REVIEWS
Praise for American Wars: Illusions and Realities:
“There are always alternatives to war, as the voices in this book testify. Let us listen to their voices of wisdom, and start to disarm our mindsets, talk to our enemies and solve our problems in a civilized way. We all know in today’s highly militarized and dangerous world, this nonviolent path to peace makes sense.”
—Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate
“Fifty years ago, President Eisenhower expressed his concern about the ‘campaign of hatred’ against us in the Arab world, for reasons that his administration knew were sound. By now, particularly during the Bush years, fear and often hatred of the US have spread widely and deepened. Even Europeans now rank the US as the greatest threat to world peace, far above China, Russia, Iran or North Korea. Americans should be deeply concerned about these developments, and the reasons for them. The questions raised in these essays are the pertinent ones, and the answers developed should be pondered carefully by those who are concerned with their country and— and given its immense power—the entire world and future generations.”
—NOAM CHOMSKY
“American Wars: Illusions & Realities sets the record straight. War is not peace, only peace is peace. If the Iraq War is a teachable moment about the real nature of U.S. aggressive intentions in the world, then this book should be in the core curriculum.”
—American Friends Service Committee
“In 1960, US General Thomas Power declared: ‘The whole idea is to kill the bastards! At the end of the war, if there are two Americans and one Russian, we win!’ We have to make sure that US foreign policy is not run by people with the mentality, the heart, and the soul of a General Power. That type has occupied the White House all too frequently, as AmericanWars shows us.”
—WILLIAM BLUM, author of Rogue State
“The American way of war offers a nonstop supply of illusions—while imposing horrific realities far away and, ultimately, at home too. This book is intent on dispelling key illusions and coming to terms with human realities. Between the covers of American Wars, the result is a compendium of insights and hard-won knowledge of the sort you’ll rarely find in the daily paper or the evening news. The writers are myth-busters who challenge the conventional lack of wisdom that drags the United States into one war after another and keeps us lethally mired in a warfare state. This collection provides us with an array of vital perspectives, opening up a crucial topic that usually remains shut down—what American wars are doing to humanity, under false pretenses and with calamitous results, around the world and in our own neighborhoods. The future is at stake. This book helps us to understand the perils and opportunities of the present moment.
—NORMAN SOLOMON, author of War Made Easy
“With the War on Terror threatening to go on for decades, it’s critical for Americans to examine the myriad ways our government has tricked us into supporting unjust wars, with catastrophic consequences for all sides. American Wars uncovers a tragic pattern that must be broken. Read it and act.”
—MEDEA BENJAMIN, Code Pink
“This country needs a moral revolution where supporting work for peace and justice is not seen as weakness. The voices heard in this work truly “speak truth to power.” This book addresses issues that will empower the reader to more fully appreciate the ethical challenges America faces and to effectively participate in this change. Its accessibility will attract, inform and inspire the next generation of peace activists.”
—Ray Parrish, Vietnam Veterans Against the War
“Thinkers and chroniclers since Thucydides have argued that war is an inevitable part of human existence. This book presents the views of people who have studied the issues and believe that the truth is otherwise. The world needs to hear their voices.”
—Stephen Kinzer, author of Overthrow and All the Shah’s Men |
