Useful study of the effects of foreign interventions

This excellent book, by Stephen Kinzer, an experienced American foreign correspondent, surveys the US state¿s record of forcible interventions abroad to change governments. It started when in 1893 it overthrew Hawaii¿s queen. In 1898 it took Cuba from Spain, denying Cuba its independence. From 1899 to 1902, it fought a vicious colonial war in the Philippines in which 4,374 US troops, 16,000 guerrillas and 20,000 civilians were killed. In 1909 it overthrew Nicaragua¿s government and in 1911 Honduras¿. After the Second World War, the US state carried out military coups across the world, aided by British governments, Labour and Conservative. The Attlee government (`old Labour¿, remember) opposed Vietnam¿s national liberation movement and helped the French to reimpose their colonial rule. The US state, supported by the Churchill government, backed their man Diem¿s refusal to hold the promised elections. In Iran, where Anglo-Iranian made more profit in 1950 alone than it had allowed Iran in royalties since 1900, an elected government sought to control and develop Iran¿s resources for the benefit of its people. Incensed at this presumption, the US and British states organised a coup in 1953. The US state overthrew Guatemala¿s elected government in 1954, installing a junta which killed more than 200,000 Guatemalans in the next thirty years. Similarly, in response to the Chilean people¿s election of Salvador Allende in 1970, the US state acted as its Ambassador there threatened, ¿We shall do all within our power to condemn Chile and the Chilean people to utmost deprivation and poverty.¿ Thatcher¿s friend General Pinochet seized power in a bloody coup, butchering 25,000 people and torturing 27,255. US presidents ordered all these coups they were not `rogue operations¿ carried out by the CIA on its own initiative. All replaced incipient democracy with brutal dictatorships. All increased repression and reduced freedom. In the 1980s, the US state sent billions of dollars to aid the Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan, letting Pakistan¿s intelligence service decide who got the money ¿ the most anti-Western, anti-secular, anti-nationalist fundamentalists. Then the US state, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and bin Laden together put the Taliban in power. After 9/11, Bush attacked Iraq (which had never attacked or even threatened Americans) rather than focus on stopping Al Qaeda. Bush senior¿s National Security adviser, General Brent Scowcroft, warned that attacking Iraq would be a priceless gift to Islamic terrorists - Blair says this is enemy propaganda. These wars against Iraq and Afghanistan are traditional colonial wars for power and resources, not a rerun of the Second World War, as Blair and Bush would have us believe. The US state opposes all nationalisms and so opposes all other nations. Destroying other nations¿ sovereignty is bad for everyone. As Kinzer concludes, ¿In almost every case, overthrowing the government of a foreign country has, in the end, led both that country and the United States to grief ¿ far more pain than liberation.¿

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer

The Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer is an amazing book that enlightened me to the dark side of America. I found it amazing that the American Public has been so blind, and so tricked by our own government. "In the name of Freedom, freedom is destroyed" Bickel. One of my favorite quotes that match this book. This book closely examines the actions the American government and business executive have taken to undermine governments for beneficial reason. I thought the book was written to show that actions speak louder than words because the American government have been lying to the public ever since the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. The decisions that the American government have taken are very clever. An example is Operation Iraq Freedom because the operation in Iraq and Iran was mainly for oil. We disguised our involvement into a foreign country by declaring to free the people in Iraq from the Taliban. We have involved ourselves in undermining and "invading" countries since 1893. We have sercetly overthrown or changed over twenty countries. I believe that the actions that America, a power hunger nation, is taking will slowly lead to its decline because most of the world hates America, and if America keeps involving itself in foreign matters, it might lead to war.

Thought Provoking!

This book is a perfect conversation starter because it is very relevant to today's world and what the U.S. has had a hand in creating. I had to read this for a class but I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was well-researched, well-written and overall an enthralling read.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.