Finished (E-Reader) - "Threat Vector" - Tom Clancy

As a Tom Clancy fan,  I finished "Threat Vector" as quickly as possible.  I find his books compelling to read.

However, I think I have to go back to earlier Clancy books.  I get the feeling that "post-911" Clancy is making his villains much more 2-dimensional than in the past (I'd have to re-read older books to verify).  Clancy has always been pro-American, which is fine, but I think the books are much deeper, interesting and meaningful if time is taken to clarify the goals and rationale of the antagonist(s).  If we really feel for the terrorists, other government, agents, non-leadership elements in other governments, we get a much better picture of what is going on and why, and a much more satisfactory conclusion of the storyline.

I don't think the actions of 9-11 become any less horrific when we can understand where the aggressors come from.  Regardless of the rationale, there is no explanation/support/rationalization that makes deaths of innocents OK.  However, understanding of the rationale makes targeting those responsible more accurate, and clarifies the steps necessary to reduce the likelihood of repeated incidents.

"Threat Vector" was less "terrorist" oriented than a potential geopolitical change in the east.  I liked the action and the basic storyline, but the plot might have been better served to look at a less rash pattern by China - China has a long history, and likely looks at longer term solutions to problems, and compared to the west tends to be very patient.  It might have been better to have events serve, or appear to serve, a larger, long term plan, rather than be a relatively short-term, fast action series of events.  Having the Ryans figure out the longer term goals might have been a much more compelling conclusion - even if they were to have to make a choice to be "seen" as weaker in the short term in order to secure a longer term for U.S. dominance (e.g. "Only Nixon can go to China").