Reviews for Iron Triangle: Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group

The average rating for Iron Triangle: Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-06-20 00:00:00 Jessica Ashcraft The story Dan Briody chronicles in The Iron Triangle: Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group is one of a quest for power. Briody delves into the inner characters of the Carlyle Group, their transactions, and the entire history. Briody allows for there to always, in the back of the readers mind, to be the question: is this group using its power legally? In fact, Briody's underlying theme stems from this question; Briody writes of the way business is done in America, and most importantly, just how much of an impact that business has on the United States government and policy- domestically and foreign. Briody starts with the genesis of the Carlyle Group- the Eskimo tax loophole- and the personalities of its founders and key people who helped start it. Briody makes clear that personalities are crucial in the story of the Carlyle Group, ultimately determining whether or not deals go through, who stays employed, and the fate of companies that the Carlyle Group buys (for example: the Caterair fiasco). Briody makes clear the political ties the Carlyle group has to the Bush family, and other big names in politics, and how those relationship shape the business the company does and what deals it makes (for example: Carlucci's employment with the firm after his term as Secretary of Defense). Ultimately Briody is spelling out a conspiracy theory for the reader, but one that is factual and needs to be realized. My problem with the term "conspiracy theory" is that it insinuates that the hypothesis is radical and improbable. Briody debunks this assumption by his candid account of the history of the Carlyle group, and in turn spells out a scary reality of the future of American politics, business, and the connective-ness of the United States and the global economy private firms (and those like the Carlyle Group that deal with defense and arms sales).

Review # 2 was written on 2008-06-13 00:00:00 Robert Blauvelt A look at America's "military industrial complex." The author writes of the major players and their influence of the former state heads, defense industry, foreign govts, and Washington lawmakers manifested through the Caryle Group - the largest private equitiy in the world. Personally, I thought the author introduced too much bias and was premature to jump to certain conclusions.