The New Rulers of the World

Pilger offers a detailed and well documented account of gross global injustices and their lingering implications. He explains the underlying causes of poverty and terrorism and asserts that imperialism constitutes the most dangerous threat to international peace and stability. After you finish reading this book you will learn that human lives are not equally important (for example, American lives are much more valuable than those of Afghanistan, Iraq etc). Consider one of the most cynical concepts ever coined- collateral damage which implies that any means justify the end, that is, certain human lives may be sacrificed but only if these lives are not American. September 11 was a horrible tragedy, let there be no doubt about that. Nonetheless, countless tragedies occur every day in other parts of the world of which we hardly even hear, much due to mass medias extreme bias. The images of the two planes crashing into the Twin Towers have been permanently imprinted on our memory. In fact, there are not many people in the world who are not familiar with the September 11 attack. On the other hand, how many people know what happened in Srebrenica in 1995? How many people know or even care about the number of the victims killed (inadvertently or not) by unilateral U.S. interventions? How many people die in Iraq as a result of depleted uranium and the sanctions? These stories are considered to be of minor importance by the mainstream media and are rarely even accounted for in major newspapers. Clearly, some lives are more important than others. Pilger argues that only by eliminating poverty and oppression and by respecting human rights can we obliterate terrorism. If the worlds only remaining superpower shows contempt for international law and treaties, can we expect others to abide by international laws? It would be extremely hypocritical to demand that others respect human rights while simultaneously displaying a flagrant disregard for all international laws. Pilger correctly points out that we have to practice what we preach; failure to do that is indicative of gross hypocrisy and cynicism. This book further exposes gross economic inequalities between the West and the Rest. You will further learn how the World Bank impedes the progress of the developing countries through the imposition of preposterous loan conditions. Not many people know that the U.S. collaborated with Saddam and even vetoed a U.N. resolution calling for a condemnation of Saddam's massacres against the Kurds. When it serves the U.S. strategic and economic interests then collaboration with a tyrant is justifiable. Discover why developing countries become increasingly poorer and how the wealth of the West is constantly increasing. No one seems to think that it is extremely unjust that an executive can make up to 100,000 dollar a month while a great number of people live below the poverty line and do not even have enough food to survive. In fact, did you know that people working for Nike

John Pilger details in four case study essays, the means by which the strongest western nations hold life and death powers over millions living in the world, and how those powers, through a mixture a of corporate, military, and state "Imperialism" are routinely misused when it's one rule for the "big boys", and another rule for the rest. Essay one retraces Indonesia's bloody initiation into the global corporate market through the western support of it's murderous dictator, General Suharto, who, after taking control, literally opened the gates to the flood of corporations who took control of the country's vast resources. Billions were "lost" from the "loans" provided by the World Bank and IMF which today are literally impossible to repay. Indonesia's working poor, living on less than two dollars a day, and who work and live in intolerable conditions, have inherited this burden from a regime that was supported by the west for becoming "democratized".Essay two focuses mainly on the 13 years of economic sanctions imposed on Iraq and the devastating impact on its people. The skyrocketing cancer rate, especially among children, is largely attributed to the 300 tons of Depleted Uranium left to blow in the winds and settle in the drinking water after the Gulf War. The manipulations of the US and Sanctions Committee, which routinely delayed or even denied certain cancer treating medicines, pain killers, or even desperately needed hospital equipment is nothing short of obscene.Pilger examines the means by which economic and political exploitations have been used over the years to keep the disparity of nations on an uneven keel, and the western public largely misinformed. The contradictions of words versus practice, hypocrisy of policy, and just plain bullying have resulted in the biggest "rigged game" ever with humanity paying the ultimate price.Finally he examines Australia to reveal behind the modern façade of a wealthy westernized nation, one who ranks among the lowest in the world with respect to infant mortality rate of it's indigenous population, and tries to front an integrated image while the country's Aboriginal people are force to live under apartheid like conditions.In each essay, the numbers who paid the price are staggering, the story shameful, and as history reveals, nothing short of genocide. By comparison, the carnage left in the wake of the strongest nations corporate, state, and military plunders, backed by the 'moral leaders' of yesteryear and today, makes the world's second baddest boogie man, Saddam, look like a fledgling novice.

