Lecture and Booksigning: "Winning the War on Terror: A Triumph of American Values" October 19, 2005

Two former Northfielders, Colonel B. Wayne Quist and Dr. David F. Drake, will host a booksigning and present a lecture on their new book, "Winning the War on Terror: A Triumph of American Values" Wednesday evening, October 19th at 7:00 PM in the St. Olaf College Viking Theater next to the Bookstore in Buntrock Commons. Both Quist and Drake are graduates of Northfield High School and Quist is a 2003 recipient of the NHS Distinguished Alumni Award. Drake is a Carleton graduate and a published author with a Ph.D from the University of Chicago. Quist is a St. Olaf graduate and retired Air Force colonel with advanced degrees in Middle East studies. Their lecture and booksigning will focus on the origins of the ideology of al Qaeda and will provide a current assessment of U.S. progress in the war on terror. The lecture is open to the public.
Book Webpage: www.bushwaronterror.com
Publisher?s Webpage: http://www.iuniverse.com
Available for purchase online through:
www.Amazon.com
www.bn.com (Barnes & Noble)
www.booksamillion.com.

NORTHFIELD NEWS
Friday, October 14, 2005
Local authors look at Middle East in lecture
By ADAMJOHNSON
Staff Writer
NORTHFIELD -- With a critical vote on a proposed Iraqi constitution currently underway, the debate over Iraq's role in the "War on Terror" is garnering newfound interest from across the ideological spectrum. Despite flagging support for the Iraq War in recent months, two Northfield-born authors contend that it is still worth fighting and fits into a larger strategy of reformation in the Middle East. The authors will present a lecture based on their book "Winning the War on Terror: A Triumph of American Values" in the St. Olaf College Viking Theater at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Co-authors Colonel B. Wayne Quist and Dr. David F. Drake are both graduates of Northfield High School (NHS) and Quist is a 2003 recipient of the NHS Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition, Drake is a graduate of Carleton College, as well as a published author with a doctoral degree from the University of Chicago. Quist is a St. Olaf College graduate and retired Air Force colonel with advanced degrees in Middle East studies.

Their book begins with historical background on the hard-line repression and conservative ideology that has been fostered in Saudi Arabia since the country's formative days in the early 20th century, when founding King Abdul Aziz ibn al Saud struck a pact with right-wing Wahabist leaders to promote their conservative brand of Islam throughout the kingdom. The authors then methodically draw a line from the Arab nation's early days to the current global struggle in the Middle East, and how a growing divide between the lavish lifestyles of the Saudi monarchy and the conservative Islamist movement within their own country could threaten political stability worldwide. The book goes on to provide supporting evidence to the authors' controversial argument that the Iraq War has been waged, in part, to put pressure on the government of Saudi Arabia to reform its ways, including a record of financial support to al Qaeda and Islamist militants that continued well after Sept. 11, 2001. Though critical of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the lack of military preparation for Iraqi reconstruction, Quist and Drake present an optimistic assessment of the Iraq War.

The event is free and open to the public, and also will include a book signing and an opportunity to talk with the local authors.

-- Adam Johnson can be reached at 645-1113 or ajohnson@northfieldnews.com.
Content Š 2005 Northfield News