Allies: U.S., Britain & Europe & The War in Iraq New HB

Allies: U.S., Britain & Europe & The War in Iraq New Hardback

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William Shawcross first came to prominence with Sideshow, a ringing condemnation of Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon's actions in Cambodia. This time around, however, he heartily endorses the military actions of the American government as it invades Iraq and ousts the regime of Saddam Hussein. Preemptive war, says Shawcross, is not the anomalous tactic that some of George W. Bush's critics might suggest but rather a necessary strategy in dealing with dangerous despots. Shawcross treads lightly on the dispute over the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the unsettled landscape of post-Saddam Iraq while describing at length the human rights crimes committed by Saddam and his sons Uday and Qusay to make the point that that the war was justified. Germany and France are cast here as unappreciative opportunists for their opposition to Bush. Chirac, in particular, is on the receiving end of much enmity by Shawcross who never misses a chance to cite nicknames like "Super Menteur" (Super Liar) or "The Crook" to describe the French president. Oddly, given the book's title and cover photo of Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, there is little inside information on the relationship between the two men and the British and American decision makers that hasn't been well chronicled in mainstream news outlets' coverage of the war. This shallowness extends to the rest of Allies as well. One hopes for some innovative analysis or revolutionary research but Shawcross mostly just presents his opinion: that Saddam was dangerous, the Americans were right to remove him, and that the UN and much of Europe were wrong to object. Another problem with Allies is how fluid the situation in Iraq was as the book went to press. As a result, Shawcross's analysis runs the risk of being outdated and irrelevant within a comparatively short period of time. Allies is a quick read and Shawcross is a fine writer but one wishes that he could have provided more depth to such a complicated situation. --John Moe

From Publishers Weekly
Once a prime critic of U.S. foreign policy in his much-acclaimed Sideshow (1979), Shawcross has now become convinced that the U.S. is the only country capable of changing the world for the better. Arguably, the one common thread between Sideshow and Allies is the laudable conviction that wholesale violation of human rights crimes against humanity cannot be tolerated in a just world order. Just as he excoriated Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger for the saturation bombing of Cambodia, Shawcross now lauds George W. Bush and Tony Blair for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. But unlike the earlier book, this one is short on investigative journalism and long on opinion. Bush, Blair and Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz are cast as unalloyed heroes in a morality play, with the French and the Germans portrayed as ever-"cynical" villains. The absence of nuance will no doubt appeal to Bush and Blair partisans, but will put off some others. Shawcross offers little that has not already appeared in the newspapers, and glosses over the failure to discover weapons of mass destruction, the contracts awarded to companies close to the U.S. administration, and the growing restiveness of Iraqis in "liberated" Iraq. President Bush can do no wrong; French President Chirac (the "crook") can do no right. This is a polemic, not a work of careful research and persuasion. It contributes more heat than light to the debate over Iraq, and will change few minds.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
British journalist Shawcross offers an earnest defense of the war in Iraq. Arguing that force was the only realistic option for confronting large-scale evil in the wake of 9/11, he outlines the manner in which the U.S and Britain formulated a new global vision, a vision that necessarily left dubious former allies such as France and Germany behind. Unwilling or unable to acknowledge the failure of outdated international policies and diplomatic avenues, a paralyzed UN was incapable of forging a viable consensus, forcing the U.S and Britain to take action. Analyzing both the risks and the benefits of the war, he concludes that invading Iraq was absolutely the right thing to do. Whether readers agree with his assessment or not, Shawcross provides plenty of food for thought about both the war in Iraq and its international impact. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Los Angeles Times,
"The book is argued with great coherence."

New York Post,
"Clearly written, concise and sharply argued..."

National Review,
"In short, this book is a gem."

Michael Burleigh, Sunday Times (London),
"Well-informed, lucid account...explains why Bush and Blair were prepared to take such enormous risks..."

John Lloyd, Herald [Glasgow],
"Allies is a work of courage and clarity, a plainly, sometimes plaintively, argued piece of common sense..."

Ian Macintyre, The London Times,
"Shawcross gives a useful account of the development of neo-conservative thought..."

Paul Rogers, Independent,
"An articulate, informed presentation...has its real value in its lucid and hugely readable understanding of the Bush/Blair outlook."

Washington Post Book
"Compellingly written polemic."

Weekly Standard,
"If you read just one book on the Iraq war and its aftermath, this is it...enlightening and morally invigorating."

Book Description
The Cold War certainties that had seemed so fixed in the 20th Century were overturned by the war in Iraq. Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards were the battlefield victims of a brutally quick war of shock and awe. No less shocked and awed were some of America's former allies: "old" Europe, large blocks of the UN, and half the G8 nations suddenly found themselves outside the chain of command and influence. Bush, Blair and their allies were driven by a new global vision. Their mission, expressed with great moral certainty, has been called imperialist. In fact, it was simply inevitable after 9/11: that terrible event ushered in a new era with new rules. Shawcross shows what the future will hold for Iraq, Israel, and the Middle East, how Western alliances will be changed for ever, and demonstrates that the war was the definitive proof that a new era of 21st Century international politics has begun.

About the Author
William Shawcross is an internationally renowned writer and broadcaster. He has written a half-dozen major books on issues of international law and policy. His Sideshow is the classic evisceration of U.S. policy in Cambodia. Other books have dealt with the role of the U.N. in 90's peace-keeping and the saga of the Shah of Iran and Rupert Murdoch. He appears regularly on television and radio. His articles have appeared in leading newspapers and journals throughout the world. He lives in London.

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