillery piece capable of 1000 km range. It was only due to his foolhardy decision to invade Kuwait which opened up new markets for the Death lobby thus stemming the flow of easy credit and weapons to Iraq's deadly regime, otherwise the flow would continue. This book is a wonderful insight into the operating procedures of the Death Lobby as they ply their deadly trade around the world, complete with vert eloquent moral justifications supplied by their intelligentsia. Consider the a French moralist when defining the special new relationship between Iraq and France. 'We are nonaligned nation, trying to to help another country achieve liberation from yokes of superpower (USSR).' Death Lobby is alive and kicking, complete with the best range of apologists readily available with the right narrative on hand to seal deals which keeps rich nations rich.

I only took one star away as sometimes the book goes in too much detail of the various defence deals, which can become tiresome for ordinary readers.