Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, And Syria

by Bruce Cumings, Ervand Abrahamian, Moshe Ma'oz

An "authoritative and informative" ( The Nation ) primer on the countries caught in the crosshairs of the Bush administration, by three renowned experts.

Ever since the "axis of evil" label was first applied by President Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address, the hawks in his administration have left little doubt as to where they intend to turn their attention after North Korea, Iran, and Syria. Yet most Americans know very little about these three countries beyond what the Pentagon has told them.

For those wanting to know more about "who's next," this "timely exposition on global (in)stability" ( Korean Quarterly ) by three leading experts on each country sets the record straight, confronting relentless fear-mongering with hard facts. The authors explore each country's history and internal politics alongside the spotty record of past U.S. interventions, including the Korean War and the CIA-sponsored overthrow of Iran's elected prime minister in 1953. As one reviewer pointed "The most important thing we know about Syria is that we really don't know what's going on in Syria" ( Slate ). While entertaining no illusions about these despotic regimes, Inventing the Axis of Evil demonstrates that the truth is far more complicated than some would have us believe.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Iran, American, American History, Middle East

213 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

A specialist in the history of Korea, Bruce Cumings is the Gustavus F. and Ann M. Swift Distinguished Service Professor in History, and former chair of the history department at the University of Chicago.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

three fairly short essays, all by different academics with slightly different focuses (especially the essay on Syria). The essay on North Korea highlighted the hypocrisy of the US in its advancement into North Korea, as well as giving a timeline of events regarding the US’s suspicion of nuclear weapons and its political significance. I found the essay on Iran to also be very informative.. I’d like to read more about the Middle East and its history, especially with regards to US imperialism. The essay on Iran also touched on its supposed nuclear weapons as well as its relationship with the US, with a particular focus on its politics up until the infamous ‘axis of evil’ speech.

[Lil Mike]

I decided to read this when the "msm" began ramping up the hype to invade Iran & Syria while chest beating after our "success" in the Iraq conflict. This book is basically independent essays on the top "evil empires" GW Bush and his advisors were supposedly eager to take out. Aside from what the war salesmen down at the Pentagon and in the White House offer, most folks in the U.S know very little about the actual geopolitical roles or histories of these unique nation states. Instead of merely throwing out a bunch of sensationalist scare tactics, one can get at least some basic overview of the faces & factions within these countries, and perhaps why they are perceived as problems to certain western interests. The book is not exactly thorough, but obviously doesn't seem like that was the intention... it's a primer into these countries positions & peoples, and a useful tool for research & opinion purposes.

[Dominic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a book by Bruce, it's more of a current affairs type of deal than history. Good update.