America's Deadliest Export: Democracy - The Truth about US Foreign Policy and Everything Else

by William Blum

Overview

'A fireball of terse information.'
Oliver Stone

'A remarkable collection. Blum concentrates on matters of great current significance, and does not pull his punches. They land, backed with evidence and acute analysis.'
Noam Chomsky

For over sixty-five years, the United States war machine has been on automatic pilot. Since World War II we have been conditioned to believe that America's motives in 'exporting' democracy are honorable, even noble.

In this startling and provocative book, William Blum, a leading dissident chronicler of US foreign policy and the author of controversial bestseller Rogue State, argues that nothing could be further from the truth.

Moreover, unless this fallacy is unlearned, and until people understand fully the worldwide suffering American policy has caused, we will never be able to stop the monster.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350374577
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/23/2023
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

William Blum left the State Department in 1967 in opposition to the Vietnam war. He then became founder and editor of the Washington Free Press. He is the author of Killing Hope (Zed, 2014) and Rogue State (Zed, 2014).

Table of Contents

Preface to the 2014 edition
Introduction
1. US foreign policy vs the world
2. Terrorism
3. Iraq
4. Afghanistan
5. Iran
6. George W. Bush
7. Condoleezza Rice
8. Human rights, civil liberties, and torture
9. WikiLeaks
10. Conspiracies
11. Yugoslavia
12. Libya
13. Latin America
14. Cuba
15. The Cold War and anti-communism
16. The 1960s
17. Ideology and society
18. Our precious environment
19. The problem with capitalism
20. Media
21. Barack Obama
22. Patriotism
23. Dissent and resistance in America
24. Religion
25. Laughing despite the empire
26. But what can we do?

Editorial Reviews

If you only read one book about global politics this year make it this one.” —Counterfire

“Coruscating, eye-opening and essential. This is a must-read for anyone rightfully concerned at the destructive influence of the world's only superpower.” —Cynthia McKinney, Presidential Candidate for the Green Party of the United States

“With good cheer and humor Blum guides us toward understanding that our government does not mean well. Once we've grasped that, we're far more capable of effectively doing good ourselves.” —David Swanson, author of War is a Lie

“William Blum's America's Deadliest Export is another in his blockbuster series that has applied the reality and morality principles to work on U.S. foreign policy. This book has vignettes and longish essays on matters running from Conspiracies, Ideology and the Media to Cuba, Iran and Wikileaks. It is brimming with wit and with both laughable and frightening quotations. It is admittedly written for "the choir," but even the choir needs encouragement as well as facts and analyses that will keep its members from succumbing to a potent propaganda system. And we may hope that choir will grow with books like this that both amuse and enlighten.” —Edward S. Herman, co-author of The Politics of Genocide

“America's Deadliest Export is a brilliant expose of critically important information about the role of the U.S. in the world - yet that is arguably the least of its virtues. Blum's book is also passionate when it ought to be passionate, and sober when it ought to be sober. It takes the raw data of international relations and presents it so movingly, so compellingly, and so insightfully, that when it reaches out for us to act - it has put us very much in the mood to do so. Succinct and comprehensive, reasoned and also impassioned, this is a book all should read.” —Michael Albert

“This book deals with unpleasant subjects yet it is a pleasure to read. Blum continues to provide us with convincing critiques of U.S. global policy in a freshly informed and engaging way.” —Michael Parenti, author of The Face of Imperialism

“As in the past, in this remarkable collection Bill Blum concentrates on matters of great current significance, and does not pull his punches. They land, backed with evidence and acute analysis. It is a perspective on the world that Westerners should ponder, and take as a guideline for action.” —Noam Chomsky

“A fireball of terse information - one of our best muckrakers.” —Oliver Stone

From the Publisher

“As in the past, in this remarkable collection Blum concentrates on matters of great current significance and does not pull his punches. They land, backed with evidence and acute analysis. It is a perspective on the world that Westerners should ponder, and take as a guideline for action.

Noam Chomsky

“If you only read one book about global politics this year make it this one.

Counterfire

"Blum's forthright book successfully portrays a non-mainstream image of the US after the Second World War. His blunt analysis of raw data gives us a somewhat inconvenient perspective of Western international affairs. . . . A valuable resource."

Political Studies Review - Teodora-Maria Daghie