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Edition: |
pb |
| ISBN: |
9781583671191 |
| Publisher: |
Monthly Review |
| Release Date: |
2006-03-28 |
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ITEM OVERVIEW
The Language of Empire is a study of how and why the torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib was white-washed by the American media. Tracing the connections between such apparently unrelated incidents as the videotaped beheading of the American contractor Nicholas Berg and the massive siege and bombing of Fallujah—the Guernica of the 21st century—it builds a compelling case that the torture of Iraqi prisoners was not an aberration but systematic, rehearsed, and in line with the history and policies of the U.S. military. It explains why American journalists and commentators ignored or defended what happened. It shows that the torture was committed by Delta forces and Marines not just low-level reservists; that it was directed at innocent civilians, not terrorists. It proves that it had to have had high-level planning and support. It explains why it had to be religious and sexual. It explains how the language of multiculturalism, humanitarianism, and even feminism had to be hijacked to justify neo-colonial policies and argues that the "War on Terror" is simply propaganda used to justify an unprovoked, illegal, and savage war.The Language of Empire shows why the law and the courts are not the answer to Abu Ghraib but a part of the problem. Torture is the sign of the emerging police state in America.
"There can be no mistaking the putrid stench clinging to the events, processes and mentality described with the eloquence of excruciating precision in this fine study by Lila Rajiva. It is that of Nazism, by any other name. Hence, like the good Germans before us, today's good Americans bear an unequivocal obligation—morally, legally, and in every other sense—to do whatever is necessary to expose the myriad Eichmanns, large and small, residing within our ranks. As The Language of Empire makes abundantly clear, to shirk such responsibility is to forfeit claim to any humanity we might still possess." —Ward Churchill
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