Challenging Empire: People, Governments and the UN Defy U.S. Power

“Bennis is a first-class political surgeon…This book is a must reading for anyone who cares about international affairs and the relationship between ideals and the reality of power politics.” —Marcus Raskin on Calling the Shots When millions around the world marched to protest the Iraq war and the U.S. drive towards empire, the New York Times dubbed global public opinion “the second super-power.” What empowered those protests was their alliance — if only for a brief moment — with governments unexpectedly willing to stand up to U.S. pressure, and with the United Nations itself, when it followed its Charter’s command to stop “the scourge of war.” Bennis tracks the rise of U.S. unilateralism and the doctrine of preemptive war, looking particularly at Iraq and Israel/Palestine, and examines both the potential and the challenges ahead in reclaiming the UN as part of the global peace movement.