Home
/
Non-Fiction
/
Talking to Terrorists
Talking to Terrorists
Oct 4, 2024 7:30 AM

Author:Jonathan Powell

Talking to Terrorists

Across the world governments proclaim that they will never ‘negotiate with evil’.

And yet they always have and always will.

From jungle clearings to stately homes and anonymous airport hotels, Talking to Terrorists puts us in the room with the terrorists, secret agents and go-betweens who seek to change the course of history.

Jonathan Powell has spent nearly two decades mediating between governments and terrorist organisations. Drawing on conflicts from Colombia and Sri Lanka to Palestine and South Africa, this optimistic, wide-ranging, authoritative book is about how and why we should talk to terrorists.

‘Essential reading’ Independent

‘Fascinating’ Sunday Times

Now includes a new Afterword - Talking to ISIL

*Perfect for fans of The Looming Tower*

Reviews

Essential reading for all parties in conflict

—— Patrick Cockburn , Independent

Fascinating

—— Michael Ignatieff , Sunday Times

This is an inspiring book. You’ll enter the New Year shaking hands with all.

—— Kirsty Brimelow , The Times

This is an unusual, indeed a unique, book

—— Oliver Miles , Guardian

The book is an enthralling case study of the art, in which Powell carefully establishes his argument for why dialogue with terror groups is usually necessary

—— Anthony Loyd , New Statesman

It is a witty, light-footed, anecdote-rich history of the recent art of talking to terrorists

—— Justin Webb , The Times

Thoughtful, well-structured, intelligent and well-informed

—— Conor Gearty , Irish Times

Intelligent and insightful book on conflict resolution

—— Andrew Lynch , Sunday Business Post

[An] absorbing and authoritative study

—— Michael Ignatieff , Sunday Times

Utterly compelling, top proper stuff. I loved it to bits. The energy of it! I really felt for them (all) by the end

—— Ian Marchant, Author of A Hero for High Times

Really good, clever, dazzling in its anger and the force of its argument

—— Nicola Shulman , Times Literary Supplement

[A] brilliant book... Beard's breathtaking personal account of the British habit of the British habit of institutionalising elite children captures all the nuances and subtleties of the boarder's undoing and its lasting legacy into adulthood

—— Nick Duffell , Therapy Today

Definitive and brilliantly expressed

—— Viv Groskop

[A] brilliantly excoriating book

—— New Statesman

A pleasant and heartfelt account of one man's brief journey into and out of education... unquestionably funny... poignant and very personal

—— Emma Williams , Schools Week

Very funny, often inspiring, occasionally tragic - and a timely reminder of the unforgettable influence of great teachers

—— Daily Mail

Engaging . . . Kessler approaches her topic with even-handedness and rigour.

—— Maclean’s

Brilliantly in-depth not only in the explanations of the gig economy, but in the narratives of people who work gigs as well.

—— Washington Times

As well-reported, and at times as emotionally wrenching, as Amy Goldstein’s Janesville . . . In facing . . . the fraying of the social contract between employer and employee, Sarah Kessler's work in Gigged makes one thing increasingly clear: we must get busy building a new one that benefits all sides of that relationship, and the society around it.

—— Editor’s Choice , 800 CEO Read

Goes under the bonnet of the gig economy.

—— What CEOs Are Reading , Management Today

Kessler’s recent book Gigged is all about [the] desire for independence . . . Kessler investigates the liberating ethos and terrible trade-offs of this new economy by following several people working in such positions. She discovers why the revolution in “independent contractor” work – which comes without guarantees for minimum wages, paid vacation, or health benefits – is paradise for one slice of the population, but has been disappointing, and in some cases devastating, for others.

—— Quartz

For those interested in inquiries into modern (and future) work, there’s Gigged by Sarah Kessler, an analysis of the gig economy.

—— Books of the Year , Buzzfeed News

Looks at the potential of the gig economy and ultimately the problems it bears.

—— Books of the Year , Fast Company
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved