Finished Devil's game. Boy was that a long read. The book was rambly,
he overstated his case, and it retreads some of the familiar
territory, like the Taliban's cooperation with the US and Unocal's
ideas of building a gas pipeline to the Indian ocean through
Afghanistan. They were hoping to create another Saudi Arabia out of
Afghanistan (Although, that arsehole in Nebraska who created a
"Taliban primer" to teach kids to count using dead Russian soldiers
and kalashnikov rifles deserves a special place in hell) Also, in the
end of the book, Dreyfuss retells some of the neocon militant rhetoric
of Bush' golden years: they actually were threatening to break up the
very same Saudi Arabia because it was deemed too unstable. They also
had plans for Iran and Syria. It wasn't long ago and seems so
thoroughly forgotten now.

Dreyfuss also names the creators and picks apart the "clash of
civilizations" theory that is still in fashion. That was a nice
read. Dreyfuss is probably the only one who thoroughly analyzes Islamic
banking and the source of financing for Islamic radicalism as well as
just a reactionary prop for the repressive regimes in the gulf.

Another amusing tidbit is how much Israel was culpable in fostering
Islamic fundamentalism. In one place Dreyfuss sort of recounts how
they sold arms to Afghanistan, to Iran, supported the Islamic
brotherhood in Jordan and Lebanon so that it would destabilize Syria.
Let alone nurturing Hamas.