Is the United States a force for democracy? In this classic and unique volume that answers this question, William Blum serves up a forensic overvie...
read full description
reviews
Sep 22, 2008
Terence
rated it: 
Killing Hope should be read in tandem with Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes. Legacy is the more polished, unified and better argued account of the internal history of the CIA; Killing Hope is a collection of case studies of the miserable repercussions of the CIA in action -- a relentlessly grim and unjustifiable roll call of murder, rape, torture, subversion of democracy and pointless war.
All the tactics that the second Bush Administration has used openly for the last eight years have be More...
All the tactics that the second Bush Administration has used openly for the last eight years have be More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Jun 07, 2007
Imran
rated it: 
THE book on US foreign policy since World War II (aka White War II). Blum covers 50+ US covert and overt interventions. Extremely well researched and footnoted. Will shatter many of the myths that Americans believe, even those who "just don't believe" the establishment side. Will provide the reader with the factual basis for demonstrating that the US is not in the business of overthrowing democracy.
Some tidbits from the book:
Did you know that the Bush Administra More...
Some tidbits from the book:
Did you know that the Bush Administra More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jan 10, 2011
Collin
rated it:
Well the only reason I am giving this book 3 stars is because of the wealth of information that it contains about US interventionism since the 50s. Every turn of the page I was learning something new. That being said each chapter is a different place, different people, at a different time, but the same story. The info about vietnam and cuba was interesting, but after 300ish pages of reading about how a left leaning liberal was democratically elected and subsequently overthrown via CIA backed cou
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 03, 2010
Clif
rated it: 
The only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is the author gets a little carried away in his commentary. Not that he is inaccurate, only that the book would be more powerful with less sarcasm, deserved though that sarcasm may be.
Killing Hope proves beyond a doubt that the United States of America is the unchallenged leader of hypocrisy in the world. And that title is well earned to the present time.
Presidents, Secretaries of State and Defense, department spokespersons, More...
Killing Hope proves beyond a doubt that the United States of America is the unchallenged leader of hypocrisy in the world. And that title is well earned to the present time.
Presidents, Secretaries of State and Defense, department spokespersons, More...
Dec 04, 2009
Jim
rated it:
About the Author: William Blum left the State Department in 1967, abandoning his aspiration of becoming a Foreign Service Officer, because of his opposition to what the United States was doing in Vietnam. He then became a founder and editor of the "Washington Free Press", the first "alternative" newspaper in the capital. Mr. Blum has been a freelance journalist in the United States, Europe and South America. His stay in Chile in 1972-3, writing about the Allende government's
More...
Dec 20, 2011
Royall
rated it:
This book is a detailed and heart wrenching history of the USA's involvement in torture and murder in dozens of different countries in the last 60 years. It is as rigorous as it is shocking, including citations for every factual statement. The citations are generally mainstream sources like the NYT, so the reader can be confident in presenting the content to the uninitiated without coming off as a crackpot. Even after reading the whole book, I keep it on my shelf as a reference. Any time I see a
More...
Oct 17, 2009
Brian
rated it:
Goodreads' goofy interface erased my review so I'll give the condensed version this time. Blum's central thesis is that the US government, primarily through the CIA and military, has inflicted suffering, death, and oppression on people around the world whose only crime was to try to govern themselves without interference from Washington. From 1943 to 2003, every US president has been complicit in moral atrocities that, if they were undertaken by an enemy state against the US or one of its client
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 03, 2012
Bruce
rated it:
If you think you have a good grasp of history and US foreign policy, read this book to see how you may not have been told/taught the entire story. This book chronicles US intervention, always in the name of 'peace, democracy, and human rights' in countries all over the globe. Ostensibly the US was fighting communism (now terrorism); the reality is that it was in support of corporatism. Meticulously researched (although I thought there were some assertions that should have had an end note), thi
More...
Dec 08, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
This book is so important! If you aren't aware of how the US government works behind the scenes regarding foreign policy, you MUST read this book. It was a complete eye opener and I will never think of this country the same way. Blum does a great job of relaying the facts while making the read enjoyable. There are some tough moments, though. Very real, very necessary to know.
Jan 29, 2012
Allen
rated it:
Do not read this book unless you are willing to have shattered everything you believed about America as the defender of liberty and democracy in the free world. Bill Blum also writes a monthly "Anti-Empire" column on his website www.killinghope.org
Feb 22, 2011
Derek
rated it:
Thoroughly researched, and written with a sense of black humor that reminded me of Gore Vidal's political writing. A horribly grim but worthwhile eye-opener. It makes for especially interesting reading given the context of the amazing upheavals currently going on in the Arab world and elsewhere.
Nov 04, 2011
Mark
rated it:
What it says on the tin. An effective and concise guide to US military interventions from 1945 - 2003.
Dec 16, 2010
Steven
rated it:
Excellent read. You couldn't make up some of the stories in this book.
Sep 24, 2008
Kenneth
rated it:
From CIA-backed propaganda campaigns, coups d'etat, and death squads, to outright military invasion, Bill Blum's Killing Hope is the go-to source for examining post WWII US foreign policy activity around the world. Stunning, comprehensive and encyclopedic, this heavily sourced volume is must reading for anyone exploring the murky reach of American covert operations across the globe. Irony and hypocrisy of US foreign policy in constant display.
Jan 01, 2010
Toby
rated it:
Books like this tend to raise more questions for me than answers. This book hovers between 2 and 3 stars for that reason. But as a resource to CIA activity and for establishing a clear pattern to our involvement I give it the 3. Someone needs to point me to "the other side of the story" for this stuff. I haven't read this cover to cover, just large chunks throughout.
Dec 28, 2007
Resposito
rated it:
Killing Hope is an essential read if you are curious about how our nation came to be- a second birth dating from the end of WWII in 1945. It is a summary of the atrocities that have taken place in foreign countries and sheds light on the contradictions and hypocrisy of our own government.
Dec 28, 2011
Ahmad
rated it:
A very thick and detailed book on the darker side of US interventions which completely shatters the 'good guy' myth. I randomly read parts of it for a deeper understanding of US involvement in present-day conflicts. How odious can these gringos get?
Jan 29, 2012
Exposé de divers coups tordus des USA depuis la Seconde Guerre Mondiale (Guatemala, Iran, Vietnam, etc). Ton volontairement partisan mais l'analyse est quand même très pertinente (et inquiétante).
Aug 21, 2008
After reading the introduction, I expect this book to be very interesting although I question the author's objectivity.
Jun 20, 2007
Do you really want to know all the clandestine shit our goverment has done? If you do, then you are a literary masochist
Feb 13, 2012
Feb 12, 2012
Feb 12, 2012
