Pay Any Price

A New York Times Notable Book: A look at the hidden costs of America’s war on terror from “the finest national security reporter of this generation” (Newsweek).   Since 9/11, the United States has fought an endless war on terror, seeking enemies everywhere and never promising peace. In Pay Any Price, Pulitzer Prize winner James Risen reveals an extraordinary litany of the hidden costs of that war: billions of dollars that went missing from Iraq only to turn up in a bunker in Lebanon; whistleblowers abused, including a staffer on the House Intelligence Committee persecuted by the FBI for expressing her concerns about the NSA spying on US citizens; and an entire professional organization, the American Psychological Association, forced to investigate its own involvement with the government’s use of torture.   In the name of fighting terrorism, our government has perpetrated acts that rival the shameful historic wartime abuses of generations past, and it has worked very hard to cover them up. This “important and powerful book” brings them into the light (The New York Times Book Review).   “A wide-ranging look at consequences of the so-called war on terror [that] includes stories of shocking thievery during the U.S. occupation of Iraq.” —U.S. News & World Report   “A memorable chronicle of the long-range consequences of the panicky reaction of top American officials to the Sept. 11 attacks . . . Mr. Risen certainly makes the case in this book that America has lost much in its lashing out against terrorism, and that Congress and the people need to wake up and ask more questions about the political, financial, moral and cultural costs of that campaign.” —Thomas E. Ricks, The New York Times   “At times frightening, Risen’s book is a strong reminder of the importance of a free press keeping a powerful government in check.” —The Daily Beast