Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire

by William Blum

Book Overview

This collection of biting essays written by William Blum includes some previously published ones and several written exclusively for this book. Among them:

"The Bombing of PanAm Flight 103: Case Not Closed"
"Cuban Political Prisoners . . . in the United States"
"What do the Imperial Mafia Want in Iraq?"
"Myth and Denial in the War Against Iraq."
"Hiroshima: Needless Slaughter, Useful Terror"
"Hostages in Peru: Their Terrorists,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567513069
• ISBN13: 9781567513066
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Common Courage Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Freeing the World To Death

William Blum is one of the most informative journalists of the day. Anything he writes is worthwile and should be considered.

Don't be concerned with 'HOW'.

In this brilliant collection of essays on US foreign policy, Blum presents the case against America's wars, overthrowing democratically elected governments, imperialism, ad nauseum. MLK, Jr. summed it all up very eloquently: "The greatest purveyor of violence on earth is my own government." The truth is that there is something terribly wrong with this country and its government. And the misery inflicted on the people all over the earth by the successive US regimes, as documented so precisely by this excellent book, is awakening a sleeping giant. Don't ask HOW the US will be made to suffer and to pay for this 60+ year outrage to all decency. Life finds a way, and we will pay. This book answers the question, WHY?

Explains why we are not as loved as we think we are

This collection of essays authoritatively challenges American foreign policy. In a very bad and long-standing case of personal projection, America charges other nations with 'terrorism' while ignoring it's own actions. Our double standard transcends presidents and parties, but Blum believes national conduct is most transparent under George W. Bush. Foreign policy is either done our way or else we invade and bomb the living daylights out of everything we can get a hold of. It's not at all surprising this approach fails to convince countries that America is `good' and is actually shrinking our global status. Blum's written other (more comprehensive) books providing a badly-needed perspective on American foreign policy. However, collections are useful 'intro' gifts.

Awesome Book ~ ENDORSED BY OSAMA!

This was a fantastic read on how BUSH SUCKS!! Osama Bin Laden even reccommends the book for reading: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060119/D8F81VJG2.html

Brilliant essays on US state's violence and aggression

This is a brilliant collection of essays, extraordinarily acute, containing some fascinating information. Blum is the author of two of the very best books on US foreign policy - Rogue state: a guide to the world's only superpower (Common Courage, 3rd edition, October 2005) and Killing hope: US military and civil interventions since World War II (Zed Press, 2003). This book includes a selection from his Anti-Empire Reports, available at www.killinghope.org; studies of some US interventions; an overview of the Cold War, showing how Cold Warriors have consistently used Goebbels' biggest and most-repeated lie about communist aggression and violence; and studies of the unemployment and poverty inflicted on American workers, exposing the myth, peddled by Gordon Brown among others, of the USA's booming economy. Blum exposes the US state's current political violence against Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. Charles Clarke should perhaps readdress to George Bush and wormtongue Blair his remarks about how political violence is so unnecessary nowadays. Contrary to Blair, the war on Iraq has not made us safer. Blum cites the US State Department as witness: "Tensions remaining from the recent events in Iraq may increase the potential threat to US citizens and interests abroad, including by terrorist groups." (Voice of America News, 21 April 2003.) Blum quotes a leading member of Al Qa'ida who threatened that they will bomb people in Britain "until the people of the country themselves recognise that this is going to go on until they get the leadership changed." Oh, no, sorry, that was Britain's Admiral Sir Michael Boyce threatening to keep bombing people in Afghanistan. Strangely enough, people the world over tend to react hostilely to aggression and violence. Colin Powell wrote of the 1983 US assault on Lebanon, "The U.S.S. New Jersey started hurling 16-inch shells into the mountains above Beirut, in World War II style, as if we were softening up the beaches on some Pacific atoll prior to an invasion. What we tend to overlook in such situations is that other people will react much as we would." Was he glorifying terrorism?