Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear And The Selling Of American Empire [Paperback]

Sut Jhally (Editor), Jeremy Earp (Editor), Howard Zinn (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2004

The 9/11 terror attacks continue to send shock waves through the American political system. Continuing fears about American vulnerability alternate with images of American military prowess and patriotic bravado in a transformed media landscape charged with emotion and starved for information. The result is that we have had virtually no meaningful public debate about the radical turn US policy has taken since 9/11.

Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire is a riveting collection of 28 interviews with leading political thinkers that shows how the Bush administration has used the trauma of 9/11 and the war on terrorism to advance a radical and longstanding neo-conservative plan for global geopolitical domination. At the same time, it will clarify the ideological vision that has driven US international and domestic policy since 9/11, and will examine the political strategies that have been used to sell this ideological vision to the American people.

This collection includes interviews with Tariq Ali, Benjamin Barber, Noam Chomsky, Marc Danner, Fernando Suarez del Solar, Shadia Drury, Daniel Ellsberg, Michael Franti, Stan Goff, William Hartung, Bill Israel, Janine Jackson, Chalmers Johnson, Michael Klare, Karen Kwiatkowski, Norman Mailer, Zia Mian, Mark Crispin Miller, Kevin Ramirez, Scott Ritter, Vandana Shiva, Norman Solomon, Greg Speeter, Immanuel Wallerstein, Cindy Williams, Jody Williams, and Max Wolff.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A highly meritorious effort to raise public awareness and understanding... particularly crucial in advance of the coming election..." -- Noam Chomsky, Professor of Linguistics, MIT

"Hijacking Catastrophe stands to become an explosive and empowering information weapon in this decisive year in US history." -- Naomi Klein, author, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies

"The book delivers a heap of information for those interested in wading into complexities." -- Larry Parnass, Daily Hampshire Gazette

About the Author

Jeremy Earp has worked as a journalist, and has taught at Northeastern University, the University of Massachusetts, and New School University. He is a producer with the Media Education Foundation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 295 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group Inc (September 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566565812
• ISBN-13: 978-1566565813
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,727,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploiting 9/11, February 20, 2005

By 

John C. Landon "nemonemini" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear And The Selling Of American Empire (Paperback)

This is an excellent collection of interviews on the subject of the neoconservative counterrevolution in Washington, and the strategies surrounding 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Behind the public statements of the administration lie the deeper motives of the operation: control of dwindling resources, intimidation with a display of military strength, and a neoconservative philosophy promoting an explicit imperialism. Exploiting the anxieties of the 9/11 catastrophe is the crux of the propaganda game. The text includes interviews with Tariq Ali, Chomsky, Benjamin Barber, Chalmers Johnson, and Shadia Drury who provides an interesting commentary on the hidden Straussianism of the neoconservative clique.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awful And Chilling, March 28, 2005

By 

Exotikat - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear And The Selling Of American Empire (Paperback)

First, I saw this as a documentary on a DVD of the same name, and that is how I plan to review this item. Produced by the Media Education Foundation, it most effectively presents the argument that the Bush administration "sold" the war via the most popular conduit of news - television. Using video news clips from mainstream media such as FoxNews, CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS, as well as interviews with extraordinarily credible officials and experts, Hijacking Catastrophe describes in chilling visual format how the NeoCons used 9/11 to push the country to accepting a military solution in fighting terrorism. Awful in its implications, this documentary should be seen by everyone who feels violated and mislead by our leaders. And some way should be found to show this to friends and family who still prefer the sleep of the deluded. I certainly wish I had the funds to buy thousands and leave them in every mailbox in the county.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling Look at the NeoCon Agenda, October 11, 2004

By 

JAL "jlwest" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear And The Selling Of American Empire (Paperback)

You might consider buying this one and giving it to everyone you can think of. It's preaching to the choir of course: most of us who see it understand that the NeoCon group's approach to foreign policy is horrifyingly similar to that of Gary Cooper in HIGH NOON (the quintessential go-it-alone guy.) It's amazing to watch this film and realize how long the propaganda has been coming at us, manipulating us through our fears. If you're worried about the Wolfowitz/Rumsfeld/Bush triumverate and their quest for empire, this will only make you worry more. It's a very unsettling movie. At times, you might find yourself wishing you could turn off the background music, which is a bit melodramatic. But all told, this is an urgently important film - I only wish we could figure out how to get the Bush supporters to watch it. Any suggestions?