Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower

by William Blum

Book Overview

"Bravo! A vivid, well-aimed critique of the evils of US global interventionism, a superb antidote to officialdom's lies and propaganda."-Michael Parenti "Rogue State forcibly reminds us of Vice President Agnew's immortal line, 'The United States, for all its faults, is still the greatest nation in the country.'"-Gore Vidal "Bill Blum came by his book title easily: He simply tested America by the same standards we use to judge other countries. The...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567511945
• ISBN13: 9781567511949
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Common Courage Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

An Objective Review

Rogue State 3rd edition, by William Blum William Blum left the State Dept. in 1967 because of his opposition to the US war on Vietnam. He became a freelance journalist in Europe and the Americas. His story on how the Reagan Administration gave Iraq material for chemical and biological warfare capability won a prize in 1998. The first edition of this book was inspired by the brutal US bombing of Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999, an example of the New World Order. The 'Introduction' says that claims of an International Communist Conspiracy were used to advance American Imperialism around the world [and to supplant British and French colonies]. Page 3 tells how the US used military personnel in testing poison gas, biological weapons, radiation experiments, etc. Agent Orange is the best known example. Soldiers were forced to take unproven medicines that caused lingering illnesses (p.4). If the US government does not care about the health and welfare of its own soldiers, what will they do to foreign peoples (p.5)? The amorality of government leaders is shown on pages 5 to 7. Blum says these cruelties are needed to implement out foreign policy. He contrasts the reality of bombing Yugoslavia to the fantasies of the Establishment (pp.9-10)! Blum does not mention the "brain washing" from an early age that creates these disconnections from reality (see page 12). American foreign policy is designed to benefit American corporations now or in the future (p.16). Foreign enemies are needed to justify the Military-Industrial Complex (p.19). There is a revolving list of enemy states that recall George Orwell's "1984" (p.20). The alleged threat of a Soviet invasion or nuclear attack were imaginary nonsense (p.21). Any government that will not be exploited by American corporations is considered to be EVIL and a target for bombing and destruction (p.24). Blum notes that liberated peoples established Truth Commissions to record crimes committed by their governments. This book attempts to record the crimes of the US government in its 27 chapters. Part I lists the US involvement with terrorists and human rights violators. Part II lists the US use of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Part III tells how a "Rogue State" is attacking the rest of the world. These chapters will not surprise or shock anyone who knows what has been happening since the end of WW II. Only people who ignore the events by watching tabloid TV, shows and entertainments, and listen to talk radio will be shocked and likely to be "in denial" by this list of criminal actions. I would point out that one effect of these policies over the decades has been to impoverish wage-earners through lower wages, a devalued currency, and higher taxes. Manufacturing jobs are becoming as rare as when America was a colonial country. Does oppression abroad require oppression at home? What can you do about it? Note how many of these events date back to FDR's time (if not before). This book suggests that freedom at home

Read it.

As I read some of these hysterical reviews I begin to realize how disconnected many Americans are to what their country does in the world. They repeat standard American propagandistic slogans of freedom and free market capitalism (which even the US is not! with 1/3 of gdp attributed to government spending) and all the rest...this is a great book to read for anyone truly interested in what most of the world experiences. Some reviewers have even recommended Thomas Friedman! The most simplistic person in the world...but then again this is the US...so if you are interested in "pop international politics" filled with platitudes and hyperbole then he probably is your man, if you are interested in the underbelly of American politics and in seeing the complexities that go along with that then this book is for you. Another good book to read is "Confessions of an Economic Hitman".

A VERY EDUCATIONAL READ

A must read for everyone, 1.27.05 Reviewer: Paul, CA USA) - This book is not just a person's opinion. All claims are substantiated with intricate detail through the sources referenced. Therefore, it is a must read for every American to better understand our foreign policy and the effect it has on world affairs and world reactions. By reading this book, one would understand that if the US is going to truly lead the world through justice and not just pay lip service, then it needs a major overhaul of its policies, both foreign and domestic.

APPALLING, SAD, AND SO VERY TRUE

I read this book in pretty much one sitting (no new information here for me personally) and was simply more surprised than anything else to find it not only in print but the center of much attention, primarily via the unusal conduit of Osama Bin Laden. The book details and documents the rather amazingly sad state that American foreign policy has arrived at since the end of WWII. The gov't has indeed caused much misery and bloodshed around the world with deaths running into the many millions. I have seen some of the results of this myself firsthand, particularly in Asia, while visiting refugee camps on the Thai border. I have lived and worked in many countries (including Arab countries) over the years and watched and felt the horror and dismay of many peoples grow into hate. They don't hate our culture or even dislike the average rank and file American or resent our prosperity but they hate and loathe what our government does in our name in so many foreign lands. [...] I earnestly hope that this book does something to alleviate this ignorance. The book has some flaws but a great deal of well documented truth that cannot be ignored. Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Balkans and now poor Iraq and a bit here and there in between. A majority of those who make policy decisions have never lived outside of the country and in almost all cases cannot even speak or understand a foreign language. While it is plain that the author's viewpoint is liberal it is also equally plain that both political parties are very much to blame. This is also very much the type of book that the conventional media loves to suppress. Perhaps it is time for another movie, "The Even Uglier American". It appears that "The pleasure of hating makes patriotism an excuse for carrying fire, pestilence and famine into other lands." Buy this very interesting and well written book, read it and weep.