Excellent book. I read it several years ago and I'm just starting to read it again.As a new century dawned, a newly elected U.S. president was forced to confront a grave threat to the nation--an escalating series of unprovoked attacks on Americans by Muslim terrorists sworn to carry out jihad against all Western powers. Worse still, these fanatics operated under the protection and sponsorship of rogue states ruled by ruthless and cunning dictators. As timely and familiar as these events may seem, they occurred more than two centuries ago. The president was Thomas Jefferson, and the terrorists were the Barbary pirates of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli.
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Wiliam Eaton, U.S. consul to the Regency of Tunis, 1799-1803 wrote:To the United States, they believe they can dictate terms. Why should they not? Or why should they believe it will ever be otherwise? They have seen nothing in America to controvert the opinion. And all our talk of resistance and reprisal, they view as the swaggering of a braggadocio. . . . But whatever stratagem may be used to aid our measures, it is certain, that there is not access to the permanent friendhip of these states, without paving the way with gold or cannon balls; and the proper question is, which method is preferable.