War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq [Paperback]

Milan Rai (Author), Emily Johns (Illustrator), Kim Weston-Arnold (Photographer), Noam Chomsky (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

Brilliantly persuasive and never dull, this book is essential reading for anyone who cares about peace and democracy.

War Plan Iraq brings together the arguments that can shake President Bush and Prime Minister Blair's determination to start an illegal war with Iraq. Despite Washington's claims that the only options are inaction or invasion and that 'inaction is not an option', War Plan Iraq demonstrates that inspection is an option, and that inspection and monitoring are the only way to ensure real disarmament in Iraq. For the Bush Administration, UN weapons inspectors are an obstacle to war; they are part of the problem, not part of the solution. War Plan Iraq uncovers Washington's hidden role in the collapse of the first UN weapons inspection agency, UNSCOM, and the paralysis of UNSCOM's successor, UNMOVIC. Based on the popular 'ARROW Anti-War briefings', War Plan Iraq rigorously dissects official propaganda and exposes government lies.

This book demonstrates that the Bush's claims to change the regime in Iraq, despite intentions to impose another Sunni general to replace Saddam Hussein, are not in fact a 'regime change', but a 'leadership change'. It also shows that the war would be in violation of international law; that there is no hard evidence that Iraq possesses any weapons of mass destruction; that there is no substantiated connection between the Government of Iraq, September 11th, and the al Qaeda network; that the proposed war carries a high risk of triggering a humanitarian disaster in Iraq, especially for the Kurds of northern Iraq; and that the war could precipitate a world recession with dire consequences for the world's poor. Iraq's neighbors, the ones most at risk from Iraq's weapons, are against the proposed war, as are top military professionals in Britain and the US, many international organizations and countries around the world, and a great majority of people in the US and the UK.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“War Plan Iraq comes from an author on whose accuracy and research we have come to rely. The projected war is not inevitable. War Plan Iraq will help to prevent it.” (Bruce Kent )

“Give peace a chance and buy this book. It explains why Bush's proposed war against Iraq has little to do with Saddam's tyranny and everything to do with Washington's infinite greed for oil and power.” (Mike Davis )

“If Nobel Peace Prizes were given to true peace-makers, one would be reserved for Milan Rai and his comrades in Voices in the Wilderness and Arrow. This book is a thorough, irrefutable testimony to why there should be no war with the Iraqis.” (John Pilger )

“Milan Rai is one of the wisest war resisters of our time. His carefully researched analysis has consistently guided non-violent efforts to end military and economic warfare against Iraq. Now more than ever, we rely on his reasoning and integrity.” (Kathy Kelly )

“This is the clearest and most persuasive explanation of the reasons not to go to war with Iraq that anyone could wish for. Written with great clarity and precision, War Plan Iraq exposes the extraordinary hypocrisy and double dealing which characterises the US march to war.” (George Monbiot )

About the Author

Milan Rai is the author of Chomsky's Politics and was awarded the 1993 Frank Cousins Peace Award for Research by the Transport and General Workers Union.

Noam Chomsky is a pioneering figure in linguistics, a professor emeritus at MIT and a leading critic of US foreign policy. The author of over forty books, Chomsky was interviewed for New Left Review in 1969, the same year that his American Power and the New Mandarins was published.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Verso (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859845010
• ISBN-13: 978-1859845011
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,091,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead on accurate analysis - best book on Iraq at this time, October 30, 2002

By 

Traveler (New England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq (Paperback)

As a former US Army Intelligence Analyst, and as a long term lobbyist on this issue, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The analysis of the US dominated policy toward Iraq is dead on accurate. On the inside flap of the book there are three quotes, the first being one from a member National Security Council in 1991: "Our goal is to remove Saddam Hussein, not his regime."

This quote reveals the US policy not just toward Iraq, but is also useful in understanding what the US did in Afghanistan: The US government purposely and willfully destroyed attempts to extradite bin Laden -- just as it has destroyed all popularly supported methods to remove Saddam from power. As the book says so bluntly, it's about leadership change, not regime change in Iraq. As for Afghanistan, as Sen. Biden, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, put it, "The worst outcome would be if bin Laden was extradited."

