Beyond September 11: An Anthology of Dissent

Book Overview

The unprecedented and tragic events in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania left an indelible mark on world politics. Civilian deaths in horrific circumstances triggered an uncompromising response from the US administration and its allies: an open-ended 'war on terrorism'. This anthology includes some of the world's leading commentators - Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Naomi Klein, John Pilger, Paul Foot and A.Sivanandan. It presents accessible, detailed and often deeply personal accounts of the aftermath, the bombing of Afghanistan and the dubious claims for its legality. From investigative journalists to critical academics, human rights lawyers and anti-racist campaigners, the contributors are united in their opposition to military intervention in Afghanistan and beyond and to the attack on civil liberties in the US, the UK and Europe. Examining the the context and rhetoric of US vengeance - ennobled by the symbolic title 'Enduring Freedom' - they challenge political and popular definitions, constructions, pathologisation and reporting of terrorism. In questioning the representation of war as 'just', the anthology focuses on civilian deaths in Afghanistan, evidence of US/allied atrocities, violations of prisoners' rights and US determination to escalate military offensives, regardless of global destabilisation

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0745319629
• ISBN13: 9780745319629
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Explanatory and Insightful!

According to a number of highly intelligent thinkers, the foreign policy of the U.S. is principally driven by imperialistic motives. In its alleged war against terrorism, the U.S. punishes certain regimes while it simultaneously aids and protects other states which are equally oppressive and belligerent. It is claimed in this book that hypocrisy and imperialism are the chief characteristics of the foreign policy of the U.S. government. It is imperative that we examine the root causes of today's terrorism in order to be able to understand what factors drive people to commit terrorist acts. Why are many third world countries inimically disposed toward the U.S.? This is one of many question thoroughly analyzed in this book. Needless to say, understanding the root causes of terrorism does not mean that it is justifiable. Killing innocent people is always wrong regardless of what the reason might be. However, this must hold for all countries, not just the Arab world. As it stands today, only the actions of the Arab world are condemned and severely punished. What about Israel and Russia? How often does the mass media criticize atrocities committed by these oppressive regimes? Never, at least not in the U.S. although the similar situation applies throughout the West. These highly important questions are meticulously analyzed by the intellectual thinkers found in this book. What they all have in common is their joint effort to depict a highly unjust and discriminatory foreign policy of the U.S. government, characterized by gross hypocrisy. As Chomsky brilliantly puts it, how can the U.S. government possibly claim that it fights terrorism when the U.S. was charged with state terrorism against Nicaragua by International Court in the Hague? It is absurd and worthy of condemnation. This is a book that should be read by every American. It is one of the most important books ever written; a masterpiece beyond comprehension.