Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation

Though not a gigantic read, this brief book clearly details what is being done with our tax dollars to the impoverished people of Iraq. Along with some really strong photo documentation, this book includes an excellent collection of essays by some very important writers on the left like Amy Goodman, Howard Zinn, Christian Parenti, and Mike Davis. My favorite essay however was the one written by Naomi Klein, author of "No Logo", another crucial book. In this essay, Klein talks about the need to bridge the anti-war movement with the global justice movement. This is a discussion very much needed in the peace movement, because until we build a fair and truly democratic economy, we cannot possibly end the tragedy of war. Not only is this a good (though depressing) read, it's an excellent tool for public education. Buy it and then share it with friends! Why not donate a copy to a school or a public library?

An excellent collection of essays, interviews and photographs. Jodie Evan's (co-founder of Code Pink: A Women's Movement for Peace) journals provide first hand accounts of her experiences in Iraq, painting a vivid picture of the devastation, chaos and the continuous struggle of the Iraqi people -- they also depict the struggle those who wish to help will encounter. Christian Parenti's essay likewise offers another first-hand account of Iraq, but this time of the lives of US soldiers and how they have been tricked and mistreated.Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson lays out how the US deceived the American people into supporting a fallacious war and Naomi Klein's wonderful essay clearly defines who exactly stood to gain from the war in Iraq. In an interview with Kristina Borjesson, she explains how in order to gain accurate news reporting it is important to seek out more reliable sources, such as the foreign press, who aren't pressured by the administration to present a favorable view.While all political books have agendas, Twilight of Empire strives to present information fairly and to connect the dots that are sometimes difficult to find. And Lynsey Addario's stunning and compelling photographs are not to be missed.

Many political books -- no matter what party they are from -- are ill-conceived rants that make people mad, rather than making them think. Perceval Press's "Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation" breaks that trend with understated, thought-provoking essays on the controversial Iraq war, which provide a pat on the hand and a punch to gut at the same time. Amy Goodman's introduction at the start makes you start to think about the motives behind the war, and question what goes on behind the curtains. Then it's a look at Iraq itself, and at the damage wrought both by Saddam and by American troops. It's sobering, and more than a little shocking.Mike Davis offers a rather stretched glance at empires, invasions, and the difficulties that come after them. Naomi Klein offers economic glimpses at financial motives behind attacking Iraq; women's activist Jodie Evans provides her journal insights from Iraq itself; and Ambassador Joseph Wilson puts his extensive knowledge of the Middle-East to use. Publisher Viggo Mortensen offers a quiet, bleak prose poem, "Back to Babylon."No war in decades has inspired controversy the way the present Iraq war has. And the general reaction to it is to knee-jerk. But "Twilight" wisely avoids propaganda, whining, ranting and name-calling. Instead, most of these writers merely present their opinions and stimulate the readers' thoughts. Some have even been to Iraq to see what has happened with their own eyes.Whatever your political leanings, it's impossible not to be shocked by the deterioration of Iraq that is shown to us here, a crumbling country which is being weighted down to the breaking point. The political commentary is secondary to the vivid pictures of Iraq -- a place most people have never seen -- and its struggling people by those who have seen the aftermath. Lynsey Addario's photographs prove an effective illustration of the essays. They're bleak, stark, and often very disturbing. There are pictures that are saddening looks at the struggling Iraqi people, and some that are simply appalling on a moral level, like an soldier goofing off in Saddam's pool.Whatever your thoughts on the Iraq war are, "Twilight of Empire" is worth checking out, if nothing else to make you think, reconsider, wonder, and sympathize. A powerful and disturbing book.