Selling US Wars

The US invasion of Iraq was justified, at various times, in the name of the global war on terror, weapons of mass destruction, democracy promotion, humanitarian intervention, and as with other US military interventions much of the media and academia dutifully accepted these justifications and solemnly took up the task of debating the relative merits of whether the war advanced or impeded the proffered goals. But what if these justifications are nothing more than ideological constructions that serve as a mask for US empire building?

That's certainly the view of Vanaik (international relations and global politics, Delhi U., India) and his contributors, who offer individual examinations of the origins, nature, and purpose of each of the above constructions, as well as the war on drugs and the danger of failed states. In addition to examination of the discourses themselves, the essays discuss how they have been applied in various geographic contexts and the results of such applications.