Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire Illustrated Edition

by John Pilger (Author)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Well-known journalist and filmmaker Pilger remains faithful to his decades-long quest to penetrate the citadel of political power and show that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. Reminding readers that "if power was truly invincible, it would not fear the people so much as to expend vast resources trying to distract and deceive them," he surveys five countries where freedom has been deferred. In his first example, Pilger conducts a searing probe into the widely unrecognized fate of the Chagos islanders, who in 1971 were brutally expelled from their homeland through secretive and illegal actions by successive British administrations to make way for a massive American military base at Diego Garcia. Then he examines Israel, which he calls "the undisputed world champion violator of international law" and its brutal grip on the West Bank and Gaza. He also looks at India, a country in which, he argues, the "modern imperial cult of neo-liberalism" has led to increases in poverty. In South Africa, he shows, poverty is rife and whites still own most of the good land, and in Afghanistan, land mines, "gender apartheid" and despotism still reign supreme, despite the American-led "liberation." This highly informed, thoughtful and passionate work is as important a thread in the world's growing tapestry of political counternarratives as those of Dee Brown or Howard Zinn. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Imperial ambitions of the U.S and Britain have threatened aspirations for freedom in a variety of smaller nations, not just in the distant past but as recently as the 1960s through the current day, according to renowned journalist and filmmaker Pilger. The small island of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, was sold by the British to the American military in the 1960s, its inhabitants dumped in the slums of Mauritius, uncompensated and unrecognized. Recent court challenges revealed the ruthlessness of the two powers, but the island remains the third largest military base for the U.S and its launching pad for attacks against the Middle East. Pilger draws on meticulous research and interviews to uncover the human cost of the skulduggery of the imperial powers in Diego Garcia as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, South Africa, and Palestine as the U.S and Britain have heartlessly put their interests ahead of those of citizens of weaker nations. The U.S and Britain have, according to Pilger, crushed hopes for freedom even as they have espoused a belief in spreading democracy. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bold Type Books; Illustrated edition (May 15, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1568583265
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568583266
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.88 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,380 in Political Freedom (Books)
- #11,638 in Political Science (Books)
- #15,711 in History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
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3 star		9%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Jan Wlochowski

Australian writer, not much to offer

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2018

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Similar to his other writings, somewhat negative view of the world , leftist tendencies.

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2017

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Mr Pilger's books are eye openers.

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2013

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Pilger is the best living journalist today. I enjoyed all his books and documentaries since the days of early 70s, regardless of the subject.

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2015

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Great purchase.

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2008

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Freedom Next Time The book could be improved by getting to the point of each chapter with half, or fewer, of the number of words used by the author. Moreover some of the references are unsatisfactory, such as Note 37 in the Introduction. It refers the reader to note 97 in Chapter 4 that in turn reads "See note 17". Note 17 reads "Ibid. p. 1. that reads "The Discarded People". No date, no publisher, nothing! Vitrol is worthless unless it is justified by firm evidence.

7 people found this helpful

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Ken

A standout book of the 21st century

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2018

A great book because it was able to shake this reader so hard he had to put it down from time to time because he found it so disturbing. If you want to know about Palestine, Afghanistan, South Africa, even a place called the Chago Islands (which I, must admit, I had never heard of) and more familiar places such as India, then read this book. It was, essentially, mind blowing.

This person bought it mainly to read about Palestine and Afghanistan and to try to understand why people could some of the most inhuman, barbaric and disgusting things to each other and this book certainly achieved that. Be warned that some of the writing is NOT pleasant reading and it brought tears to this readers eyes; It made him feel sick to the bottom of stomach and found parts of it too disturbing to complete. It certainly explained why some of the young Israeli men act the way they do. This person had some personal experience dealing with them, while he visited India a few years ago. So he now understands to some degree, why they are so rude, brash, arrogant, aloof and lazy. When you're conscripted into the army and then ordered (with no reason given) to prevent pregnant Palestinian women from crossing a check point who then loose their babies, it has got leave a scar on your conscious. You will also find the themes of 'ethn!c cleansing', 'military occupation', 'occupied territories' and 'civilian mass@cres' are prevalent throughout the book. Like I said, it's a book not for the faint hearted. Extensively researched, powerfully argued and unwaveringly told. Easily gets 5 Stars.

2 people found this helpful

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Broken promises

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2006

"This book is about empire". With this opening eye-grabber, John Pilger has once again risen above the mundane pattern of today's "mainstream" journalism. The book is an account of how the US is forging its global empire, aided and abetted by such allies as Great Britain and Israel. And that's not counting the client rulers of nations like Afghanistan and South Africa. The edifice is "global capitalism" supported by buttresses of military might and bearing giant billboards displaying the shibboleths "freedom" and "democratic ideals". With scathing revelations delivered with strictly expressive prose, Pilger relates his findings with almost surgical precision.

He structures the book around five nations. The first, even after all these years, is likely to be beyond many reader's ken. It is a little island group in the Indian Ocean - the Chagos Islands. Inhabited for generations by the descendents of former slaves, they were summarily and illegally deported from their home to make way for a massive US Air Force base. The base provides a launching site for long distance bombers to reach anywhere in Asia. Two thousand people - those that haven't died from "sadness" have pursured a legal challenge to be returned to their home. The High Court of Britain has accepted their plea, but under US pressure, says Pilger, the British have ignored the ruling.

