The New American Empire [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

In The New American Empire, economist and professor emeritus Rodrigue Tremblay dares to ask: what is really the motive behind the American war in Iraq? What will be its consequences, both for the United States and the world? Focusing on a critical shift that American foreign and domestic policies have taken under George Bush since September 11, 2001, viewed both in the context of modern history and as part of the evolution of Western civilization since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The dangerous implications of a war initiated and led under false pretenses, the strategic importance of oil and its fundamental motivation in a political and worldwide power grab, emerging decadence in the West and more are all chronicles with a cautious eye and a sharp tongue. A deftly researched, deadly serious warning of the clear and present dangers of America's current uncontrolled national hubris.

I have read many great (and not so great) books on President Bush and on how his Neo-con advisers gave him the intellectual and the intelligence ammunitions to launch a unilateral war against Iraq. None, however, integrates the lessons of history (the cycle of empires) and the intricacies of domestic politics (the role of AIPAC) in such a clear and powerful way as The New American Empire does. The book covers such a wide range of related topics, from the 'Just War theory' to the 'Brezhnev Doctrine' and the 'Helsinki Accords', that it is impossible to read it without acquiring ipso facto a synthetic view of geopolitics and its current ramifications. It is a welcomed antidote to the superficial analyses that one reads in the major newspapers and hears on cable TV.

I have a feeling that this is one book that will stand out as very prophetic in a few years.

"M. Marshall" (Palo Alto CA, USA)

In sixteen thought-provoking chapters, the author

discusses, among other topics, a comparison of the

zealous mindsets of Ossama bin Laden and George W.

Bush, the rise of the religious right and its growing

influence in the Republican Party, the international

implications of the "Bush Doctrine" of September,

2002, and the strategic importance of oil.

One of the most enlightening sections in this timely

book is the discussion of the "Just War Theory".

Is George W. Bush's war of aggression against Iraq a

"Just War"? The author emphatically answers No. He

presents a clear case against a war which has so far

caused more than 25,000 deaths, most of them civilian,

including those of more than 1,000 young Americans

sent half way around the world. For what? Nobody seems

to know, since the official rationales for starting

this war have disappeared one after the other, some

being outright lies.

This was not a war of "last resort", since Wolfowitz,

Cheney and Co had been planning the invasion of Iraq

for more than a decade. It would seem now that the war

in Iraq is not being fought with the "right

intentions": Wolfowitz and Cheney have mentioned, on

numerous occasions, that "Iraq's oil" had to be

secured. There was no "just cause" either since Iraq

had no military capabilities to threaten the United

States, or any other country for that matter. This is

a war with no legitimacy, since the United Nations

refused to give its authorisation for such a military

invasion. And, as a result of the indiscriminate

bombings of civilian urban populations, it is an

immoral war, because it has resulted in the killing of

scores of innocent people.

Chapter 16, "Greatness and Decadence of the West",

could perhaps have been the starting point for this

essay, and is well worth a second read. In it, Dr.

Tremblay resumes in a nutshell the essential values of

Western civilisation and the reasons for its success.

Taking us into the future, the author speculates on

the life cycle of this "Democratic Western Empire"

which may soon be split into two competing economic

blocs-the United States and Europe. Eventually, as

China develops and expands, a tri-polar world may

emerge.

Because of its sharp analysis of U.S. politics

following the shock of Sept.11, this book will hold

the readers interest from beginning to end. Kudos to

the author.