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Rating: 
Summary: The reader from Idaho...
Review: ...is infuriating until it becomes clear that he/she is being ironic. It seems 18 people either realize that or agree with some deliberately outrageous beliefs.
Rating:
Summary: The reader from Idaho...
Review: A fact cannot be modified, but it can be
problematised--that is, put under analysis.
William Blum's "Killing Hope" takes the Cold-
War foreign policy of the US and upends
conventional apologies and justifications
for a rather ruthless campaign to stamp
out the ideology that most threatened
American dominance in the world: communism.
Though I met Blum and can attest that he
is no communist, like any decent American he
hates liars. His book exposes lies. Once
an idealistic career servant at the State
Department, Blum turned whistle-blower
after becoming morally nauseated at the
bagful of lies that launched the country
on its disastrous adventure in Vietnam.
"Killing Hope" is an encyclopedic catalogue
of Washington's lies, misdeeds, and subversions
of democracy all over the globe--mostly
carried out in complete secrecy from the
American people. From Chile to China,
Blum shows that "freedom and democracy"
in foreign lands were never primary goals
of US foreign policy but the propaganda
cover for domination and control. Were
this a required book in all US high-school
history books, American youth could
hardly be lining up to serve in wars
that are carried out for exactly
the opposite motives from the stated ones.
In Iraq today, 145,000 soldiers, who went
to fight to liberate Iraq, are finding
out that Iraqis do not thank them for their
sacrifice. Lied to and misused, they often
find this out at the end of a bullet that
strikes them down. To historians like
Blum, this manipulation of American trust is
a crime. His book is, among other things,
a passionate dedication to truth--
and he's not making it up, either.
Declassified government documents are the major
source of his thesis!
Rating: 
Summary: Unwash your brain
Review: A good introduction into the mindset and tactics of the world's leading terrorist organization, the CIA! A bleak and depressing book that may awaken the casual reader to the actual motiviting forces of US foreign policy -- money and power.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely incredible; a revelation
Review: All my life, when someone happened to criticize the American military interventions abroad, I heard my American friends justify them as "humanitarian missions" designed to help out the oppressed and promote the noble causes of democracy and human rights. I knew this to be grossly untrue, but lacked the specific arguments to counter these claims. Not anymore. Blum's book is singular in the sense that it's the first book I've seen that brought together all the historical evidence of American injustice abroad from WWII till the mid-nineties into one volume. I would also like to emphasize that, unlike many other authors on both sides of the barricades, Blum almost never indulges in idle accusatory speculation. Every fact stated in the book is backed by rock-hard documentation, and every conjecture is a legitimate extrapolation from these facts. Now some readers have criticized the book for "not exposing the crimes of the Soviet Union and China", but they forget that this is a book on the US, not the Soviet bloc; in truth, Blum is in no way condoning Moscow's actions around the world either. Moreover, if one compares the number of books exposing Russia and China with the number of books exposing the US, it would be fair even if a thousand books like this were written. And shame on those who say that the American foreign policy abroad has changed for the better in the nineties.
Rating:
Summary: What 'bias' is there in FACTS?
Review: Blum's book does an excellent job of exposing the many covert actions the US government has undertaken to deter/subvert democracy and popular uprisings around the world. Other reviewers here have done an excellent job of detailing the many atrocities where the US has materially supported oppressive dictatorships around the globe, so I won't go into that.My big issue is certain reviewers who claim that this work is 'biased'. I just have to wonder what kind of 'bias' exists in EXPOSING WELL-BURRIED FACTS to the light of day? Suppose I make the statement that the sky is blue. Is that a 'biased' statement? Should I also present the argument that the sky is green? Of course not! It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The facts and figures that Blum cites are not debatable-- they are well documented and verifiable by anyone. 'Killing Hope' is not necessarily a call to action-- it simply presents facts to the user so s/he can draw his/her own conclusions. And from there, the course of action you take is entirely up to you... "If we love this country, we'd better change it."
--Ramsey Clark, former United States Attorney General
Rating:
Summary: What 'bias' is there in FACTS?
Review: Blum's book does an excellent job of exposing the many covert actions the US government has undertaken to deter/subvert democracy and popular uprisings around the world. Other reviewers here have done an excellent job of detailing the many atrocities where the US has materially supported oppressive dictatorships around the globe, so I won't go into that. My big issue is certain reviewers who claim that this work is 'biased'. I just have to wonder what kind of 'bias' exists in EXPOSING WELL-BURRIED FACTS to the light of day? Suppose I make the statement that the sky is blue. Is that a 'biased' statement? Should I also present the argument that the sky is green? Of course not! It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The facts and figures that Blum cites are not debatable-- they are well documented and verifiable by anyone. 'Killing Hope' is not necessarily a call to action-- it simply presents facts to the user so s/he can draw his/her own conclusions. And from there, the course of action you take is entirely up to you... "If we love this country, we'd better change it."
--Ramsey Clark, former United States Attorney General
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: Everyone should read William Blum's illusion-shattering book about American foreign policy. It has over 2,000 sources cited, in a 400-page book. It is a wonderful reference for anyone who wants to learn a lot about what our government is really doing in other countries. Right wing jingoists may have trouble getting through it, because it shatters all of their arguments, but hopefully it will change some people's minds about what really goes on. You know a book will be good when there's a quote by Noam Chomsky on the back, and when he says a book is "far and away the best book on the topic," you're dealing with some amazing stuff. This was one of the most informative books I have ever read. I would strongly recommend it for any American citizen who wishes to know the reality of America's role in the world,
Rating: 
Summary: A disservice to the nation.
