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RECOMMENDED READING
With the exception of those which are out of print, all the books below are
available from
and
THE FIRE THIS TIME
by
RAMSEY CLARK
First published in 1992
ASIN - 1560250712
Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark's searing book
was the primary inspiration for the CD project. Out of print for many years, a new and
updated edition has just been published by Clark's organisation THE INTERNATIONAL ACTION
CENTRE. It is a stunning expose of the savagery with which the US attacked Iraq, and the
role of the mainstream media in manufacturing public support for war. It also contains a
large section detailing the international laws that the US breached, and an inspirational
final chapter setting out a template for peace as defined by these laws.
"Clark presents
Americans with the unthinkable: that their government killed upward of 100,000 civilians
in a terrifying power exercise, sanctified by a captive media."
- KIRKUS Reviews
Available from and
email:
web:
THE SCOURGING OF IRAQ
by
GEOFF SIMONS
First published in 1996, reprinted in 1998
Simons' seminal book about the biological warfare waged against Iraq in the form of sanctions. Terrifying reading, almost humiliating. Along with Clark's book was a prime motivation for the project.
"A shocking record of
terrible crimes, still continuing, that should shame us all."
- Noam Chomsky
"The book has most of
the material for a moral indictment of American policy towards Iraq. Simon's case is
compelling."
- Charles Glass, Times Literary Supplement
IRAQ UNDER SIEGE - THE DEADLY IMPACT OF
SANCTIONS AND WAR
Edited by Anthony Arnove
First published in 2000 by Pluto Press
A brilliant collection of essays from multi-award winning journalists Robert Fisk and John Pilger, many writers and academics such Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn, as well as a contribution from the former UN Humanitarian Aid Co-ordinator in Iraq, Denis Halliday. Subjects covered are the role of mass media in obscuring and diverting the crisis from public view, the use of Depleted Uranium ammunition, US double standards and the roots of the war generated by Western support for Iraq in the 1980s, and detailed documentation of the health and nutritional situation. Quite simply the best overall study of the humanitarian disaster that sanctions have caused.
"An invaluable
documentation of the tragedy in Iraq. Deserves reading by every citizen interested in the
appalling reality of US and UK foreign policy."
- Edward W. Said
"Through its' powerful
eyewitness accounts and carefully researched, myth-busting chapters, 'Iraq Under Siege'
provides a powerful antidote to our rulers' lies and does a great service to the cause of
ending the sanctions."
- International Socialist Review
DETERRING DEMOCRACY
by
NOAM CHOMSKY
First published in 1991 by Hill and Wang
The leading dissident and critic in the US, Chomsky predicts the potentially catastrophic consequences of the imbalance of the world order following the fall of the Soviet Union, revealing a world in which the US ruthlessly exploits its' advantage to enforce its' national interests, and in the process destroys weaker nations. Extremely distressing for the most part in that, read in retrospect, much of what Chomsky predicted has come to pass, and simply startling in its' revelations of the mind set of the power brokers of recent times.
"A
volatile, serious contribution to the debate over America's role as the globe's remaining
superpower."
- San Francisco Chronicle
"Chomsky
is [...] a major scholarly resource. Not to have read him is to court genuine
ignorance."
- The Nation
NECESSARY ILLUSIONS - THOUGHT CONTROL IN
DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES
by
NOAM CHOMSKY
First published in 1989 by South End Press - ISBN 0-89608-366-7
A highly disturbing revelation of mass media complicity in the foreign policy of the US. Chomsky reveals truly stunning examples of press censorship in many forms, including the pervasive self censorship ethic that has come to plague the US mainstream. Such is the level of his research that decades of history are categorically shown to have been manipulated to an extraordinary degree for public consumption and opinion making. An essential, mind boggling book.
"Brace
yourself for what may be the single most important book on the American media in the
1980's"
- San Francisco Weekly
"Chomsky
raises issues rarely dealt with in mainstream thought. His books have been largely ignored
in the US - an indication that they indeed touch a raw nerve."
