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Strange Liberators: Militarism, Mayhem, and the Pursuit of Profit
A deep analysis of U.S. policy and the ways in which it is shaped by corporate interests. The tragic consequences of that relationship are examined in well-researched, provocative detail. Here's what's "really going on"-truth that never makes the paper.
424 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 23, 2015
Strange Liberators is the top of my list for books that expose the American empire. Elich presents a collection of essays that cover the US's military expansion throughout the Middle East, Korea, and Latin American. His primary objective is showing how the US, time and again, knowingly funds terrorist organizations to outsource killing. Elich gives voice the ignored survivors. Their stories were graphic enough to force me to pause. Their stories spoke of sexual humiliation, senseless murder, and the after effects of cluster bombs dropped by US planes. The carnage is sickening as all wars truly are.
Among all this suffering is the western war machine, encompassing England and the powerful countries of Europe. This collective force presents their disgraceful policies as noble acts requiring sacrifice. The corporate pillagers and their government puppets proclaim themselves at liberators. Yet, the rest of world directly affected sees the western armies as "strange liberators" who speak of peace while directly and indirectly making life hell.
Among all this suffering is the western war machine, encompassing England and the powerful countries of Europe. This collective force presents their disgraceful policies as noble acts requiring sacrifice. The corporate pillagers and their government puppets proclaim themselves at liberators. Yet, the rest of world directly affected sees the western armies as "strange liberators" who speak of peace while directly and indirectly making life hell.
June 26, 2012
As an African, this book hit home quite well. It highlights the unknowns in multilateral 'aid' that is given to most African states. It shows that some things are not as they seem on mainstream media. In particular, the chapters on Zimbabwe , Iran and DPKorea were quite refreshing from the usual British and American drab, 'They are the bad guys, we're the good guys' view that is prevalent.
I had issues with some of his citations , particularly on the Morgan Tsangarai stories in Canada. Where are these video/audio or certified transcripts of the meetings? These would cement the credibility of the story.
I would also have liked a few graphs and photos after his vivid description in DPKorea.
All the same, any student of American Foreign policy, any follower of Zbegniew Brzezinsky and anyone who thought that the Obama administration could actually change the status quo ought to read this book.
Thank YOU Mr. Elich
I had issues with some of his citations , particularly on the Morgan Tsangarai stories in Canada. Where are these video/audio or certified transcripts of the meetings? These would cement the credibility of the story.
I would also have liked a few graphs and photos after his vivid description in DPKorea.
All the same, any student of American Foreign policy, any follower of Zbegniew Brzezinsky and anyone who thought that the Obama administration could actually change the status quo ought to read this book.
Thank YOU Mr. Elich
November 25, 2008
American foreign policy, especially during the Bush Administration, has been characterized as "incompetent" or "misguided," along with other such words. On the contrary, American foreign policy is actually very competent and works quite well, when its real purpose is to make the world safe for wealthy Western investors. Any country, no matter its size, that refuses to go along with America’s demands is to be strangled into submission, by any means available.
Americans remember the Korean War as a limited "police action." North Koreans remember it as a time of total annihilation, when everything and anything was bombed. The seemingly irrational North Korean fear of an American invasion becomes much more rational considering that, in 1994, the Clinton Administration was very close to declaring war on North Korea, because of its nuclear program. The use of nuclear weapons to destroy North Korea’s nuclear facilities would have spread radioactivity over most of the Korean peninsula, and killed hundreds of thousands of people, a fact which really didn’t bother the Clinton Administration.
North Korea, in the midst of a huge energy crisis, has been willing to scrap its uranium reprocessing capabilities, in exchange for a couple of light water reactors (which are not good for reprocessing), and shipments of heavy oil until the reactors are finished. America and North Korea signed an agreement in 1994, which America promptly ignored. The American bargaining postition, from then until now, is full of bullying, and threats, and demanding that North Korea totally scrap its nuclear program, before America will agree to any kind of talks (with no guarantee that America will agree to do anything for North Korea).
The justification for the bombing and invasion of Yugoslavia was that hundreds of thousands of Albanians were being thrown out of Yugoslavia. The problem is that there was no evidence of thousands of people in mass graves, and the exodus of refugees started after the bombing. The 77 days of NATO bombing was supposed to target military facilities; nearly anything was considered a military target. Industrial plants were targeted, to cause maximum economic hardship, and all sorts of toxic materials were released into the atmosphere. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s "crime" was to put the interests of his people ahead of those of Western investors.
I thought that I knew my way around present-day international relations, but this book was a huge eye-opener. Using local media sources (Korean, Yugoslav and Zimbabwean), Elich has written an amazing book. See for yourself what "democracy" from America means to the rest of the world.
Americans remember the Korean War as a limited "police action." North Koreans remember it as a time of total annihilation, when everything and anything was bombed. The seemingly irrational North Korean fear of an American invasion becomes much more rational considering that, in 1994, the Clinton Administration was very close to declaring war on North Korea, because of its nuclear program. The use of nuclear weapons to destroy North Korea’s nuclear facilities would have spread radioactivity over most of the Korean peninsula, and killed hundreds of thousands of people, a fact which really didn’t bother the Clinton Administration.
North Korea, in the midst of a huge energy crisis, has been willing to scrap its uranium reprocessing capabilities, in exchange for a couple of light water reactors (which are not good for reprocessing), and shipments of heavy oil until the reactors are finished. America and North Korea signed an agreement in 1994, which America promptly ignored. The American bargaining postition, from then until now, is full of bullying, and threats, and demanding that North Korea totally scrap its nuclear program, before America will agree to any kind of talks (with no guarantee that America will agree to do anything for North Korea).
The justification for the bombing and invasion of Yugoslavia was that hundreds of thousands of Albanians were being thrown out of Yugoslavia. The problem is that there was no evidence of thousands of people in mass graves, and the exodus of refugees started after the bombing. The 77 days of NATO bombing was supposed to target military facilities; nearly anything was considered a military target. Industrial plants were targeted, to cause maximum economic hardship, and all sorts of toxic materials were released into the atmosphere. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s "crime" was to put the interests of his people ahead of those of Western investors.
I thought that I knew my way around present-day international relations, but this book was a huge eye-opener. Using local media sources (Korean, Yugoslav and Zimbabwean), Elich has written an amazing book. See for yourself what "democracy" from America means to the rest of the world.
December 23, 2022
Very solid book which cuts through the Western made delusions of our world. I bought it for the parts on the Balkans. So I haven't really read the other parts but I can say that the parts on the Croatian and American crimes towards the Serbs in the 90s are astutely researched. It is very compact and hard to stomach but is very informative especially about such neglected topics.
edit: I had the pleasure of talking with the author in which he told me the great lengths he went through to obtain the lora information. Had it not been for the author's persistence, those in the west would not have access to this part of world history.
edit: I had the pleasure of talking with the author in which he told me the great lengths he went through to obtain the lora information. Had it not been for the author's persistence, those in the west would not have access to this part of world history.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews