Iraq, Afganistan and Imperialism of Our Time

In a major theoretical intervention, Aijaz Ahmad argues that the US has pursued a consistent policy since World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution aimed at destruction of communism; defeat of Third World nationalism; and establishment of clear and permanent superiority over competitors in the capitalist world. After the dissolution of the USSR, the US has launched a global offensive to impose client regimes in Asia and Africa, and to monopolize the strategic resources of the world. Aijaz Ahmad tracks the wars of occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq as they unfolded within this larger theoretical framework. Inter alia, he also covers a number of related topics: the regime of genocidal sanctions and ferocious bombings by the US-UK alliance over roughly twelve years; the dastardly role of the UN; the ambiguous role of the EU and the currency war between the dollar and the Euro; the politics of oil in Iraq, the Middle East and the Caspian Sea basin; and several other issues of fundamental importance for understanding the imperialism of our time.