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Abstract
United in their opposition to the neo-conservatism underpinning America's current political strategies, the contributors offer a grounded critique of the real impact that these policies make, at home and abroad.
Starting with a close analysis of the Bush administration and the neo-conservative hold on power in Washington, they move on to a broader historical analysis. They set today's topical issues in the context of what they see as a gradual shift towards the right in American politics, and the creeping corporatisation of American society. The contributors show that September 11 was used by the Bush administration to clamp down on civil liberties at home and to step up an aggressive line in foreign policy. The impact on American society, and societies elsewhere, has been deeply damaging.
Ranging over this and other topics including the US economy, corporate crime and anti-environmentalism, this book is ideal for anyone who wants a critical introduction to current affairs issues, set within the broader context of America's history of foreign interventions and global capitalism.
'An important and fascinating book, which gives an original and scathing insight into the workings of the far right of American society and its impacts on social justice'
Jean Ziegler, University of Geneva
'A much-needed antidote both to simplistic anti-American rhetoric and to the view that current trends lead toward peaceful and sustainable futures'
Richard Slaughter, Foresight International, President, World Futures Studies Federation
'Every American ought to read these indictments of the G. W. Bush administration's self-righteous attacks on honesty, fairness, decency, and the rule of law'
Wendell Bell, Yale University
Table of Contents
Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Contents | v | ||
Abbreviations and Acronyms | vi | ||
Preface | xi | ||
Introduction | 1 | ||
Part I: The Power Cadres | 19 | ||
1. The Bush Family Saga—Airbrushed out of History | 21 | ||
2. War Hawks and the Ugly American: The Origins of Bush's Central Asia and Middle East Policy | 47 | ||
3. September 11 and the Bush Administration: Compelling Evidence for Complicity? | 67 | ||
Part II: The Neo-conservative Destruction of American Society | 89 | ||
4. Above the Law: Executive Powers after September 11 | 91 | ||
5. The Vulnerabilities of an Economic Colossus | 110 | ||
6. The Way Towards Corporate Crime | 130 | ||
7. Poverty, Homelessness in the US Today | 151 | ||
8. Beyond the Texas Oil Patch: The Rise of Anti-Environmentalism | 163 | ||
Part III: The World Hegemon | 183 | ||
9. Wars of Terror | 185 | ||
10. A Concise History of US Global Interventions, 1945 to the Present | 204 | ||
11. Global Poverty in the Late Twentieth Century | 247 | ||
Part IV: The Other America | 265 | ||
12. Dissenting Groups and Movements | 267 | ||
Notes on the Authors | 291 | ||
Index | 297 |