The Pre-Emptive Empire A Guide to Bush's Kingdom

by Landau, Saul

• ISBN13: 9780745321400
• ISBN10: 0745321402
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-10-20
• Publisher: Pluto Press

Summary

Saul Landau is an internationally known scholar, author, journalist, poet and activist. An Emmy-award-winning film maker, he does frequent radio and TV shows, and his work on human rights and Latin America have won him acclaim the world over.This, his latest book, is a scathing account of George W. Bush's world before and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that will appeal to anyone who is disenchanted with the cynicism of Bush's government, and the blatant imperialism U.S. international policy -- or those who just want to learn about what's happening in US politics.Landau covers the topical and controversial issues -- from terrorism and US foreign policy to Bush's wondrous election victory; from Enron, Chile and Pinochet to Cuba, the Middle East, the IMF, the environment and sexual and cultural politics.He delves into the erosion of civil liberties and the proliferation of empire under the guise of pre-empting the scourge of terrorism. Landau reveals how Bush protects "his" terrorists -- those who perpetrate violence against Castro's Cuba, and to whom he owes his presidency. He also examines how Bush has appointed former officials to high level posts in his cabinet despite their membership in a conspiracy to sell weapons of mass destruction to Iran in the 1980s.In "declassifying" Bush's Empire, Landau dissects a post-9/11 world where deference to patriotism obliterates debate in Congress and the media. How can the notion of empire happily co-exist with the notion of a republic? In times like these, as dissenting voices are stifled and the public are denied access to the facts about their own security, Landau shows how democracy itself is under threat. He asks whether the already fragile world economy can survive in the new "security" culture of the post-9/11 world.This is an entertaining read from one of America's foremost cultural and political commentators. Above all, Landau makes a convincing case for the necessity of activism -- the book is not only funny but is also a ringing call for citizens to participate in making their own history.

Author Biography

Saul Landau is an internationally known scholar, author, journalist and activist

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Foreword: George McGovern	viii
Introduction: Before the Era of Insecurity	1	(10)
Part I: Leaving the Republic Behind
Who is George W. Bush and Who Made Him President?	11	(1)
The Bushes as Prizzis	12	(2)
Later in January...	14	(1)
Clinton's Farewell Address (Rejected by Some White House Staffer)	15	(2)
Why Bush Bombed Baghdad	17	(4)
Part II: The Empire Strikes Back
September 11, 2001	21	(1)
First Post-9/11 Reflections on Government 'Logic'	22	(2)
The Trivialized Logic of Our Time	24	(2)
Failure Equals Bigger Budget, More Power: The Domestic Shift of Empire	26	(3)
The Birth of the Department of Perpetual Anxiety	29	(3)
Election Sorrows and Cold Analysis: Democrats Blew It Again but US Elections Have Little to Do with Democracy	32	(3)
Bush Appoints Kissinger to Head Warren Commission on 9/11 - Instead of Investigating Him for Terrorism	35	(5)
The Bush Vision and the Culture of Power	40	(8)
Part III: Between Iraq and a Hard Place: The Oily Empire Stomps Through the Middle East
Face Facts: Israel is Losing a War and Her Ethics	48	(4)
Israeli Orthodox Missionaries Recruit in Peru	52	(6)
Part IV: Latin America: The Imperial Economic Model, Obedience and Terrorism
Capitalism Waves the Flag and the Rules	58	(4)
Argentina Got IMF'd	62	(3)
Chile's Ultra-Lite Socialist Model	65	(2)
Lies, Truth, Trivia and Transcendent Issues in Monterrey	67	(5)
Vicente Fox Deserves the Flat Tire of the Year Award	72	(2)
A Report on NAFTA and the State of the Maquilas	74	(5)
The Environment and the Maquilas	79	(3)
Breeding Crows	82	(3)
Lessons from the Bay of Pigs	85	(2)
US Double Standards on Terrorists	87	(6)
'The Coup that Lacked Professionalism!' the Expert Said	93	(10)
Part V: Cuba-The Last Hold Out
Religion, Revolution, Mobilization and Assassination: 43 Years After Echeverria	103	(4)
A Cuban Diary: Part I	107	(3)
A Cuban Diary: Part II	110	(10)
Part VI: The Move to War
Five Days in Iraq-Before the War	120	(9)
The Chicken Hawks' War	129	(3)
Countering Amnesia: The Iraq Ploy and Resemblances to the Start of the Cold War	132	(5)
Bush to Lead Coalition of the Willing-to be Bribed and Intimidated-and the Warmongering	137	(4)
You Can't Run an Empire by Republican Rules	141	(5)
The Threats of Empire-Mexico, Watch Out!	146	(4)
Technological Massacre in Iraq Also Leaves the UN in Critical Condition	150	(5)
Iraq War: A Policy of Christian and Jewish Fundamentalism; Worse Lies Ahead	155	(6)
Final Thoughts: Stop Shopping, Looking in the Mirror and Worrying About Your Spare Tires and Cellulite and Make Your Own History	161	(4)
Notes	165	(6)
Bibliography	171	(1)
Books	171	(1)
Web sites	172	(1)
Index	173