Damned Nations
Greed, Guns, Armies, & Aid
Book - 2011
Damned Nations chronicles the many threads that bind Western nations to the ubiquitous violence plaguing war-torn countries around the world--from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the hostile urban streets of Somalia, to the charred villages of Sudan and to the rape pandemic of eastern Congo. Samantha Nutt shows how, in an era of globalization and accelerated military spending, rich countries continue to reap the profits of this social malaise while also trading in missed opportunities through misguided aid programs.
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Publisher:
Toronto : Signal, c2011
ISBN:
9780771051456
Characteristics:
xi, 228 p. ;,22 cm
Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
I recently read this book for a school class. I loved every minute I spent turning the informative pages. Every chapter reveals a different issue with war and North America's greed. I found some parts hard to read, however, those chapters were part of the truth and addressing the problem at hand.... Read More »
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Add a CommentA little inchoate as the book combines personal narrative with facts ( Not backed up with any footnotes.) Worth reading if you haven't read anything before on how aid can actually be devastating if not properly applied.
This book should be required reading for all high school social studies students as well as all government officials. I learned so much about the nature of charitable organizations, foreign aid, and all the misconceptions surrounding them. I will certainly do my research before sending in donations to charities and change the way I donate. I love her statement: "Don't give to charity, give to change". Highly, highly recommended.
This is a very moving book written by an amazing and brave woman. Dr. Nutt is a great story teller and in spite of the mostly grim matter one has to laugh at times just visualizing the scenes she depicts. Her analysis of the help we (sometimes) give to the less fortunate on this planet helped me to see aspects of this I did not previously understand. She also shows how many of us have investments in war industries (through pension plans for instance), which are one of the crucial factors leading to war. The vast majority of the victims of war are civilians. Dr Nutt is also a founder of War Child Canada together with Dr. Eric Hoskins her husband. She professes to believe that war CAN be abolished. http://www.warchild.ca/ More personal information can be found at her Wikipedia page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Nutt
Two books dealing with related topics I found interesting, especially the second as the author discusses what "human rights" are, or ought to be, are:
A New Generation Draws the Line
Humanitarian Intervention and the "responsibility to Protect" Today
Chomsky, Noam (Book - 2012)
http://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2703101038_a_new_generation_draws_the_line
Ideal Illusions
How the U.S. Government Co-opted Human Rights
Peck, James (Book - 2010)
http://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2431890038_ideal_illusions