Title: Arms of the Octopus
Review: Although a little encyclopedic and dry at points, Koehler's book appears to be a carefully researched and therefore extremely valuable history of the East German Ministerium Für Staatssicherheit (MfS). Particularly impressive (and new to me) were his descriptions of the psychological oppression in the population resulting from such a vast security apparatus, the extensive "outreach programs" of the Stasi in foreign countries (Palestine, Yemen, Africa, Cuba, South America - they really were everywhere), and the occasional "men of conscience" within the Stasi, such as Colonel Rainer Wiegand, who began secretly to fight against the Libyans operating within his own backyard. A good read.
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