Publisher's Weekly Review
The writers and editors of the Nation pull no punches in assailing both the Bush administration and the media for what they deem to be a dangerous and unnecessary overreaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks. From columnist Katha Pollitt's diatribe against the American flag (according to her, "The flag stands for jingoism and vengeance") to author Chalmers Johnson's evocation of the 1950s CIA term "blowback" to try to illustrate how what Johnson sees as America's corrupt foreign policies brought about September 11, this is not the kind of talk one finds within the pages of Time or Newsweek. Although the Nation's targets range from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Bayer, the manufacturer of Cipro, the harshest criticism is reserved for the mainstream media. According to Michael Massing, author of the 30-page section titled "Press Watch," members of the media by not asking pertinent questions or aggressively pursuing concrete answers from Bush administration officials have directly aided the administration's goal of ultimate secrecy. While Massing may be on point, other contributors are definitely not. Some writers predicted a prolonged conflict in Afghanistan with major U.S. casualties. Others suggested that millions of Afghan civilians would starve because of America's military operations. Neither of the aforementioned has happened. Still, those who found the early coverage of America's "War on Terror" to be monotonous will appreciate the Nation's radical point of view. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A groaning board of (mostly) gainful opinions, insights, and notions sparked and fostered by the 9/11 attacks, from writers for The Nation, the leftist newsmagazine. The Nation has been covering well the ground that needed to be turned, and quickly, after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This included examining the role of foreign policy that creates anti-Americanism, the importance of globally collective action in a globalized world, of keeping an eye peeled for those who would profit any way they could, given certain circumstances. This has always been an important antidote to the mainstream, big-circulation media, and never more so in measuring the response of the US government against al Qaeda and the Taliban. Drawing directly from the pages of the magazine as events unfolded-and thus engaging in a self-critique of their work-we read Richard Falk's gummy and ill-considered graspings at a "just war" (where the volume takes its equally ill-considered title), but we also read Jonathan Schell's exploration of larger themes issuing from the Twin Towers, such as a foretaste of the end of the world via nuclear weapons. Edward Said debunks Samuel Huntington's insidious "Clash of Civilizations," Alexander Cockburn outlines American foreign-policy hypocrisy-even Christopher Hitchens's rant on Islam's fascist face at least makes clear al Qaeda's goals. There are valuable reports detailing the response to events in the countries neighboring Afghanistan and an unflattering profile of the Northern Alliance: "There's Rasoul Sayaf . . . whose gunmen tortured Shia families and used their women as sex slaves in a series of human rights abuses between 1992 and 1996," for starters. And finally, a terrific expose from Marc Siegel on Bayer cashing in on the anthrax fear: "Doxycycline, a generic, is just as effective and costs one-tenth of what Cipro costs." A valuable collection that raises as many questions as it answers-and how many newsmagazines actually make you think?
Booklist Review
Since September 11, the mainstream media, for the most part, has shied away from criticizing or disagreeing with the governmental response to the terrorist attacks. Moreover, any connections between U.S. foreign policy and the upsurge of radical Islam have been minimized or ignored. A refreshing exception to the media whitewash has been the Nation, a progressive magazine traditionally committed to providing a forum for left-leaning intelligentsia. Included in this important collection of essays, articles, and editorials published in the Nation since September 11 are contributions that address issues pertaining to First Amendment rights, civil liberties, social justice, disarmament, international law, and world opinion within the context of the current war on terrorism. Although many might disagree with the unpopular conclusions drawn by some of the authors, few would dispute the fact that they provide a reasoned balance to right-wing jingoism. Margaret Flanagan.
