The Nuclear Jihadist: The True Story of the Man Who Sold ... (ISBN 1600241298)

a must and need to know!:
We Americans are so unread about what has truly been allowed to go on in the 60-80's, under the watchful eye of many US Presidents. There is enough blame to go around for both parties. If Khan can build nuclear war heads without interruption from his government or ours, what is happening at the moment? So many mistakes over such a long period of time. It is matter of fact, no exaggeration that I can tell. Well worth reading - a MUST! I just wish it were mandatory reading for high schoolers.

a journalistic history of AQ Khan marred by a political agenda:
"The Man From Pakistan's" thrilling high points intersect in 2003; the CIA's diversion of a nuclear equipment-ladened vessel bound for Libya, Qaddifi's conversion from a nuclear wanna be to someone who relinquishes the makings of his arsenal because he fears George W. Bush, and, soon afterwards, when Musharraf tells CIA Director Tenet in a personal meeting "Thank you, George, I will take care," of the evil AQ Khan and his network. By this point, it is clear - facts are facts - achieving these breakthroughs were the result of American and British spy craft and derring do and their calculated disregard for the feckless IAEA. Frantz and Collins, after finishing off A Q Khan and his maniacal reign as a Pakistan's master of nuclear bomb, spin the IAEA and its NBA loving Mohamed ElBaradei, as the potent and effective forces in the nuclear disarmament game. To do this, Frantz and Collins damn the Bush Administration and John Bolton as bullies and roughnecks forgetting the implications of the achievements mentioned above. After ranting on with the questionable relevancy of the Valerie Plame incident and the bizarre national security case of one Richard Barlow, this husband and wife team of journalists fume that "Bush sacrificed the opportunity of uprooting Khan's network to maintain the support of the Musharraf regime in the fight against Al Qaeda." Offering no support for this assertion, they fault the Bush administration for engaging in unilateralism to deal Iran's drive for nuclear weapons. The "P5 plus 1" plan does not merit a mention. They describe that in 2004, the IAEA staff "scrubbed" the language of a report on Iran's nuclear program, toning it down to make it acceptable to the Iranians. Frantz and Collins criticize Bolton's push for tougher language and demanding the IAEA "had an obligation to declare Iran's lies about its nuclear program." Noting El Baradei as "the consummate diplomat," he got the consensus he needed on the IAEA board which included South Africa, Venezuela and Egypt and Malaysia and Iran was not at that time referred to the UN Security Council. The authors then laud the IAEA as "the best hope" for enforcing non proliferation treaties requiring "more cooperation from its member states." Seriously, one does not make this stuff up. Cause and effect in events of this magnitude disappear for these authors. One wonders do they read what they write. Frantz and Collins use their interesting story about AQ Khan as a platform to critique the Bush Administration and endorse the IAEA. For these reasons, the book loses its credibility as an unbiased account of AQ Khan and his aftermath.

Gripping but bias...:
The Man From Pakistan The true story of the world's most dangerous nuclear smuggler Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins Hachette, 2008 ISBN: 9780446199582 4 stars Gripping but bias... The Man From Pakistan is the story of Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of the "Islamic Bomb." I found this tale very disturbing and frightening. We allowed this monster to steal secrets and sell them to the highest bidder. The Man From Pakistan is well written and an interesting read, but the liberal and anti-Iraqi war view of the authors is evident throughout this book. Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins took every opportunity to place blame on Bush and Cheney, while not considering the role Clinton played in North Korea. Despite the bias, Americans need to read this book. We cannot afford to bury our head in the sand. We need to be informed citizens.

Beauty of deception:
Well Frantz wrote a good fairy tale, its a fact that if Khan opens his mouth then many in US and Uk admns would loose their nights sleep. Its liek putting everything in Khans kitty,making him a scape goat! true story? like u think its truth? and Jihadist? lol, it makes me laugh. Who has gotten the nukes via valid ways? even USA had the german design stolen! and subsequently using it on hisroshima nagasaki! who else has used a nuke? would Frantz write that true story? no! Its a fashion now to use the word Jihadist without knowing the words significance. The books title is a farce,he was a nationalist,born in india from where he migrated!and vowed that he will teach hindus a lesson! He is no means a religious man,he married a dutch women,and she still is his wife!he voulnteered to build a bomb for pakistan after Indians made a bomb in 1974 "the smiling bhudda" So was pakistans amitions of gettin a bomb were wrong? considering usa-ussr arms race? now putting or calling it a jihadist agenda is totally absurd,considering pakistan had lost bangladesh in awar with india and needed a deterence because the world was mute about kashmir since 1947! and still is which drives the arms race,so after losing bangladesh (compare that to a pearl harbor) if pakistan went to a nuke bomb (compare it with using on poor japs) whats wrong? now the way he did it are all fairy tales.they just know one man and thats Khan like osama out everything on them like they were the world supreme men who did all the way they wanted it and no one saw them nor stopped them. Tell me a single nuclear state who is responsible? or u think is resonsible. tommorow if someone from iran wud say they bought it from USA then wud u believe it? ofcourse not ull say its a bluff,for me this books a bluff! U dont know what was going on in subcontinent that time!the mentality was to save pakistan from a hostile india by hook or by crook,just like america jumped into the war after being attacked. He did it for his nation for which he migrated! He is a hero in pakistan (80-90%) of which is moderate.but when it comes to india,like the americans,they hate them like usa hates iranians! The story that he sold it to Libya and Iran both considered hostile to USA/Iran is another topic! I wish if Frantz would write anything about another nuclear state called Israel! the Diona plant! which no one talks about!but when it comes to islamic nations everyone becomes paranoid!wonder why! For israel its nuclear ambiguity but for Khan its a true story! ill call it true hipocrisy!

A Man With A Plan (And a Bomb or Two):
Touching on the still-shocking, yet over-reported story of the nuclear scientist and smuggler Abdul Qadeer Khan, The Man From Pakistan gives a blow-by-blow description of Khan's work and infamous legacy. Outlining all the way from how Khan received nuclear technology, to his dealings with Pakistan (selling them the technology and assisting in developing their nuclear program) as well as North Korea, Libya, and Iran, to how the U.S. failed to take action to neutralize this threat to the entire world simply because of a flimsy alliance with the current Pakistani regime. While solidly reporting, The Man From Pakistan doesn't present anything special. It reaches the bar, but does nothing to raise or go over it. A number of the facts contained within it are relatively fresh from being grabbed back from obscurity, but beyond that, it simply meets expectations for a book about A.Q. Khan, without shattering them.