Product Description

Following his bestselling Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, Gore Vidal returns with a collection of provocative and alarming essays in which he confronts head-on the unelected and unconstitutionally-appointed ‘junta’ of the Cheney-Bush administration. Vidal is sceptical about the supposed motivation for the War on Terror, and raises the issue of Corporate America’s long-standing interest in Eurasia’s mineral wealth. Was the toppling of the Taliban a reaction to the slaughter of 11 September, or was Osama bin Laden ‘chosen on aesthetic grounds to be the frightening logo for our long contemplated invasion and conquest of Afghanistan?’ After all, observes Vidal, with Iraq’s oil as the new prize Saddam Hussein swiftly replaced bin Laden as ‘the personification of evil’ in the Enemy-of-the-Month club.

In a centrepiece new essay on the events of 11 September, Vidal poses questions which will not go away. How much intelligence information did the US security services really have in advance of the tragedy? Was there complicity by elements of the Washington power-elite seeking a pretext for extensive military actions around the world? Whose interests are served by the new US doctrine of pre-emptive attack?

Vidal conjures up a nightmare vision of an America incited to vengeance by orchestrated media hype, its citizens reduced to spear-carrying, and the Cheney-Bush junta as the latest, most cynical strategists of American empire-building. Based on his extensive historical knowledge and research, he unveils a counter-history that traces the origins of the USA’s current imperial ambitions to the Truman Doctrine that gave birth to the National Security State.

Dreaming War, featuring 11 essays and an interview with the author, is essential reading for a deeper understanding of current events.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12600 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

The Observer
‘Vidal’s combination of learning, wit and disdain gets into your blood. He can change the way you think.’

The Washington Post
‘The master essayist of our age.’

Customer Reviews

Warning
Vidal's 'The Last Empire', which includes most of the essays in 'Dreaming War...' and 'Perpetual War...' is a much better value for your money.

Beautifully written
Dreaming War is eloquently and beautiful written. Vidal weaves a wonderful patchwork of written that exposes Bush and Cheney as a bunch of 'Corporate oil Gunslingers' defending the interests of big oil and gas while screwing virtually all Americans apart from the superich who got a huge benefit payment from Bush and Cheney in the form of tax cuts.

Vidal quitely exposes the myth that the White House knew nothing of the attacks on 9/11. Vidal claims and supports it with evidence that Intelligence sources within the CIA/NSA/FBI/Military were all warning of plans to attack America by Al-Quaeda and warnings were given about the Bin Laden family. It seems that the White House chose to ignore or treat as rubbish claims of an attack. Sadly we all know what happened.
Vidal also details the close links Bush had with a certain Mr Bin Laden's family and how the family which lived in the States was allowed to leave very soon after 9/11 without a wimper from the White House.

Right-wingers may think that this book is all conspiracy theories well Vidal proves them wrong with a shed load of evidence that is verifiable.
Read and enjoy.

Superb writing
Vidal's latest work is a masterpiece simply because he blunty tells what maybe all of us have suspected that the actions of Dubya and Cheney have purely been about self-aggrandiziement and helping their friends in the oil and gas industry get a hold of all those lovely oil/gasfields dotted around Central Asia including Iraq and Afghanistan.
Vidal's stlye of writing is easy and laid back and you almost feels he's sat in his pipe and slippers telling you all these fanscinating stories of corruption and greed.
A must read if you doubt the Bush/Blair line on the war on terror and the war on Iraq.