The Web of Deceit

good read!

Mark Curtis is one of the most important authors in the history of human civilization. If you don't believe that, try reading one of his books.

Mark Curtis exposes British interventions abroad as part of an empirical project, not pursued independently anymore, but actually as a junior partner of the US in the latter's search for full spectrum dominance. This project is sold to the public as being a mission of `good soldiers'.The fundamental aim of the US and British foreign policies is to benefit a transnational elite (an `overclass') by crushing independent forces outside the elite's control, by keeping crucial economic resources (oil, commodities) in correct hands and by helping disseminate a self-serving economic Gospel (free markets).These ends justify all means: illegal wars (`people's lives are valueless when they get in the way of elitist interests'), arms sales (`the business of death'), trampling human rights, overthrow democratically elected governments, undermining independent national movements (calling them communist) or supporting dictatorial or fundamentalist regimes. Real democracy is seen as a threat by those elites.These policies are also pursued via international institutions (WTO) and through monopolistic media, who lie overtly or by omission and are acting as Pravda-like state propaganda (Chalmers Johnson).The ultimate result is a more unequal, more insecure world and a still lover living standard for the majority of the world population.The author illustrates his arguments profusely. A few examples: Iraq (oil and control of the Middle East), Afghanistan (oil, military bases), South-Africa and Rhodesia (racism), Malaya (rubber), Kenya (land), Diego Garcia (military bases), British Guyana (sugar, bauxite), Indonesia (oil, nationalism).But what to do? Promote political and economical democratization, a truly Herculean task.This book is a must read for all those wanting to understand the Kafkaesk official and media environment we live in.

The amount of research the author had to do to write this book is admirable. The information is mind blowing. Some of it I knew already but most of it was new. Dates, people, places, all well documented. If you really want to know how this world actually works, you need to read this book. It will change your perspective completely. The book is easy to read, the style is easy to follow. I would highly recommend it. Excellent book.

I didn’t learn about most of this in school. A must-read for all Brits, so we can understand our true violent role in the world and work to address and change it.

Not pleasant reading and though it is now 15 years old, still an important work whose content remains both relevant and largely ignored.

Informative, yet difficult for a layman to cover all the subjects laid out in the book.

All ok