The Fire This Time: U.S. War Crimes in the Gulf

by Ramsey Clark

Book Overview

Based on research conducted in more than 20 countries as well as eyewitness accounts, this book refutes the misinformation disseminated by corporate media and government sources about U.S. involvement in Iraq. Descriptions of war-torn Iraq during and after Operation Desert Storm illustrate the effect war crimes and violations of international law had on the Iraqi people; updated material examines how the people are still being affected more than a...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156025047X
• ISBN13: 9781560250470
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press
• Length: 325 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Shocking truth about a war the West should be ashamed of

Since the British lost their grip on the Middle-East, the U.S. have taken over. Mr. Clark very accurately describes how the role of the U.S. during the Gulf war fits into the bigger picture of how the U.S. have tried (and succeeded) for decades to remain the world's number one power. At first, I only wanted to read the book because I had some little doubts about the objectivity of the information that we received via the media. On the whole, I agreed that action was needed, and that the war against Iraq could not be avoided. Until I read this book...It was like shells fell from my eyes. I realise now that not only there was a lot more violence used against Iraq than we were told, and that the purpose of this war was not to get Iraq out of Kuwait (which was indeed the 19th province of Iraq before England "created" Kuwait out of it in 1922), but to cripple an entire nation for decades to come. But also that this war was carefully planned by the U.S. for years. Mr. Clark shows this with countless examples, that make you say to yourself: "yes, I always had doubts about that". One of them is that although the CIA was already aware for sixth months that during the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq used poison gas against the kurds in the North of Iraq, it never revealled this information to the press until after the Iran-Iraq ceasefire in 1988, 3 hours before an Iraqi delegate arrived in the U.S. and gave a press conference. This delegate was rather taken by surprise by the questions he got at this press-conference. I can hardly exagerate the need for everybody to read this book, and learn what price the Iraqi people had to pay to secure U.S. access to cheap oil...that's what bothers me most: this war was not about democracy or human rights, it was about money and power only. And by the way: all this talk about U.S. attempts to eliminate Mr. Hussein is, of course, nonsense. The U.S. still need him in the saddle because he gives the U.S. the excuse for presence in the Gulf and maintaining the economic sanctions. READ THIS BOOK!!! And see, among other things, that not only the Iraqi people were informed very subjectively by their media. We were also by ours.

Why Don't They Ever Learn?

This book is an indispensable documentation of the truth behind the concerted government and media 'processing' of the US/British Persian Gulf war crimes that left even thousands of US troops sick and damaged for life. Even more necessary now on the brink of an abyss that would wrap human progress on this planet in darkness for decades to come. You'll find that another obscene assault on Iraq could pave the way for further 'wars' on independent nations, political assassinations ad lib., witch hunts on US and other citizens in disagreement. Some US citizens may think they're paying to be safe, but may actually be paying to get smashed. When Will They Ever Learn? Everybody should read this. Ask for the new 2002 edition that includes powerful documentation on US war strategy since 9/11.

essential for Gulf War erudition

The book is written by a respected US Gov Official. He has nothing to gain from writing this book but the contentment of disseminating the reality of US involvement in the middle east. Since writing the book, he has been chastised for being unpatriotic and even anti-semitic - all these reaction being confirmations of guilt. There is little subjectivity in this book - in fact it is not invigorating. Rather, Clark works through hard fact, in an appropriate level of detail, to describe just how misled the general public can be about war, and the incredible effects of sensationalist media and gov propaganda on the collective opinion. Read It.

essential

Absolutely essential for anyone interested in the persian gulf "war". Former US atty general Ramsey Clarke gives a no holds barred account of US war crimes in the Gulf. The book reads like it was written yesterday while nearly a decade of US occupation has lapsed since it was published. Really an argument for humanism framed within the murderous Persian Gulf War Clarke lays out the moral historical and legal(domestic and intl) reasons why US "participation" in the "war was wrong. The story the "media", who observed the war in press pools, will never tell you this is an ongoing human tragedy which sadly Ramsey predicts. It's not hysterical in tone just factual, describing the US rape of Iraq in the wake of the Panama invasion. Absolutely, essential reading.

persuasive and informative show of reality

This book completely shows the truth behind Western intention in the Gulf region and its persisting dominance over the Arab brothers.