ROLLING UP THE WEB OF TERROR. Book Review No. 7 is Endgame (details or compare prices), written by two retired Generals. This is a rather sobering book, considering a number of worst-case scenarios for further terrorist attacks, including those abetted by governments. It offers a look at several countries that offered or offer haven for the web of terror, including Afghanistan (the establishment of a fully functioning civil society is years in the future), Iraq (the authors recommend staying the course; the recent election is probably a step in the right direction), Iran (reminds the authors of the Soviet Union in 1989), North Korea (complicated diplomacy involving the other Pacific Rim states), Syria (a domino waiting to fall; the authors argue that Syria has Saddam's chemical and atomic weapons, and Israeli intelligence knows that), Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.

The authors propose a message of five freedoms that the United States ought communicate to the citizens of nations disposed to harbor or fund the Web of Terror. These are freedom of education, of the economy, of information, of the person, and of governance.

On the other hand, the authors also suggest the creation of a special counterterrorism agency -- a cabinet department -- with secure Special Terrorist Courts. That's a bit much. Does security of the nation trump individual liberties to that extent?