''During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.'' After the Iraqi invasion on Kuwait and the American intervention (the numbers shown in Congress say that at least 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed, whereas the toll of civilian casualties was not assessed), Iraq was denied equipment and professional help for decontamination of its battlefields, which resulted in a noticeable increase of malignant diseases. Under the influence and control of the US and Britain the United Nations Commission for sanctions prevented Iraq from being supplied with necessary medical devices and supplies, for example for chemotherapy, even the vaccines for diphtheria and yellow fever, under the pretense of Iraq using these preparations to produce chemical and other weapons (that is why the Iraqi pharmaceutical plants were destroyed). Due to this "dual weapon usage" even the nitrogen oxide that is used to stop bleeding during the Caesarian section was banned. Very few journalists from the West who were interested in this bear witness to children dieing due to lack of chemotherapy and anesthetics, not allowing using morphine to ease pain - that is why people have seen one little bottle of aspirin being divided among two hundred patients. John Pilger, who won the British prize for the Journalist of the Year twice, the French prize Reporters sans Frontiers and Emmy (to name only a few), writes on all these issues in his uncommonly illuminating and sobering book "The New Rulers of the World". Being aware of the situation, two chief UN humanitarian relief coordinators for Iraq as well as the head of the World Food Program for Iraq submitted their letters of resignation. The latter one told that even she could no longer tolerate what was being done to the Iraqi people. The result of the sanctions is following: about 500,000 dead children, whereas 250,000 of them were under 5 years of age. If we add the grown ups, "the figure is now almost certainly well over a millionØ (in the words of Denis Halliday, one of the two former coordinators who had resigned). When in 1996 the US ambassador to the UN, Madame Madelaine Albright, was asked a question on the 60 Minutes show, whether the toll of 500,000 dead children was justified, she answered: "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price - we think the price is worth it". And if we add to that a ban on sending parcels that contain children's clothing and toys to the relatives in Iraq, which was imposed by the Customs Service of Great Britain, and even a ban on sending books, it becomes clear that all these measures have only consolidated Saddam's dictatorship. All of this reminds us of the subjugation of Germany after World War I. The results are well known. As it was the case with the talibans, Saddam's dictatorship regime has not always been America's and Britain's enemy. Back in 1963, when it became possible to nationalize the Iraq Petroleum Company, the foreign conso

Another reviewer said it best: Pilger is like Noam Chomsky, only he's a better writer. Exactly. Pilger's work is an inspiring blend of poingnant personal interviews, on-the-ground examination of "failed states," and laser-like analysis of the Orweillian spin machines of the New Imperialists. There really are sections of this book which will move you to tears.It is a pathetic testament to the brain-dead nature of homo consumptus that anyone could actually accuse Pilger of "left-wing fundamentalism," or of being obsessed with imaginary conspiracies of the powerful. Clearly these are the ridiculous attestations of folks who get their "news" from corporate talking heads and radio imbeciles. When someone like Pilger comes along and actually does journalism (that is, actually GOES to the places that others only read off of Teleprompters about), the brutality that comes to light is profoundly disorienting. Such is the distance of the rich from the truth.Please buy this book, especially for the section on Iraq. I defy anyone to read this chapter and then make a cogent case for attacking this country that has been decimated by war, dictatorship, and blockade. The violence of neo-imperial countries like the US and Britain can only survive if their citizens remain aloof and alienated from their brothers and sisters on the ground in the victim states. Pilgers's work explodes that complacency and ignorance. We need a hundred or even a thousand Pilgers.

This book is an excruciating yet extrodinary journey. It concisely documents the lengths at which governments and economic entities will go towards maintaining their dominance. Well researched and backed up by credible sources including high level CIA and UN personnel, it presents an in depth account on how the western powers divided up Indonesia and the genocide that has taken place (still is) in Iraq, amongst other tragic realities.John Pilger must be commended for his work.My only concern is that most people will sucumb to denial and lack the courage to read it.Highly recommend.