From the Indian Ocean, Pilger travels to Palestine, one of "freedom's" most shocking contradictions. Displaced from their ancient homelands, thousands of Palestinians were herded into grubby refugee camps. Those that weren't slaughtered by the invaders at the beginning of the occupation, that is. Pilger describes Israeli racist policies and their implementation, killing children, usurping land and water supplies and blockading the population from medical care. Israelis, he notes, often refer to their de facto prisoners in dismissive terms, allowing the Israeli army to invade and crush homes and farms. Orchards, a major agricultural factor in the Palestinian community, seem to be particular targets. Pilger explains how the US has built up Israel's military to the point where it is the world's third most powerful. Its major task is to keep Palestinian freedom in check, as well as smashing the economic base of a people with no state and no means of protecting themselves. Is it any wonder, he asks, that acts of desperation have resulted.

Pilger makes a rather swift pass through India to describe how "global capitalism" has intensified the separation between rich and poor. A few urban centres maintain a facade of prosperity, securely enclosed within well-protected facilities. From these sites, Indians who have transformed themselves into IT "help desk" call centres, provide "support" for US workers unfamiliar with their office computers. Outside those high-tech enclaves, much of the remaining population suffers in grinding poverty. The "democratic" promise of Ghandi's struggle has been overthrown by leaders eager to follow what they deem the US model of "free enterprise". The process has economically divided the nation worse than it ever was under the Raj.

The last two segments of Pilger's account vividly demonstrate the dual primary thrusts of empire - economic and military. South Africa, suffering for half a century under the truncheon of apartheid, emerged with a grand promise of freedom under Nelson Mandela. Finally freed after a generation within the walls of Robben Island prison, he exemplified what a crusader for freedom could achieve. The achievement proved hollow as Pilger graphically describes the Truth and Reconciliation hearings he attended. Police and army thugs, whose ranks reached to the highest level went free, absolved from punishment. Worse, none of the victims of their brutality received a jot of compensation. Far worse, was the selling out of South Africa's resources to the new wave of foreign investors from the UK and US. Part of the investment deal left any regulations about miner's safety in limbo or worse. Another part was the granting of mineral rights on any parcel of land the firms chose. Displacement of the population by uncaring capitalists remains an ongoing process, Pilger declares.

Finally, the military arm of imperialism exhibits the most glaring hypocrisies in Afghanistan. Pilger recounts the sordid history of British rule, Soviet invasion and, finally, the US vengence against innocent people for the World Trade Centre attacks. It makes gut-wrenching reading. Villages, single homes and people in the open have been attacked by high-speed bombers and helicopters. Once airily described as eliminating "terrorists", now the handing over of power to war-lords, has demonstrated to Afghanis who the real "terrorists" are. Confronting US officials with the fact that three times the number of those killed on 9/11, Pilger was simply dismissed by those who didn't want to hear the statistics. Yet, the numbers and policies are damning, but the US public remains generally unaware of how many have died - indirectly killed by taxpayers, Pilger reminds us.

This is a book that can stir people to anger. Pilger may not wish his readers to be angry, but he wants them to be informed. If you can close this book without feeling shame, then you are lucky. Or perhaps you should return to the first page and read it again. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

51 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

superfrog

A must read, abosolutely.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2014

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This is a book that everyone should read. It is well written (if a bit longer than strictly required in places) and covers some of the most embarrassing issue plaguing the narrative we live through.
For UK readers, the first chapter has special value both highlighting the subservience of UK's rulers to the US im actual facts rather than impressions and the dirty corners that make it possible to by bypass parliament,showing that the state system of one of the exporters of democracy in 500lbs parcels falling from the sky is systemically undemocratic.

2 people found this helpful

G. Rollo

Good read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2010

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Having read other John Pilger books, including "Hidden Agendas" and "The New Rulers of the World", Pilger continues to excel in "Freedom Next Time" exposing what is really going on the world and telling you what the mainstream news won't. If you have never read any of Mr Pilgers books then this a good one to start with. The chapters about Palestine, Diego Garcia, Afghanistan and South Africa are very well researched and in depth raising awareness of the plight of ordinary people affected by the tragic events in these countries while his interviews with politicians very revealing, exposing there lies and hypocrisy. The chapter on India though is far too short, feeling as though it was put in as an afterthought. Overall though a good read.
.

5 people found this helpful

E. Dalhuijsen

important read of diverse selection of political situations

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2013

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Just reading the introduction -which includes a one or two paragraph summary of each section- is worth the price of the book (if rather scary). Am halfway through now as I find it too important to rush, and it's usual Pilger, just like in his films: particularly well researched, well and clearly presented, and he remains focused on positive possibilities even while describing the dire situations. His insights, intelligence, and drive for justice are inspirational.

2 people found this helpful

J. Milton

A fantastic exploration of the world we live in

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2009

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This book will open your eyes to the evils of the world around you.

In an age when journalists care more about whether Britney Spears is on the verge of a breakdown or not there are still some journalists out there who report about a world that many of us will never see or read about in Heat or on GMTV - from Diego Garcia to Palestine to South Africa.

It's a shame more journalists were not made in the mould of Pilger. If they were, maybe the world might change for the better.

If you like Pilger, I would recommend Mark Curits as well.

One person found this helpful

VO2 Max.

Great Investigative Jounalism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2012

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Another first rate book by the Master of Investigative Journalism.
Pilger lets us know the" full" storey, and the truth behind the issues, that many of us read about ,
but never get the full facts from the popular press and media.
At a time when large elements of the press stand exposed ,as purely marketers of superficial
populist rubbish, it is essential that we have "real" investigative journalists such as Pilger to turn to,
for the truth.

One person found this helpful

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Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire Illustrated Edition

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Frequently bought together

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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Review

About the Author

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