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Behind the Invasion of Iraq

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March 2003

ISBN:
1-58367-093-9
$9.95 paper


144 pp.

International Relations/Middle East

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BEHIND THE INVASION OF IRAQ

by The Research Unit for Political Economy


“This book contributes significantly to the conversation seeking to understand the international forces at play in the threatening war on Iraq.” — NELSON MANDELA

Behind the Invasion of Iraq . . . synthesizes the seemingly disparate threads of the US war drive in a blistering indictment of American foreign policy . . . The effect is of puzzle pieces clicking into place.” — COUNTERPUNCH

Since September 11, 2001, there have been many accounts of the ways in which the alignment of global power is changing or will be changed by the U.S. “war on terrorism.” Most of them take as their starting point the options facing the wealthy and powerful nations of the world seeking to control an ever larger share of the world's resources. Behind the Invasion of Iraq is written from a different perspective, and one that makes possible a far more comprehensive point of view.

Its authors, the Research Unit for Political Economy, based in Mumbai, India, are rooted in the politics of a Third World country which has long been on the receiving end of imperialist power. As a consequence, they have a more sober view of the workings of global power. In clear and accessible prose, weighing the evidence carefully and tracing events to their root causes, they move beyond moral outrage to a clear view of the process being set in motion by the U.S. led invasion of Iraq. They show that the invasion of Iraq is a desperate gamble by a section of American capital to secure their hold on power that is driven by the wish to stave off economic crisis through military means. Their efforts will not end with Iraq, but will require the recolonization of the Middle East.

Behind the Invasion of Iraq exposes the idea that war will bring democracy to the middle East as so much propaganda. In a context where so many rulers are themselves clients of the United States, the war is aimed not at the rulers but at the masses of ordinary people whose hostility to imperialism has not been broken even by corrupt and autocratic rulers. This book describes the remaking of global power with a truly global awareness of what is at stake.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Western Imperialism and Iraq
From Colony to Semi-Colony
Towards Nationalization
The Iran–Iraq War
The Torment of Iraq
Return of Imperialist Occupation
3. The Real Reasons for the Invasion of Iraq—and Beyond
The Current Strategic Agenda of the United States
Home Front in Shambles
Military Solution to an Economic Crisis
4. Rehabilitating Colonialism
Notes
Index


About the Author
THE RESEARCH UNIT FOR POLITICAL ECONOMY is based in Mumbai, India. It publishes the journal Aspects of India's Economy and a range of research publications in English and Hindi.


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