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Title: Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower by William Blum ISBN: 1-56751-194-5 Publisher: Common Courage Pub. Date: May, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.6 (47 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: For leftists only.
Comment: Rogue State is a book which goes into great detail about the foreign and domestic policy of the American government. It is not a book for those who wish to be progressive but want to pretend that America was perfect before the election of Bush, this book is for those who wish to understand the long history of U.S. interventionism, CIA drug-dealing, U.S. sponsored torture and the many injustices which take place within it's own borders; such as the beatings, sexual abuse and torture which can happen to inmates in prison, testing of chemicals on civilians and American soldiers, police incursions into public schools and businesses, harassment of immigrants, harsh conditions in juvenile boot camps and Americans being spied on when abroad.
In addition to that information, this is one of the only books I have found which has dared to say that Islamic extremism is not the chief cause of terrorist attacks on the United States, and then goes on to list the true provocations on the part of the American government.
I give this book five stars for having the information that is so rarely available today.
Rating: 5
Summary: An appalling record
Comment: William Blum's book should open the eyes of the blind, but, unfortunately, they continue to be fixed on certain specific points, while keeping silent about the very bleak overall picture (see all those negative comments on the website).
Nevertheless, William Blum tackles big issues: the danger of depleted uranium bombs for the populations and all soldiers in the field, Big Brother ECHELON, the drugs smuggling CIA, the use of human guinea pigs, the relentless search for 'barbarian enemies' in order to justify the enormous defence budgets, the frontal attack on the Bill of Rights, and most of all, the unending list of secret military and other interventions in foreign countries against democratically elected governments or to sustain despotic regimes. The result is truly appalling: millions of victims.
Of course, there are some minus points here. This book is already very partially out-of-date because it attacks President Clinton's policies. Also, the author forgets sometimes to mention some aspects of specific situations, e.g. the ethnic cleansing policies in former Yugoslavia, or the real situation in Cuba (the colossal living standard differences between the few and the many, the travel prohibitions, no freedom op speech ...).
But we need Bill Blum's voice. Not to be missed.
Rating: 4
Summary: Death of a Nation?
Comment: Blum's book takes us via the usual listing of wrongdoings and hypocrisy to conclude that the American Government is now applying lessons learned overseas, to visit torture, intimidation, and fear upon its own, under the guise of anti-terrorism /patriotism, since the world is now so Americanised there is nowhere left to go for big government and its self-interest.
The primary focus is on America, with the impression that other places existed as an alternative kind of proto-ideal inconsistent with the American way and had to be subverted no matter what the cost in human suffering, etc. Well, as far as I know it wasn't America that invented Fascism, Communism, Nazism, and flavours thereof , under the stewardship of which, tens of millions died. Nor did the Americans say to those they helped into power that they should loot the country and kill and torture as they saw fit. The remit was to hold the Capitilist line and develop the country accordingly.
But sticking with America:
The problem is that Capitalism has been mangled to such an extent that only off-shore slave labour is keeping it afloat, and the American people are simply paying lip-service to its prriciples. For the sittuation to change, the American people would need to look to their founding roots and apply Capitalism as it was intended, within the context of individual rights allied to morals, and reasoned understanding. In other words, for America to break away from Blum's nightmare world, they, like those who were or are in the process of being empowered, will have to step up to the plate and not foist all reponsibility onto the American Government, like the rest of the world demands, and bemoans.
Blum's book also alludes to a touch of Socialism, which does taint its value with a bit of an agenda. And why Cuba hasn't simply been invaded by an army of US backed exiles strikes me as odd; all this cloak and dagger stuff just looks silly. Some elaboration with regard to that would have been useful, since Cuba is mentioned so often, and is likely to be low on the Russians' priority list.
The book is consistently well written, but like John Pilger's 'The new Rulers of the World', it has a tendecny to be an informed rant by someone throwing stones at the windows. If you don't like what's going and have the skills, the freedom is still there to run for office.
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Title: Killing Hope: U. S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II by William Blum, Larry Bleidner, Peter Scott ISBN: 1567510523 Publisher: Common Courage Pub. Date: July, 1995 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II by William Blum ISBN: 1567512526 Publisher: Common Courage Press Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire by Chalmers Johnson ISBN: 0805062394 Publisher: Owl Books Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace by Gore Vidal ISBN: 156025405X Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press / Nation Books Pub. Date: 10 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: Derailing Democracy: The America the Media Don't Want You to See by David McGowan ISBN: 1567511848 Publisher: Common Courage Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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