- Toronto Globe and Mail
"More
than anyone else, perhaps, Chomsky has acted as the moral conscience of the American
people, holding up a mirror to the acts of government."
- New Statesman
MANUFACTURING CONSENT
by
EDWARD HERMAN and NOAM CHOMSKY
First published in 1988; currently available from Vintage Press
Herman and Chomsky's seminal work on the manipulation by the mass media to portray Western institutions and governments as benevolent defenders of democracy, when the reality is quite the opposite. It graphically exposes the degree to which 'news' is simply the ideology of powerful interests being sold to the public. Utilising a 'propaganda model', based upon a 'free market' style analysis rather than moral criticism, they deconstruct many cases of biased reporting, and prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the major media companies, in league with business and government, carry out enormous propaganda campaigns that involve everything from suppression to outright lies.
The book by which all others should be measured.
"Chomsky
should be honored as a national hero. He is the most valuable critic of American power
that we have."
- The Nation
"One of
the most respected and influential intellectuals in the world."
- Rolling Stone
WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
- The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq -
by
SHELDON RAMPTON and JOHN STAUBER
First published in 2003 by Constable + Robinson
Perhaps the most thorough and extraordinary expose of the 2003 Iraq 'crisis', Rampton and
Stauber lay bare the media and PR effort to sell Bush's attack on Iraq. The unprecedented
propaganda campaign is deconstructed at length, and the players in the background brought
into sharp focus. How many of us knew that a former PR guru who sold Uncle Ben's Rice
became a major force in the Bush administration to sell America's image_ How many of us
knew that the Iraqi National Congress was in fact invented by a PR firm_ A superb and
enormously revealing book, which I can not recommend highly enough.
"These guys are here
to wake you up."
- Greg Palast
[See RAMPTON INTERVIEW for more details]
IRAQ - FROM SUMER TO SADDAM
by
GEOFF SIMONS
First published in 1996 by Palgrave Press; currently available from MacMillan Press -
Simons sets out the history of Iraq, from ancient Mesopotamia, colonial domination, the rise of the Ba'athists, and up to the end of the Gulf war. Some critics have balked at Simons' tendency to personalise issues as damaging his overall case, but nonetheless this is a valuable research resource.
THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY
by
GREG PALAST
First published by Pluto Books 2002 - UK paperback edition currently available from Constable + Robinson
The old cliche about a book grabbing you by the throat is applicable here. Palast's investigations into the corporate infiltration of the democratic process is nothing short of amazing. Covering the 'Lobbygate' scandal in the UK, the fraudulent Bush election rigging in Florida, power companies' deregulation disasters in California and South America, and most especially revelations of the actual IMF and World Bank policies, this book will radically alter your perception of the world, and that of the media picture that supposedly represents it. Palast is not content to merely speculate; he persues his subjects with a ruthlessness, courage and conviction that puts most other journalists to shame, and he provides the documents and cast iron evidence to back his case. Buy immediately.
"In a world governed
by democratic principles [Palast's reports] ought to have brought down governments."
- The Independent
"This is a great book,
an essential book. Greg Palast is the most important investigative journalist of our
time."
- Tribune Magazine
THE FIRST CASUALTY
- The War Correspondent as Hero and Myth-Maker from the Crimea to Kosovo -
by
PHILLIP KNIGHTLEY
First published in 1975 - updated edition currently available from Prion Books
Knightley's classic book on war reporting has now been updated and re-published to include the first Gulf war and the Kosovo campaign, and is the most comprehensive and fascinating study of the subject that I know of. John Pilger has often described journalism as "...the first draft of history...'. Knightley clearly shows that the history of conflict as presented by the press bears little comparison to genuine events, despite the minority voices of brave and honest correspondents who fought, often in hellish conditions, against both military and political censorship to bring the truth to the public. His analysis of recent conflicts is particularly damning, raising important questions of whether war reporters are now redundant figures in this age of media control by governments.
"Disturbing, even
dismaying, yet also in its painful way, enormously entertaining."
- The New Yorker
"A richly researched
history."
