Carmen N. Pedrosa, Phillipine Star, Feb. 23 and 28, 2002
Can give us perspective on the US war against terrorism and the controversial presence of American troops in Mindanao...

Mr. Phil Keeler, Frmr. Head of PanAm Operations in Seychelles
Certainly timely. Mancham and the Shah of Iran shared the same fates. These misbegotten adventures distressed many of us.

Peter Porco, Anchorage Daily News, Feb. 23, 2002
According to Mancham, the US should exert moral leadership on par with its military power.

Thomas Walsh, Ph.D., Secretary General, Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace
An important book reflecting on some of the deeper issues related to the events of September 11.

Henri Mammootoo, Week-End, Mauritius
It is in fact a living history which we all must learn.

Book Description
An astute observer... "As the first President of the Seychelles, Sir James Mancham had a ringside seat to emerging Cold War struggles for the control of strategic islands in the Indian Ocean. He was eventually overthrown in a pro-Marxist coup while on a visit to London.. His "War on America" is crammed with fascinating details hitherto untold - and told well by Sir James. An astute observer of the forces that have shaped developing countries and islands, and spawned the breeding grounds of transnational terrorism, he has made an important contribution to the historical record." —Arnaud de Borchgrave, Past President and Editor at Large, UPI and Washington Times, author of the bestseller The Spike. A book full of insight "If a script of the life of James Mancham were submitted to a film producer as a James Bond-style thriller, perhaps it would be dismissed as too fanciful even for Hollywood. In his latest book, War on America Seen from the Indian Ocean, we re-live Mancham's rise from humble origins in an isolated corner of the globe, to first President of his country and world Statesman. There are international stories of major global events including decolonization, super-power rivalry, the CIA, assassination, political skullduggery, the Cold War, the coming and going of world leaders. There are the lives of the super rich and the desperately poor nations of the world, and there are more local events in Seychelles, including independence, a coup, mercenaries, and the fight to save the most ecologically important atoll on the planet. All these are facts that have been woven into the fabric of one of the most colourful lives a man can live. Yet all these tumultuous stories are but a backdrop to a book full of insight, an insight that arises in a man who has lived at the heart of so many events on the world stage and yet retained not a shred of bitterness for the hand dealt to him by friend or foe alike. America is one of those friends, but a friend that often appears blinded to the needs of its allies by its own narrow agenda. War on America is a reminder from Mancham: the ripples that spread from the foreign policy actions of the most powerful nation on earth may not always be in the interests of the vision of freedom, democracy and peace to which America aspires. Not many former Presidents of any country attempt to pass on their experiences with such candour and goodwill and perhaps none would even consider passing on a profound political message with poetry. The ending of the book is such a poem, a message of optimism, a message of hope and a tribute from James Mancham to the power for good and evil that lies within every human being to create a better future! not just for one nation but for all." —Andrian Skerrett - Author, businessman and conservationist.

From the Inside Flap
Why Attack America? On September 11, 2001, the United States of America was surprised by a deadly terrorist attack fueled by hatred for the United States that Americans could not understand. Why anyone would want to attack a peace-loving democracy not interested in war? A Constructive Reflection on US Foreign Policy in the Indian Ocean This book is written to help Americans understand how people in other parts of the world are impacted by a United States’ foreign policy that often seems arbitrary, self-serving, and inconsistent with the ideals of democracy. The author is past president of the Seychelles, neighbor to Diego Garcia from which many of the airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan were launched. His comments are informative and constructive for anyone interested in creating a better and more coherent US foreign policy that will lead to a more peaceful world and prevent a recurrence of terrorist attacks on America.

About the Author
Sir James Richard Marie Mancham is the founding President of the Republic of Seychelles—a tiny island nation and one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The Seychelles became a “strategic US territory” in the early sixties. He extended hospitality when the US Air Force decided that it would be in the US national interest to build a satellite tracking station atop of Seychelles’ main Island of Mahé in the middle of the Indian Ocean to gather military intelligence over a then aggressive Soviet Union. He was not prepared for what followed. This book is an account of US foreign policy seen from the Indian Ocean from the 1960s to the present.

