ILLUSION OR VICTORY

A fictionalized argument for using the US military and, more particularly, Navy SEALS to attack the drug trade at its source—in Central and South America—by former Naval officer Knopf. After a SEAL team sinks a boat on the Amazon carrying some $250 million in cocaine, the drug cartels strike back with a terrorist bombing in Virginia, killing over 200 civilians. Stung by the size and audacity of the event, the US government unleashes a far-flung campaign to kill drug lords, disrupt and destroy drug shipments, and bloody the guerrilla groups who provide protection and troops for the drug trade. Most of the novel is taken up with the specifics of the campaign, including the delicate maneuvering between federal agencies and the military, the coordination between nations (Israel goes after the drug trade in Lebanon), the careful preparation of strike teams, and the action itself. A heated plea for unleashing the military to solve the drug problem.