The World As It Is : Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress

Drawing on two decades of experience as a war correspondent and based on his numerous columns for Truthdig, Chris Hedges presents The World As It Is , a panorama of the American empire at home and abroad, from the coarsening effect of America's War on Terror to the front lines in the Middle East and South Asia and the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Underlying his reportage is a constant struggle with the nature of war and its impact on human civilization. "War is always about betrayal," Hedges notes. "It is about betrayal of the young by the old, of cynics by idealists, and of soldiers and Marines by politicians. Society's institutions, including our religious institutions, which mold us into compliant citizens, are unmasked." Many Liberals Are Disappointed With Barack Obama. Some Talk Of “betrayal,” While Others Are Writing Abject Letters To The White House Asking The President To Come Back To His “true Self.” Chris Hedges, However, Is A Progressive Who Doesn't Feel Betrayed. “obama Was And Is A Brand,” He Argues. “he Is A Product Of The Chicago Political Machine. He Has Been Skillfully Packaged By The Corporate State.” In His Newest Book, Hedges Argues That The Conscious Inertia Of The Left Is Destroying The Progressive Movement. Inaction And Empty Moral Posturing Leads Not To Change, But To An Orgy Of Self-adulation And Self-pity. Hedges Argues That The Gravest Danger We Face As A Nation Is Not From The Far Right, Although The Right May Well Inherit Power. Instead, The Threat Comes From A Bankrupt Liberal Class That Has Lost The Will To Fight And The Moral Courage To Stand Up For What It Espouses. Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author of Empire of Illusion confronts the passivity and weakness of American liberalism