The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

pharmaceuticals, use of the Internet to facilitate commerce and the transfer of illicit items, and the ties to organized crime and corruption that surround in- tellectual property crimes. Equally useful, he suggests ways governments can promote innovation without sti- fling creativity. I should note that this is a scholarly treatise, intended for those with more than a casual interest in intellectual property and its role in society. The author expresses his hope that “read- ers who make it to the end of this book” will view any efforts to combat piracy with skepticism if they do not take into account the complexity of the world we inhabit. I sincerely hope that many Journal readers will fall into that camp. David Drinkard is a Foreign Service officer working in the Economic Bu- reau’s Office of Intellectual Property Enforcement. He has also served in Ankara and Tel Aviv. An Inside View The 188th Crybaby Brigade: A Skinny Jewish Kid from Chicago Fights Hezbollah Joel Chasnoff, Free Press, 2010; $25, hardcover, 269 pages. R EVIEWED BY D AVID T. J ONES Joel Chasnoff, an American standup comedian and writer, gives us a classic coming-of-age rebellion saga in this memoir. The self-described “skinny Jewish kid” had been entranced since childhood by heroic accounts of the ex- ploits of the Israel Defense Forces. So after his comedy routine failed to get him gigs, he decided to travel to Israel and join the army. His father wasn’t thrilled at the news, glaring as though “I’d just announced that I was Repub- lican. And Muslim. And gay.” The bulk of Crybaby Brigade , whose title is derived from the derisive nickname directed at Chasnoff and other recruits undergoing basic IDF training, is a factual account of military instruction. It covers both basic and armored training in the Merkava-3 Bas Battle Tank, followed by advanced combat instruction. For anyone who has ever worn a uniform, the scenarios are familiar: commands to hurry up and wait; punishing physical training; baffling and interminable lectures; and individuals of dubious abilities pro- moted to positions of authority. For the majority of people who have never undergone military service, this memoir provides insights into the focused frenzy and scatological humor epitomized by such an experience. At 24, Chasnoff was significantly older than most recruits, who endured their societal rite of passage with a year of military service at 18. He offers perspective on the real- ization that only slightly civilized young males were a major element of the de- fense of Israel. But he also feels pride that in place of the days of Jewish weakness, when anyone could kill Jews, now true Jewish warriors were able and eager to defend their people. Chasnoff gives us other astute soci- etal observations, as well. The Holo- caust is no longer sacrosanct in Israel. Trainees are taught about it, to be sure, and one element of the instruction is a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. But it is far from a deeply solemn event: the recruits clown around and engage in teenage horse- play. Chasnoff concludes it is awesome that 60 years after Hitler, “There are now Jews for whom the concept of vic- timhood is so foreign that they can give one another wedgies” during the mu- seum visit. His Lebanon experience (1997- 1998) was during the IDF occupation of a since-surrendered sector of Leb- anon as a buffer zone against Hezbol- lah rocket attacks. It was a tense, semi- combat experience, awaiting attack while constantly patrolling and moni- toring activity with high-tech scanners. But the entire military effort appeared pointless: making soldiers the target didn’t reduce Israeli deaths. In Chasnoff’s view, nobody in Israel has forgotten, let alone forgiven, any wrong done during the many wars and insurgencies since 1947. He identifies the country’s primary problem as reli- gious rigidity exercised over much of society by the ultra-Orthodox —a trait epitomized by their control over defin- ing who is a Jew. The intense regula- tion over such definitions, resulting in draconian rules regarding marriage and burial, along with the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox from military service, is increasingly divisive. A defining moment for Chasnoff is Chasnoff shows us the human dimensions of a society wrestling with itself, and confirms that such tensions can be laced with humor. 66 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 B O O K S