Great Navy Seal Story Author Interview

Insight into the Middle East and Iran from a former CIA Officer who knows

Sometimes we can find out more about what really goes on in the world by reading fiction than from our new media which tends to have an agenda of their own. I suspect that Coopers Revenge is just that kind of book. Written by a former CIA Officer with extensive Middle East experience the story tells about a Navy Seal who is seriously injured, separated from the service, and then goes on a mission to get revenge for the murder of his brother. Exciting action with an undertone of realism that suggests the story is plausable if not real. Because of the nature of Coopers Revenge I was intregued by the opportunity to interview the author, Terry Williams. I began with a written interview, which you can read below, and then scheduled a live blog radio interview for July 15th which you can listen to Monday night at 7 p.m. California by going to www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors. Look for my Books and Politics show. The written interview follows: 1. Terry, your book provides some pretty clear details about the war in Iraq. Could you give our listeners a little information about your background and how you know so much about the conflict in Iraq and the situation in Iran? I spent thirty years as an Operations Officer and Operations Manager for the Central Intelligence Agency. Although the bulk of my career was spent in Asia, everyone at CIA was called upon to support our military in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the less conventional war on terror. And just as a concerned citizen following our foreign policy as we insert ourselves into these military quagmires. I think we need to reduce our footprint in foreign military engagements and increase our covert action capabilities. 2. What do you hope to accomplish by publishing Coopers Revenge? My goal was to highlight the role that Iran has played and indeed continues to play as a state sponsor of terrorism through its proxies in Hezbollah, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Specifically the horrible impact IEDs have had on our military in terms of deaths, wounded and dismembered combatants.

3. How would you characterize you book in terms of genre. Is is a war story? And adventure story? Or what? I would characterize Coopers Revenge as Suspense /Thriller fiction. Although there are many factual aspects to the story, it is a work of fiction that is meant to entertain as well as inform. 4. Tell us a little about Logan Alexander, the main character in your story. Logan is a Navy SEAL, probably a composite of some of the Special Forces personnel I have trained and worked with over the years. He is a patriot, a warrior, someone for whom family and loyalty are paramount. 5. Now that we know about Logan Alexander could you provide a little more detail about the plot without spoiling things for people who want to read the book? Logan finds himself immersed in the world of international terrorism, when his younger brother dies in an Improvised Explosives Device attack in Iraq. Logan responds by mounting a covert operation with the help of several like- minded Special Forces operators against the perpetrators. This fast paced plot takes Logan and his cohorts around the world. 6. The Iranian Qods play an important role in the story. Could you tell us a bit more about them and what you believe their overall objective is? The Qods Force is a paramilitary organization that was originally created in 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini forced Reza Shah Pahlavi from power. Their role at the time was mostly internal, keeping an eye on military commanders whose loyalty to the new regime was untested. To this day they remain under the direct command of Irans Supreme Leader. Their role and influence have expanded considerably as they serve as a foreign covert action arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

7. The Iranians recently elected a new president. Do you believe this will result in any significant changes in the way they deal with the West? Irans election of Hasan Rowhani in recent presidential elections would appear to signal that the Iranian people are ready for a more moderate leader. However, real power in Iran lies in the hands of the theocrats, led by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. They have been behind the policies of the last 35 years that have made Iran an international pariah that chooses to provoke the west rather than seek rapproachment. I dont see this changing as a result of this election. 8. What should U.S. policy be towards Iran? The U.S. has a difficult diplomatic task vis--vis Iran. How can the U.S. advance a relationship when the other side is bent on pursing policies and actions that contravene International law. The U.S. should be open to dialog with Iran, and strive not to demonize their leadership, hard as this might be. At the same time we must be resolute in punishing Iran to the full extent allowable under U.S. and International law for its bad behavior. 9. What is the risk if Iran does develop nuclear weapons? Would they be likely to use them on say Israel or even Europe or the U.S.? Or is the real problem that they might make them available to terrorist organizations? Irans tenacious pursuit of a nuclear weapon comes at great cost. Look at the sanctions that have been imposed upon them. But the threat a nucleararmed Iran poses to the world is far greater. Their avowed desire to destroy Israel threatens all of us because the nuclear conflagration that would result could destroy civilization as we know it. And if Irans proxies were ever to get their hands on a nuclear weapon and the delivery system to put it in play it would be Armageddon. 10. If you had a short meeting with President Obama and had the opportunity to tell him one thing about Iran what would it be? Be open to dialog but remain vigilant. Dont get sucked into a war with Iran, but use the power of your office to approve covert action programs against Irans nuclear program. Effect political change in Iran by supporting

opposition groups who may in time change the nature of Irans policies towards the west. 11. Early in your book you point out the easy transit across the Afghanistan Pakistan border by Taliban. In light of the limited cooperation we receive from Pakistan should we be providing them financial assistance? Pakistans leadership continues to disappoint on so many levels. Going back to the days of A.Q. Khan, the nuclear proliferator, their inexplicable sanctuary of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad and the Taliban leadership in Quetta are all startling betrayals of our bilateral relationship. There are things we dont know about that Pakistan is doing for us. Our leaders need to weigh these against Pakistans divided loyalties and assess if our continued financial assistance is warranted. 12. Do you have any other books in the works? And, if so, will Logan Alexander be involved? Yes, I have just finished writing Unit 400 The Assassins which is a sequel to Coopers Revenge and which brings back many of the original characters. Logan is again, our leading man. 13. Ok, my last question. Where can readers find your book? In bookstores and on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Apples website. Many thanks Terry for answering my questions in this written interview. I am really looking forward to our live radio interview and hope people who read this will listen in for a more detailed explanation of your book and of the situation in the Middle East. Meanwhile I would strongly suggest that they buy and read your book before the show since it might give them some ideas for call in questions and because it is such a tremendous value at just 99 cents for the e-book version. Imagine, an interesting novel with a lot of relevant information for just 99 cents. Hard to go wrong with this!