This book is the quintessential primer for radicals in the world today since it presents a mountain of evidence showing that the greatest source of evil in the world today,and, therefore, the source of radical outrage, are the imperial policies being pursued by they United States of America.
The words "imperial" and "America" do not roll easily off an American tongue. "No American has any difficulty believing in the existence and driving passion for expansion, power, glory and wealth of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or the British Empire. It's right there in their schoolbooks. But to the American mind, to American schoolbooks, and to the American media, "The American Empire" is an oxymoron" - there's no such thing.
"A study of the many interventions detailed in the "Interventioons" chapter (the heart of the book) shows clearly that the engine of American foreign policy has typically been fueled not by a devotion to any kind of morality, nor even simple decency, but rather, by the necessity to serve other masters, which can be broken down to three imperatives: (1) the care and feeding of American corporations; (2) prevention the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model; and (3)expanding the empire: establishing political, economic, and military hegemony over as much of the globe as possible."
"The "Humanitarian bombing" of Yugoslavia in 1999, which many of the left swallowed without gagging, or the liberation of Iraq in 2003, which most on the left saw through, but most Americans did not at first, are two recent examples of the idea of United Staten "altruism", which has been a recurrent feature of America's love affair with itself. . .
Author Garry Wills has commented on this "altruism". "We believe we can literally "kill them with kindness," moving our guns forward in a seizure of demented charity. It is when America is in her most altruistic mood that other nations better get behind their bunkers."
Almost all Americans "grew up in an environment in which "we learned that thou shall not murder, rape, rob, probably not pay off a public official or cheat on your taxes - but not that there was anything wrong with toppling foreign governments, quashing revolutions, or dropping powerful bombs on foreign people, if it somehow served America's national security."
A small sampling of "radical ramblings" is presented below:
"America is today the leader of a world-wide anti-revolutionary movement in the defense of vested interests. She now stands for what Rome stood for:Rome consistently supported the rich against the poor in all foreign communities that fell under her sway; and, since the poor, so far, have always and everywhere been far more numerous than the rich, Rome's policies made for inequality, for injustice, and for the least happiness of the greatest number."
Arnold Toynbee, 1961.
"Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed, or "disappeared", at the hands of governments or armed political groups. More often than not, the United States shares the blame."
Amnesty International, 1996
"The U.S. is only menaced because it menaces others. In geopolitics as in physics, there is no action without reaction. . . . There was no 9/11 - I mean that our policies were such that we were going to have a lot of crazy people out there in the Arab world who were going to try to blow us up, because of crimes they feel we committed against them. Any fool could see it coming. And I'm sufficient a fool to have seen it.
Gore Vidal
"The world needs intelligence and leadership in order to avoid catastrophe, but America can provide neither intelligence nor leadership. America is a lost land where nuclear weapons are in the hands of those who are concerned only with their own power Washington is the enemy of the entire world and encompasses the largest concentration of evil on this planet."
Paul Craig Roberts - former Asst. Secretary of the
Treasury in the administration of President Ronald
Reagan and former Associate Editor of the Wall
Street Journal
"If I were president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United States in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize - very publicly and very sincerely - to all the widows and orphans, the impoverished and tortured, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism. I would then announce that America's global interventions - including the awful bombings - have come to an end. And I would inform Israel that it is no longer the 51st state of the union but - oddly enough - a foreign country. I would then reduce the military budget by at least 90% and use the savings to pay reparations to the victims. There would be more than enough money. One year's military budget of 330 billion is equal to more that $18,000 an hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born. That's what I'd do in my first three days in the White House. On the fourth day, I'de be assassinated."
William Blum - author of Rogue State.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Frequently bought together
$29.10
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jul 13
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