- The Sunday Times
CAPTIVE STATE - THE CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF
BRITAIN
by
GEORGE MONBIOT
1st published in 2000 by MacMillan; currently available from Pan Books
A superbly written expose of the degree to which Britain has succumbed to corporate control, now so great that the very substance of democracy is under threat. The government itself is shown to have not only allowed this assault on freedom, but to have actively collaborated in it's own redundancy. A damning indictment of the scale of corruption in modern British politics.
"Few write a
compelling enough script to make you want to shout angry slogans about the injustices of
corporate greed [....] a frightening and convincing story of one of the most
audacious business strategies ever unleashed."
- Management Today
"George Orwell once
said that all writing is worthless unless it provokes action. 'Captive State' ought to
inspire a revolution."
- Red Pepper
"You need only read
Monbiot's [....] excellent new book to understand that the US has done, is doing and will
do more damage to this planet and its' people than [....] Nazi Germany and fascist Japan
put together."
- The Guardian
DISTANT VOICES (1992) and HIDDEN
AGENDAS (1998)
by
JOHN PILGER
DISTANT VOICES - Vintage Books
HIDDEN AGENDAS - Vintage Books
Twice winner of 'British Journalist of the Year,' Pilger's collections of reports reveal a very different picture of world events than anything you are likely to see or read in mainstream media. In DISTANT VOICES, the chapter entitled 'Mythmakers of the Gulf war' was written during the period leading up to the war, the war itself, and its' immediate aftermath, providing extremely sobering accounts of the lies and savagery of the the bombing. In HIDDEN AGENDAS, the chapter 'The New Cold War' deconstructs the time-honored policy of great powers to utilise propaganda in the manufacture of 'enemies', usually their former clients, to justify their actions. Highly recommended.
"A moral
interpretation of world affairs in a cynical age."
- The Independent
"Pilger is the closest
thing we have to the great correspondents of the 1930s. The truth in his hands is a
weapon, to be picked up and used in the struggle against injustice."
- The Guardian
WHAT UNCLE SAM REALLY WANTS
by
NOAM CHOMSKY
First published 1986 - currently available from Odonian Press
One in a series of books by Chomsky in Odonian Press' 'RealStory' series. Comprises a mere 100 pages, yet manages to destroy more myths of US history than you care to count. If you have yet to aquaint yourself with Chomsky, this is possibly the best place to start. Short, and very sharp, he reveals the appalling post war activities of the US in their goal of dominating 'The Grand Area' of the Middle East and Asia, and the subjugation of Central and Latin America. Government overthrows, death squads, carpet bombing, assassinations, use of Nazi war criminals as intelligence agents.....it's all here.
"Chomsky ruthlessly
exposes the dark side of power. Everything politics is, Chomsky isn't. He takes you where
few dare to tread."
- Jerry Brown
"How adroitly he cuts
through the crap and actually says something."
- Village Voice
Visit the RealStory web site at
ROGUE STATE - A GUIDE TO THE WORLD'S ONLY
SUPERPOWER
by
WILLIAM BLUM
First published by Zed Books 2001 / updated edition Zed Books 2002
If Chomsky's 'What Uncle Sam Really Wants' was not enough, look no further than Blum's 'Rogue State'. It's almost as if the litany of US crimes was so vast that he couldn't find space for them all. Whilst it appears to begin with, in my opinion, an off-putting 'chatty style,' you soon come to realise that Blum is so utterly offended by his subject matter that insane laughter might have been his best option in the retention his sanity. Even seasoned researchers will find material here that will shock them afresh. What sets Blum's case apart from many others is that he is a former member of the US State Department, resigning his post in 1967 due to his opposition to Vietnam policy. This is a man who has had access to information that civilian investigators can only dream about. Phenomenal revelations about US supported terrorists and war criminals, military interventions, use and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, election rigging, surveillance, kidnapping, torture, murder etc etc etc etc.....
"ROGUE STATE is a book
of charges to be tied to a paving stone and thrown at the men in Washington."
- Independent on Sunday
"Demolishes the
foundations of basic illusions about the United States of America as a world power."
- Norman Soloman
"After reading ROGUE
STATE, it is impossible to hang fast to the comforting illusion that the 'American Way' is
some kind of enlightenment."