About the only negative remark I can make about this book is that it's mostly from a British perspective and might not be the best choice for American readers. No matter, I urge everyone to read this book, buy it, give it to your friends, especially the ones who think that President Bush is doing the right thing. I have never recommended a book on Iraq this way. But this one is that good and more important than ever as we face a potential war in Iraq.

35 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read while there's still time, January 2, 2003

By 

Kerry Walters (Lewisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq (Paperback)

*War Plan Iraq* is a reasoned, non-jingoistic appeal for cool heads and out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to US relations with Iraq. Milan Rai provides a concise history of UNSCOM inspections and how those inspections eventually broke down. Rai's point is to argue that the breakdown isn't irreparable. Rai then goes on to argue explicitly against a military showdown with Iraq by claiming (1) that there's no established connection between Iraq and Osama bin Laden, (2) that there's no evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, (3) that the consequences of war could be devastating to both the region and to international relations, (4) that the economic consequences of a war are dire, (5) that both popular and military opinion about a war are mixed, and (6) that Washington isn't so concerned with a regime change--that is, a change to democracy--as a leader change--that is, getting rid of Saddam Hussein. Consequently, overthrowing the current strongman will do nothing to improve the lot of the average Iraqi, despite Washington's rhetoric to the contrary.

All in all, a persuasively argued book. I recommend it alongside Anthony Arnove's *Iraq Under Siege* and, for the other side's perspective, Kenneth Pollack's *The Threatening Storm.*

35 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give peace a chance, November 20, 2002

By 

Malvin (Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq (Paperback)

I fully agree with the excellent reviews previously posted by Will Podmore from the U.K. and Patrick Carkin from the U.S. It is true that the United States (and to a lesser extent Great Britain) have been seeking a pretext for invading Iraq for some time in order to gain control of its oil reserves. As this book makes clear, such an act of unprovoked aggression is in clear violation of the United Nations and would render much harm to our relationships with other countries around the world.

Overall, the book does a great job of deconstructing much of the anti-Iraqi propaganda that has recently been heaped upon the American public. But while Saddam Hussein is certainly no saint, the fact remains that our onetime ally has been doing our dirty work for years. Indeed, Saddam's dictatorship has served to effectively check the growing influence of Islamic fundamentalism. Contrary to President Bush's rhetoric, this is the real reason why the U.S. purposely left him in power at the conclusion of the Gulf War. The author details how U.S. forces allowed Iraq's Republican Guard troops to escape U.S. General Schwartzkopf's trap in southern Iraq so that they could move to quell the Kurdish rebellion in the north, ensuring the survival of Saddam's regime.

According to a recent article in Forbes magazine, it is estimated that Iraq's undiscovered oil reserves may equal Saudi Arabia's. Bush is obviously trying to promote an Iraqi-Al Qaeda connection in order to drum up support for an invasion that will ultimately allow U.S. oil corporations to profitably exploit these reserves. The losers in such an endeavor are U.S. taxpayers and of course the long-suffering Iraqi people.

Noam Chomsky has contributed an essay to this book reminding us that American foreign policy has often failed to live up to the country's democratic ideals: Guatemala, Vietnam and East Timor are just a few examples. The great irony in this latest episode is that the goal in Iraq is merely "regime change", not democracy; in other words, we want to replace Saddam with another strongman, not let the Iraqi people govern themselves. This should be reason alone to oppose the war, as if supporting another corporate oil war wasn't bad enough.

In short, "War Plan Iraq" gives us many reasons why we should avoid this unnecessary war, and in so doing gives us much to reflect upon as U.S. citizens. Perhaps if we want a better world, we should focus not on Iraq but on changing the regime in Washington, D.C. Leadership dedicated to peace and democracy would make us proud; but Bush's war mongering and despotism shames us all.

I can not recommend this timely, relevant and important book any more highly.