Behind the Invasion of Iraq

by The Research Unit for Political Economy, Research Unit for Political Economy

"This book contributes significantly ot 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 U.S. 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.'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, Research Unit for Political Economy, are rooted in the politics of a Third World country—India—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 the U.S. ruling elite to preserve their power, 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.

Genres: History, Politics, Middle East, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Abe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty in depth considering its length and deftly balances agitation with information a useful combo in the face of one of the worst crimes this century. Some of the predictions, and to be fair they hedge a bit, are a little out there. Funnily enough (unlike the financial crash, which everyone and their mothers, claims to have seen coming) they do manage to predict the auto crisis on grounds that basically correspond the facts on the situation as it happened. I don’t know if they really do a great job connecting the theory of overproduction/monopoly capital to the specific interest in controlling the oil supply but still quality stuff overall.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

a slim book with lots of info. The writing felt sloppy sometimes, but being released in a state of urgency prior to the US invasion of Iraq, that's not surprising. I have a much better understanding now of the strategic interests of the US government in the region, what global economic forces are motivating the military campaign, and the specific theoretical inheritance that's behind the government's patronizing ego trip of a disaster. This book was written before the invasion and a lot of its analysis of what would happen is spot on.

[Naeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by the what in my oil class we came to call the "Bombay Marxists" (Research Unit for Political Economy -- based in Bombay India), this very short, clear, and no-nonsense book, spells out the economic reasons for the US occupation of Iraq. Much of it has to with the possibility that both Iraq under Hussein and Iran were thinking of accepting Euros instead of dollars for their oil.

[Karlo Mikhail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serves you just what the title says. Not only that. This book is prescient of the many developments in the last decade (intensifying economic crisis and expansion of US war on terror).