- Will Self, New Statesman
THE GULF CONFLICT
by
LAWRENCE FREEDMAN and EFRAIM KARSH
First published 1993 by Faber and Faber
Whilst claiming to redress the 'Washington bias' found in so many other accounts of the war, Freedman and Karsh are, in my opinion, guilty of some extreme sins of omission and continue to promote several Western myths about the war. Nonetheless, this is a wide ranging account with some interesting sources and insights into the political and military machinations of both the US and Iraqi regimes.
"This book should be
required reading for all in the news media who purvey instant opinions and simple answers.
[....] Fascinating, revealing much that is not generally known."
- Michael Carver, Sunday Telegraph
SANCTIONING SADDAM - THE POLITICS OF
INTERVENTION
by
SARAH GRAHAM-BROWN
First published by I.B. Tauris
& Co Ltd in 1999 -
Though covering much of the same ground as Simons' 'SCOURGING OF IRAQ',
Graham-Brown's book brings the subject up to date. It was more warmly received in
mainstream circles who generally cited it as less outraged and personal, and whom
applauded her methodical approach and insight into the Iraqi regime's share of
responsibility.
A NEW GENERATION DRAWS THE LINE - KOSOVO,
EAST TIMOR AND THE STANDARDS OF THE WEST
by
NOAM CHOMSKY
Hardback edition currently available from Verso Books
Breathtaking reading from Chomsky once again, in this perhaps his most concise work. Wasting no time in getting to the point, Chomsky reveals the very different agendas of the US and UK in the bombing of Kosovo and their support for Indonesia's decimation of East Timor. He clearly demonstrates that the newly self proclaimed 'moral high ground' of the 'enlightened' West is nothing of the sort when commercial interests and military credibility are at stake. If you thought you had the faintest idea of what happened in Kosovo, you may have to think again, very radically. And if you thought you knew about the tragedy of East Timor, frankly, read it and weep.
STUPID WHITE MEN....AND OTHER SORRY EXCUSES
FOR THE STATE OF THE NATION
by
MICHAEL MOORE
Hardback edition currently available from Regan Books / Harper Collins
Oscar winner, Cannes Award winner, twice best selling author in the US does it again. Only Michael Moore could make the disintegration of rational foreign policy, democracy and civil rights funny. The single most accessible book on the horrors of the US administration under 'Dubya', with a highly revealing chapter on exactly who-is-who in the government, and who they REALLY work for. Laugh your way to your next protest, and keep a copy handy with you at all times.
THE NEW RULERS OF THE WORLD
by
JOHN PILGER
Hardback edition currently available from Verso Books
A collection of four essays by Pilger that follow up and expand upon 3 of his recent British TV documentaries, with an additional essay entitled 'The Great Game.' Those familiar with his groundbreaking documentaries will find the essays even more harrowing, offering a glimpse of the acceptable limits of what is broadcast. These three follow-ups concern East Timor / Indonesia, Iraq, and the surprising story of the unofficial 'apartheid' regime in Australia directed at the Aboriginal population. It is, however, 'The Great Game' that stands out as one of his finest pieces of journalism ever, showing a jaw dropping level of western complicity and connection to Osama bin Laden and the events of September 11th, as well as much of the horrors of US supported dictatorships worldwide.
"John Pilger's work
has been a beacon of light in often dark times. [....] His courage [and] insight a
constant inspiration."
- Noam Chomsky
WAR ON IRAQ - WHAT TEAM BUSH DOESN'T WANT YOU
TO KNOW
by
SCOTT RITTER and WILLIAM RIVERS PITT
First published by Profile Books 2002
A short, sharp slap in the face to all the propagandists in the US State Department and the UK Foreign Office. This 77 page book comprises of an introduction by Pitt, and two interviews that he conducted with former Chief Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter about the reality of Iraq's 'weapons of mass destruction' and the genuinely successful disarmament that UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency achieved in Iraq from 1991 to 1998. Ritter quickly dismantles the arguments for invading Iraq and destroys the myths of a hidden arsenal of weapons, and any Iraqi attempts to rebuild them. He also examines possible outcomes, all dismal, that would accompany a renewed attack on Iraq. Ritter's case is made all the more convincing in that he's a card carrying Republican and voted for George W. Bush at the last election. The title doesn't lie....this really is what team Bush doesn't want you to know.