Excerpted from War on America : Seen from the Indian Ocean by James R. Mancham. Copyright © 2002. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER ONE WAR ON AMERICA CHALLENGES U.S. FOREIGN POLICY GLACIS-SUR-MER, MAHÉ, SEYCHELLES—TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. It was about 5:00 P.M.—Time to close the office and let the staff go. I was going through some pieces of poetry I had written years ago. One particularly struck me. “This green world—this clean world is a mighty good my friend. And if we only look for it, this world is full of fun. Smiles there are for every tear—so why should we be vexed? But let us build up happiness—to treasure in the next.” Suddenly my direct telephone rang—I picked it up. It was my daughter, Caroline Cooper, in Orlando, Florida on the line. “Daddy please switch on CNN—some terrible things have happened to the World Trade Center in New York City. I just can’t believe it.” She was in a terrible state of shock. I have a TV set in the room next to my office. In today’s global village right here in the middle of the Indian Ocean, we are able to access CNN on a twenty-four-hour basis. In no time I was watching CNN Breaking News—an airplane had “crashed” into the first tower of the World Trade Center. Was it an accident? Was it foul play? I remained glued to the TV screen, and suddenly I saw the second plane crashing itself into the other tower as the former burnt into red, raw flames. Was I dreaming or was it real? I could not believe what I was seeing. I stayed glued to the screen and observed the development of the most horrendous and impactful drama I could have ever imagined. Millions all over the United States and hundreds of millions all over the world were, like me, able to witness the attacks on WTC in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., thanks to modern technology that is mostly in the control and ownership of corporations in one city of the United States of America or another. Caroline telephoned another time. This time she was in tears—and her voice betrayed a state of fear. “Daddy, Daddy what is becoming to our beautiful America? Who are those people who hate us so much as to wish so much destruction on us at the expense of their own lives? Daddy, Daddy I cannot really understand it.” I comforted her as much as I could. Caroline was born in the Seychelles but became a U.S. Citizen after moving to Florida with her mother in the seventies when her mother and I were divorced. She has a beautiful five-year-old daughter, Lauren Cooper, who came on the line during the second call. “Grandpa, Mama is crying because New York is on fire. When are you coming to see us? We love you Grandpa.” I became tearful myself as I put the telephone down—and once again glued myself to the TV screen, watching the story turning from “bad” to “worse”, sharing the pains and agony of my American friends, absorbed in my own reflections about our mad and sadly divided world. I know that America is by for the most powerful nation in the world and could retaliate at very prompt notice—but this was not Pearl Harbor and the enemy was invisible. In no time, the finger was being pointed at Osama bin Laden and his terrorist group, which had allegedly been behind the previous attack on the World Trade Center and attacks on the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam. Bin Laden was supposed to be hiding in a cave somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan under the patronage of the Taliban. Ironically enough, in the photo I had seen of him, the man looks more like a biblical figure than a hard-headed terrorist leader. Yet according to British intelligence, he is the mastermind behind the Al Quaida network, which is linked to a web of Islamic fundamentalist groups which run operations around the world—including training camps, warehouses, communication, and commercial operations—including the exploitation of the drug trade! President Bush was starting to speak about “revenge” and the need to catch Osama bin Laden—“dead or alive.” I started wondering whether perhaps it would not be best that Bin Laden was never ever caught. Catch him, before you put him in jail or execute him, would he not have to be tried in an open court with CNN beaming his trial across the globe? Would he not become a martyr in the eyes and heart of those who have been taught to hate America? President Bush has referred to the suicide pilots as “cowards,” yet we cannot overlook the fact that these people are, on the other hand, being regarded as martyrs and heroes of “their cause,” however misguided they may have been. That evening I decided to e-mail messages of sympathy to some of my friends in the United States. In no time, one of them, Patrick Reynolds of Los Angeles, a son of R.J. Reynolds of the U.S. tobacco industry, who, today, ironically heads a nationwide anti-smoking campaign, had acknowledged my message. He said that he was spearheading an initiative for all friends of America, wherever they may be, to light a candle to show that we stand united together, that we will not tolerate terrorism. That evening I decided to demonstrate my own goodwill towards the American people by working with my staff, late into the night, sending an e-mail message to hundreds of friends all over the world. The message read:...

FROM THE PUBLISHER

On September 11, 2001, the United States of America was surprised by a deadly terrorist attack fueled by hatred for the United States that Americans could not understand. Why would anyone want to attack a peace-loving democracy not interested in war?

This book is written to help Americans understand how people in other parts of the world are impacted by a United States￯﾿ﾽ foreign policy that often seems arbitrary, self-serving, and inconsistent with the ideals of democracy. The author is past president of the Sychelles, neighbor to Diego Garcia from which many of the airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan were launched. His comments are informative and constructive for anyone interested in creating a better and more coherent US foreign policy that will lead to a more peaceful world and prevent a recurrence of terrorist attacks on America.

Sir James Richard Marie Mancham is the founding President of the Republic of Seychelles￯﾿ﾽa tiny island nation and one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The Seychelles became a ￯﾿ﾽstrategic US territory￯﾿ﾽ in the early sixties. He extended hospitality when the US Air Force decided that it would be in the US national interest to build a satellite tracking station atop of Seychelles￯﾿ﾽ main Island of Mah￯﾿ﾽ in the middle of the Indian Ocean to gather military intelligence over a then aggressive Soviet Union. He was not prepared for what followed. This book is an account of US foreign policy seen from the Indian Ocean from the 1960s to the present.

SYNOPSIS

This text examines the impact of U.S. foreign policy on people in various parts of the world from the 1960s to the present. A former president of the Seychelles (from which many of the recent airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan were launched), Mancham hopes to shed some light on how American foreign policy contributes to the increasing threat of terrorism. The volume does not contain bibliographical references or an index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Booknews

This text examines the impact of U.S. foreign policy on people in various parts of the world from the 1960s to the present. A former president of the Seychelles (from which many of the recent airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan were launched), Mancham hopes to shed some light on how American foreign policy contributes to the increasing threat of terrorism. The volume does not contain bibliographical references or an index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING