Clarity Press, Inc.

American wars; illusions and realities.

Buchheit (Chicago City Colleges) brings together antiwar activists and writers to address 19 "illusions" concerning US militarism. For example, Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq, addresses the illusion that "our government tells us the truth about our wars;" Vic Blazier of Iraq Veterans Against the War counters the idea that "we always win;" Gayle Brandeis of CodePINK argues against the proposition that "collateral damage is an impersonal by-product of war;" and historian Howard Zinn dispels the idea "humans are inevitably driven to war." The other illusions include: "we fight for peace and democracy," "we fight to defend our personal freedoms," "we stay in Iraq to prevent further bloodshed among Iraqis," "the mainstream media gives us balanced reporting," "war doesn't impact me personally," "the military will take good care of our soldiers," "war boosts the economy for all Americans," "suffering is minimized in today's wars," "war is temporary," "America's relationship with Israel promotes stability in the Middle East," "developing countries ultimately benefit from our wars for democracy," "the environmental consequences of war are insignificant," and "wars result form the aggressive nature of human beings." (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

International justice and impunity; the case against the United States.

This collection of 27 essays is the result of a conference — organized by the Association for the Defense of International Humanitarian Law, France, and the International Federation of Human Rights — that brought together human rights activists, historians, lawyers, and representatives of non-governmental organizations from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East to address the fact that while the United States is a leading perpetrator of war crimes, its economic, political, and military power essentially provides it with impunity from suffering any consequences in accordance international law. Essays document US responsibility for violations of international humanitarian law from the atomic bombing of Japan through the invasion of Iraq, discuss the nature of humanitarian law in relation to US power, and examine efforts by non-governmental organizations and other actors to seek accountability for the US government and to reform international law such that the US is no longer immune from its strictures. This volume was first published in 2007 as Justice internationale et impunité, le cas de Etats-Unis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The trial of Saddam Hussein.

Al-Ani, an Iraqi-born, British-trained barrister who served as legal adviser on Saddam Hussein's defense to his daughter, Raghad Saddam Hussein, argues that the trial and subsequent execution of former Iraqi president under the regime of American occupation was an illegal farce that deserved international condemnation. In order to build the strongest case for this argument he discusses the illegal nature of the invasion and occupation in the first place and the various violations of international law carried out by occupation authorities prior to discussing the details of the Hussein trial itself. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)