THE FACE OF WAR
by
MARTHA GELLHORN
First published 1959
Reprinted 1998 with additional material by Gellhorn, and currently available from Granta
Books
Martha Gellhorn was widely regarded as perhaps the finest war correspondent of the 20th century. This collection of reports spans the Spanish war against the fascists in 1937 to the American invasion of Panama in 1990. Her somewhat pro-Israeli biased coverage of the Six Day war fought against the Arab coalition seems strangely out of place in this otherwise extraordinarily eloquent, impartial and powerful collection. Gellhorn's strength was to capture the dilemma and dignity of ordinary people caught up in horrendous circumstances. Her additional material also contains a truly breathtaking account of the impact of the Chernobyl disaster, demonstrating its' almost total insignificance as compared to even a limited nuclear war in Europe.
"The best prose on
its' subject written by anybody."
- New Statesman
"Copies of this book
should be sent to every world leader with the proviso that they are forced to read every
word."
- Jewish Telegraph
A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES -
1492 to PRESENT
by
HOWARD ZINN
First published 1980
Currently available from Perennial Books
Zinn's classic work continues to inspire readers more than 20 years on. A fascinating and highly revealing history of the US as told by those who resisted the systems of privilege, wealth, slavery, discrimination and murder that accompanied the birth of the super power. We have much to thank of those who fought for a decent living wage, a decent work environment, a measure of union protection from exploitation, amongst many other htmlects of life that we now take for granted. These gains were paid for in blood, and many lives, and yet their story is so little told. It is very sobering to discover that the principle author of the 'Declaration of Independence,' Thomas Jefferson, was a slave holder until the day he died. It is also sobering to learn that had not the indigenous Indian population provided food and shelter to the colonists during their first two winters, they would have surely perished. Their reward: decimation. Zinn's book deserves to be required reading in every college in the United States.
"Historians may well
view it as a step toward a coherent new version of American history."
- New York Times book review
"A brilliant and
moving history of the American people from the point of view of those who have been
exploited politically and economically, and whose plight has largely been omitted from
most histories."
- Library Journal
TARGETING IRAQ - SANCTIONS AND BOMBING IN US
POLICY
by
GEOFF SIMONS
First published 2002 - Saqi Books
An extremely concise effort from Simons, who eschews his sometimes personal style to present a detailed and powerful analysis of the Iraq situation up until mid 2002. The major achievement of this book is to take a subject that is generally not considered newsworthy - the functioning of the beaurocracy of the Oil-For-Food program - and make it compelling reading. In doing so he reveals that the real assault against the Iraqi people is not so much the continual bombing, but the grinding war of attrition fought by US dominated committees in the United Nations, destroying people's lives through petty obstructionism of the attempts to alleviate the effect of sanctions. Nevertheless, the record of the ongoing bombing is shocking, now so routine it is barely reported. Highly recommended.
"A huge contribution
to exposing the great US crime against Iraq. Read this book and find out why."
- John Pilger
"Books either written
or edited by Simons can be bought with confidence."
- The Times
AS LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER - THE FACTS ABOUT
NUCLEAR WAR
by
DR. PAUL ROGERS, DR. MALCOLM DANDO and DR. PETER VAN DEN DUNGEN
First published 1981 - Arrow Books
I suspect that this book, amongst the most disturbing that I have ever read, is now long out of print. Written by the founders of the School of Peace Studies at Bradford University, it details the precise implications for all possible outcomes of a limited or 'mutually assured destruction' nuclear exchange between the former superpowers. The utter insanity of the nuclear arms race is revealed in stark and graphic terms, the possibility of civil defence is shown for the ridiculous lie that it is, and the ideology underpinning nuclear policy planning in the US is discovered to be truly terrifying.
