Articles and Reviews
Interviews
Related articles by Joshua E. London

This is a tale of piracy, heroism, disaster, triumph and American exceptionalism. A wonderful story, filling a gap in the history of the early republic. A terrific book!

- Bernard Cornwell, the New York Times bestselling author of Sharpe's Havoc and, most recently, The Last Kingdom.

Victory in Tripoli deftly captures the dangers of covert operations, the complexity of international diplomacy, and the thrills and horrors of battle. Joshua E. London's exciting and insightful look at one of America's earliest and seldom remembered foreign escapades offers much for the keen observer of current events.

- Charles T. Pinck, President, the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) Society.

"Insightful and entertaining, Victory in Tripoli is an absolutely fascinating story, wonderfully told. Anyone with even a passing interest in Naval history, or U.S. history in general, should read this book."

- Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This book is a good starting point for the lay reader. Its focus is on the individuals who were prominent in the scenes of action around Tripoli: William Bainbridge, Edward Preble, Stephen Decatur, and William Eaton, among others. London takes the reader through the march to capture Tripoli (that's the bicentennial) and then quickly through to the later treaty signings in 1815, showing how the U.S. response to Barbary depredations resulted in a navy and marine corps capable of securing the rights of Americans in foreign lands.

- Lee Arnold, Library Journal Reviews.

London may hope that his sound history of the war with the Barbary pirates, published in time for the 2005 bicentennial of the conflict, will inspire readers to support new efforts in the war on terrorism. At any rate, he gives us a thoroughly readable history of a prolonged crisis in American foreign and naval policy that arose when the U.S. became independent from Great Britain and commerce that had been colonial was no longer sheltered by a mother country's large navy. To cope with the seizing of American ships and the ransoming of American sailors who were held under often barbaric conditions, the U.S. revived its navy and sent it into action off the shores of Tripoli. A cheap or unqualified victory wasn't achieved, but a useful precedent was set for armed resistance to international extortion. Moreover, the U.S. made a permanent commitment to maintaining a navy. London also gives full credit for valiant effort to Consul William Eaton, who marched across the desert to press the pirates by land.

- Roland Green, Booklist, American Library Association.

" Victory in Tripoli is a good read about an exciting period and contains much information from a variety of sources about events that are little remembered today. It is worth the effort."

-Ambassador Richard B. Parker, Scholar-in-Residence Emeritus with the Middle East Institute, in the Middle East Journal

"…an exciting story of the War on Terror - circa 1800… London 's fascinating account gives us cause for hope that even long, twilight struggles can, after twists and turns of ugly politics, end in victory."

- Michael Potemra, Literary Editor, National Review

Articles and Reviews

The First War on Terror
By Orrin C. Judd, author and editor of Redefining Sovereignty (Smith and Krauss, March 2006)
Brothersjudd.com (also posted to Amazon.com )
October 12, 2005

Distant Echoes
By Michael Potemra
National Review
October 24, 2005 , Vol. LVII, No.19
 

No Substitute For Victory
By John B. Dwyer
The American Thinker
November 24th, 2005

Pirate Coast Campaign Was U.S. 's First War on Terror, Authors Say
By Willie Drye
National Geographic News
December 2, 2005

Ye Olde War on Terror, 19th Century Style
By Isaac Wolf,
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
December 16, 2005

Victory in Tripoli
By Ambassador Richard B. Parker
The Middle East Journal
Vol. LX No. 1, Winter 2006 (p. 185)

Author avoids comparisons between past and present wars
By Isaac Wolf
The University of Chicago Maroon
January 10, 2006

Expert: For Centuries, Islam Hasn't Varied
By Joshua Runyon
The Jewish Exponent
February 16, 2006

Fighting Terror On The Shores Of Tripoli
By Brian Rochford
The Evening Bulletin
February 8, 2006

“To the shores of Tripoli ”: War celebrated in Marines hymn teaches lessons for today
By Aaron Leibel
Washington Jewish Week
March 22, 2006

Jihad in the Days of Jefferson
Bu Erik Schechter
The Jerusalem Post
April 26, 2006

America's First War on Terror
By Dr. Andrew G. Bostom
FrontPageMagazine.com
May 4, 2006

Victory in Tripoli
By M. Gardener
Yated Ne'eman
May 19th, 2006

The Book Shelf
By Erik Schechter
The Jewish Press
May 24, 2006 (reprinted from the Jerusalem Post)

Summertime, when self-promotion is easy
By Marvin Olasky
World Magazine
July 01, 2006, Vol. 21, No. 26

Interviews

America's First War on Islamic Terror
By Orrin C. Judd
Tech Central Station Daily
November, 14, 2005

Victory in Tripoli
By Uri Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com
May 09, 2006

Related articles by Joshua E. London

America's Earliest Terrorists: Lessons from America's first war against Islamic terror
By Joshua E. London
National Review Online
December 16, 2005

Victory in Tripoli: Lessons for the War on Terrorism
by Joshua E. London
Heritage Foundation Lecture #940
Delivered April 6, 2006, published May 4, 2006

To watch the video or listen to the Mp3 of this event, click here.

Purchase Book