Review: It's a long book with a lot of pages of fine print, but it should be required reading for every American history student anywhere in the world. It's shocking, sickening and, unfortunately, factual. Uncle Sam's dirty laundry. Not bedtime reading material unless you like having bad dreams. After I read it, I bought four more copies and handed them out to family and friends. It's well worth the purchase price.
Rating:
Summary: A Thorough Critique of American Policy for the Last 50 Years
Review: This is an unbelievably-well-documented expose of American Foregin Policy over the last 50 years. Although his style leaves much to be wanting, Blum's book is filled to the brim with facts that are never discussed by traditional political analysts. Rarely does one catch a glimpse of the underbelly of America Foreign Policy, and that is exactly what Blum here provides. Some reviewers have said that he is a biased Leftist spouting agitprop, or that he is pushing an ideological agenda, but frankly I just didn't see this. If pedaling truth is an ideological activity, then I suppose they are right. The fact is, Blum is a master of weeding through and exposing the lies and propaganda of American policy makers. This is not "disinformation" (as one reviewer put it) but pure, documented facts - and lots of them. Blum comes off as an author who has committed himself to finding and providing the public straight, unvarnished truth - a very difficult project when one considers the extent of government, military and media obfuscation. Although Blum's tone can be distainful and even downright angry at times, it is nonetheless justified. As you will see in the book, the United States government has done some terrible things - things that would drive any genuine patriot to righteous indignation. Blum's findings might be difficult for the average American to swallow, but then the truth is like that sometimes. Open your mouth and open your mind. This book is food for rational thought. A timely, much needed expose of an imperialist military that has completely slipped away from public control.
Rating:
Summary: A fine book. This classical liberal gives an A+.
Review: William Blum has written a book whose subject should be of interest to all Americans who believe in freedom. Well-informed readers may already be familiar with the basic idea. In brief, the U.S. Government during the latter half of the twentieth century waged numerous secret little wars, of one kind or another, against foreign governments and groups of which it did not approve. The avowed purpose was usually to contain a perceived communist menace. In actuality, what might be called communist means were employed to achieve this end. These means involved spying, wiretapping, propaganda at home and abroad; the rigging of or interfering with elections; the granting of monetary and military aid to dictatorships and violent opposition groups; the training of same in methods of subversion, torture and terror. All this and more was done without Congressional approval or oversight. The American people were lied to by government officials to keep it that way. A complaisant media helped it happen. To some extent, it is still happening today. The above is fairly common knowledge. However, though it breaks little new ground, Mr. Blum's book's sheer comprehensiveness makes it an invaluable resource, which is my first reason for recommending it. In 383 packed pages of narrative appended with 56 pages of source citations, Mr. Blum presents the essential facts--and horrors--of more than 55 U.S. military/CIA foreign interventions since WWII. For readers ignorant of these goings-on, the total impact will be mind-blowing. For those, such as myself, already somewhat acquainted with them, the effect is still staggering. Noam Chomsky, quoted on the back cover, calls it "Far and away the best book on the topic." I see no reason to dispute him. My second reason for recommending this book is for what it shows about America today. And it is not that America is the Great Satan. It is true that America may be thought of, with some justice, as a terrorist country that has earned the world's hatred. But to use this fact, as do some leftists, for the sole purpose of bashing America, is unconstructive and wrong. Mr. Blum does not choose to focus on it (which does not surprise me), but the crucial message I see stamped in blood onto the pages of his book is of the disastrous consequences of our government's executive branch being unconstrained by its proper constitutional limits. This growth of executive power had several causes in the twentieth century, which the book shows in action as part of the reasoning behind the government's doing what it did. Overblown fears of communist world conquest; an altruistic desire to bring democracy to the world's benighted peoples; an ill-defined "national interest" with no objective standards to keep its pursuit in check--these all and more combined to expand the power of the executive branch to a level unknown in the history of our republic. The evils subsequently committed by the Presidency, the CIA and other executive agencies were necessary consequences of their having such arbitrary power at their disposal. If you want the real lesson from *Killing Hope*, this is it. Its 55 chapters read like case studies of what can and must happen when the exercise of executive discretion and secrecy is allowed, by Congressional and philosophical default, to grow unchecked in the foreign policy arena. The Founding Fathers, were they alive today, would be shocked and appalled, but not surprised. As James Madison said, "The management of foreign relations appears to be the most susceptible of abuse of all the trusts committed to a Government." The Founders saw this firsthand as they fought a war against a world power that in the eighteenth century occupied a position similar, in certain relevant respects, to America's today (though America's actions have been more destructive than Great Britain's ever were); and they designed a new form of government to prevent such tyrannical abuse in the future. Mr. Blum demonstrates that perhaps millions of people--some Americans, but mostly those non-Americans who used to look to America for inspiration and hope--have died as a result of the corruption of the constitutional government the Founders designed. I believe, meaningfully, that America is the greatest country in the world--with respect to her spirit and her original founding principles, if not to what she has become today. Islamic militants and others who denounce America for her embodying Western civilization's greatest achievments are wrong. But they do have an excuse. Instead of being a beacon, lighting the way to liberty and progress, America herself has tragically become a symbol of oppression for many of the world's oppressed. As the title of Mr. Blum's book implies, the actions of America's unaccountable government are "killing" these people's "hope." *Killing Hope* shows us what is wrong with America and the kind of government we must return to if we are to fix her.
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