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Title: War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq by Milan Rai, Noam Chomsky ISBN: 1-85984-501-0 Publisher: Verso Books Pub. Date: November, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.83 (12 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: In hindsight...
Comment: Well the war is over, in hindsight the book was almost completely wrong. The part about how the war will hurt the Kurds is perhaps the most embarrasing. I feel the book was written for a quick sell, it took advantage of those who were looking for legitimate reasons in opposing the war in Iraq, as now it's clear the book had very little factual basis to stand on.
The only reason gave this book two stars instead of one is because the US hasn't yet found any WMD besides the cleaned-up mobile labs. But I feel even in this point the book will be proven wrong, once again.
Rating: 1
Summary: A much biased, conspiracy-theoretical pile of rhetoric
Comment: This book, like many of its kind and many by Chomsky, is basically filled with the same old conspiracy theories that Bush and his "cronies" are trying to take over the world. If you want to get a much more objective, better cited, more in-depth analysis of the situation, read The Threatening Storm by Kenneth Pollack, and Bernard Lewis's Crisis of Islam and his Middle East: a History of the past 2000 years.
Read this book as well, but it's always best to read both sides. Over time, you'll see that books like this are not based on sound research and experience.
Rating: 3
Summary: To One-sided to be Constructive
Comment: I purchased this book because I am a centrist on the war issue and was hoping it would present logical and cogent reasons against war with Iraq. While I was eager for persuasive and compelling arguments I was also expecting that the book would take a fair-minded look at BOTH sides of the issue and then reason convincingly against a war with Iraq.
It didn't do that, instead it took every pro-Iraqi statement as being the gospel truth while everything that was damaging to Saddam was relegated as disinformation. After reading the book I felt that I had just read a propaganda guide put out but the Iraqi Information services.
Where is the evenhandedness that is fundamental to deliberations of this magnitude?
Should not the specifics, both pro and con, be presented? Of course they should, but the book neglects this miserably.
I was also looking for a synoptic background of Saddam Hussein and his rise to power. Devoid of crucial background information, the reader is ill-equipped to make any deductions about what potential action(s) should or should not be taken. Remember the old saying: Those who do not know history are apt to repeat it. Regrettably the author believes that there is no relevance in the history of Iraq.
I was enthusiastic that the book would delineate how Saddam Hussein has changed and why he can be trusted in the future? In other words, what should be done about Saddam's reign of terror and mass genocide he has performed on people both before and after the Gulf war? It is of somber concern to me that the Dove's do not exhibit compassion for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been tortured, raped and executed by Saddam's regime!
Everyone is aware that the most liberal/anti-war organizations have written some of the most damning reports on this regime, for example Max Van der Stoel's who was the UN's special rapportuer for human rights in Iraq, reported to the United Nations that the brutality of the Iraqi regime was "of exceptionally grave character - so grave that it has few parallels in the years that have passed since the Second World War." I was expecting the author to give a plan to stop this brutality, but he doesn't instead he is happy to start the book and end the book with anti-war statements from relatives of the 9/11 attack. No offense but what the heck does this have to do with the atrocities going on Iraq? NOTHING!
The title said the book would have "Ten Reason Against War on Iraq" out of the ten reasons that the book supports eight are woefully weak:
Reason #4&10 are complete conjecture even their titles prove this by stating "War COULD ..." any statement of this type can be argued in the converse.
Reason #8&9 have no persuasive value whatsoever, they are simply vacuous statements of people who are anti-war. Somebody could just as easily cram a book with statements of people who are pro-war.
Reason # 5 "Endangering the Kurds" is highly embarrassing for the author to pen, for it is the Kurds that have suffered the most at the hand of Saddam. In the authors' bizarre twisted logic, it is tolerable that Saddam gets to torture and kill multitudes of Kurds, but it is atrocious that some may die in a fight to liberate themselves of their merciless totalitarian dictator.
Reason #2 "No Link Between Iraq and 11Septemeber" is a strawman attacks. It is the anti-war side that continually links 9/11 to this war. The Bush administration has been unequivocal in the fact that they see no connection between al-Qa'eda or Bin Laden and Saddam.
Reason #3 "This is Not About Regime Change" This also is an anti-war strawman attack. For it is the anti-war camp who say this is a vendetta against Saddam and we will leave the rest of his people in power. Again in completely clear and unambiguous statements the Bush administration has continually said their goal is regime change.
Reason #1 "No Evidence Iraq has these Weapons(WMD)" this is by far the most ludicrous and evident fabrication in the book. The author simply disregards 98% of the Untied Nations reports. He also overlooks all of the illegal shipments of banned weapons and weapon parts that have been seized going into Iraq since 1991. The proof is extant; this reason is farcical.
This leaves us with only two reasons that are slightly compelling.
Reason #6 "War would be Illegal". Here the author quotes the UN Charter Use of Force and this would seem to be forceful. However, there appears to be some legally convincing reasons for war such as:
1925 and 1949 Geneva Convections (Treatment of prisoners, use of WMD, purposeful targeting of civilians)
Violation of the Vienna Conventions of diplomatic and consular relations
Violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty of 1993
Violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention
Violation of UNSCR 687
The legal principle of "anticipatory self-defense" is also applicable.
The above are 7 WELL KNOWN arguments for a LEGAL war; the book should have given at minimum a cursory attempt to discredit one of them!
Reason #7 "Iraq's Neighbors Fear Bush, Not Saddam" While the title and the authors assumption are patently false (he refers to the governments when he says neighbors), I think that a case could be made that this war could turn highly unpopular with the Arab "Street". This should be taken into account as a possible reason against a war; however the authors sloppy linkage of Arab government and the Arab "Street" only shows a widespread misunderstanding of politics and/or an extreme ignorance of the facts.
For those yearning for an evenhanded treatment of facts about this multifaceted and difficult issue this is NOT your book. This book is a one-sided polemic that will only gratify those whom are dogmatically Anti-War.
Why three stars then? Not for content, but rather sympathy; for trying what might be impossible.
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Title: War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know by William Rivers Pitt, Scott Ritter ISBN: 1893956385 Publisher: Context Books Pub. Date: 25 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You by Norman Solomon, Reese Erlich, Howard Zinn, Sean Penn ISBN: 1893956393 Publisher: Context Books Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: 9-11 by Noam Chomsky ISBN: 1583224890 Publisher: Seven Stories Press Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda by Noam Chomsky ISBN: 1583225366 Publisher: Seven Stories Press Pub. Date: December, 2002 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq by Kenneth M. Pollack ISBN: 0375509283 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 18 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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