Against Empire

like the other reviewer said...yes, it's life changing! i first read about this book in college, and before that, I have never questioned about what I read in text books, in the news of our media...this book opend up my eyes to a different view of the world around us...no matter you are democrat, republican, hippis, conservatives, please read this book and it will forever remind you to keep an open mind and an open eye...because that's what it did for me! i recommend this to everyone, because it's thought provoking, it challenges you interllectually...I believe this book has created many new critical thinker of our time!

I bought this book about three years ago. When I first tried to read it, I couldn't get very far because the subject matter was unfamiliar to me. I mean, what is all this "imperialism" stuff? Since then, a US administration has grabbed power in a judicial coup d'etat and now wields a brazen imperial style of rule.So, going through my bookshelves, I picked up Mr. Parenti's "Against Empire" and started reading again. If you, like me, have wondered why the rich get richer and poor get poorer; why the wealthy are always favored; why the common people kill and die in dubious wars while the rich reap the rewards; why the corporate media censors dissenting views; and why our country operates in ways that defy common sense or exemplify hypocrisy; then this book is for you.Mr. Parenti's talent is putting matters that seem complicated into terms that the layman can understand. For example, his explanation of the distinction between government and the state is revelatory. He also gives the reader historical context and easily verfiable examples to back up his assertions. Halfway through "Against Empire" you will better understand what goes on behind the doors of power and why.Remember "The Matrix"? Well, "Against Empire" is like a red pill that you have to chew, and once you've digested it you'll see with open eyes. If you're unprepared for the truth, resume swallowing the blue pill of cable TV news. Or, read "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn and "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" by Greg Palast, then begin reading Parenti's "Against Empire."

I'm American. A born-in-the-Midwest cornfed type whom the rest of the world increasingly hates more and more. I grew up in a white middle class family. And now, thanks to Parenti, I question the relevence of it all. At what cost to my parents, my world, and my fellow humans? Other reviewers acurately point out that not everything in the book is neatly backed up, but one can't deny the wide scope and dead on reality of the majority of the book. This book is a MUST read for anyone who lives in America and considers the American foreign policy either bad or good.Buy it - buy it now. It will open your eyes to corporate run media, campaign reform, foreign policy, the oil industry, and why the world disdains Americans.

For those who think one requires endless "documentation" and "proof" to ascertain the level to which the U.S. Corporateacracy has obliterated (and continues to obliterate) our few remaining freedoms, one need only look around oneself and develop a heart of compassion for those who suffer under the iron fist of capitalism. Yes, documentation and proof (of which Dr. Parenti has a sufficient amount) are helpful, but one can only provide so much of it until it becomes painfully apparent that one need only observe his/her immediate environment to figure out that life is less than tolerable. AGAINST EMPIRE is yet another salient and sharply accurate appraisal of a society owned and operated by those who sit atop a massive mountain of cold, hard, cash, mostly white men who percieve those below them as they would lint to be brushed off of their well-starched and pressed suits. Those who accuse Parenti of being "fraudulent" or pandering "too much" towards the radical left spectrum are simply rightists who don't like him for being a leftist. They themselves offer little (if anything) amounting to "evidence" to support their ad hominem jabs. Parenti is, as the cliche goes, tellin' it like it is, and they don't much like that a wit. Parenti is SCARY in his honesty, and they don't like THAT either. For those who want a picture of just how disturbing the "American Dream" really is, one need look no further than Dr. Michael Parenti and AGAINST EMPIRE. His other publications are also highly recommended. BLACKSHIRTS AND REDS is also excellent and harshly disturbing. Read him, and learn the TRUTH.

I've been reading Parenti's books for a couple of years, and seeking out his articles and lectures. Reading Against Empire was my first exposure to the man. He characterizes the United States as an Empire, in the classic sense, demolishes your ability to look at your country in any other way, and then goes on to discuss practically every aspect of US foreign and domestic policy in terms of how it serves an active and malignant Empire. His class anaylsis makes itr impossible to ever again percieve U.S. roles in world finance, war, humanitarian missions, etc the same way again. Before, I wondered why we might intervene here but not there, why a war at this time and not another, etc. Parenti cuts through the mystery and exposes again and again the class interests that drive our policy. And he does so in blunt, sometimes deadpan humor and with a remarkably clear vision. Also read his new book, Blackshirts and Reds, about fascism. And if you get a chance, order tapes of his lectures