Clear explanations of recent events in the new global War on Terror. The US is back at war. A new version of what was once known as George W. Bush's “global war on terror” has become the central component of American foreign policy. The US/NATO assault on Libya in 2011, thousands of troops on the ground in Iraq, plans to keep combat troops in Afghanistan, drone wars rising in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere—and now new air wars are underway against ISIS and others in Iraq, Syria and perhaps beyond. In this newest addition to Interlink’s wide-ranging Understanding Global Issues series, Phyllis Bennis asks and answers the basic questions facing so many Americans: What is ISIS? Why are they so violent? Should Obama have kept troops in Iraq? Is ISIS the same as al-Qaeda? Can you really go to war against terror? How should the US respond to ISIS violence? What dangers lie ahead? Without jargon, in an easy-to-use Frequently Asked Questions format, Bennis sorts through the hype to get to the root of this newest edition of the continuing global war on terror.

The rise of Islamic State and the US war against it have exploded into a regional and global conflagration. Once again, civilians are paying the price for extremist attacks and we have entered a new version of what was known as George Bush's 'global war on terror'. Phyllis Bennis asks and answers the basic questions facing so many of us: What is ISIS? Why are they so violent? Is ISIS the same as al-Qaeda? Can you really go to war against terror? How should we respond to ISIS violence? What dangers lie ahead?

Terrorism kills far fewer Americans annually than automobile accidents, firearms, or even lightning strikes. Given this minimal risk, why does the U.S. continue expending lives and treasure to fight the global war on terror? In Monsters to Destroy, Navin A. Bapat argues that the war on terror provides the U.S. a cover for its efforts to expand and preserve American control over global energy markets. To gain dominance over these markets, the U.S. offered protection to states critical in the extraction, sale, and transportation of energy from their "terrorist" internal and external enemies. However, since the U.S. was willing to protect these states in perpetuity, the leaders of these regimes had no incentive to disarm their terrorists. This inaction allowed terrorists to transition into more powerful and virulent insurgencies, leading the protected states to chart their own courses and ultimately break with U.S. foreign policy objectives. Bapat provides a sweeping look at how the loss of influence over these states has accelerated the decline of U.S. economic and military power, locking it into a permanent war for its own economic security.

Americans were uniformly shocked by the lethal ferocity of the September 11 attacks. Around the world, people and governments were appalled at the human carnage and extended unstinting sympathy—but many made it clear that their sympathy for the victims did not equal support for Washington’s response to the terror attacks. Before & After examines the role of US foreign policy in the terrorism/anti-terrorism crisis that began—publicly—with the attack on the World Trade Center, but which in fact has roots that began long before that September day. It dissects not only the specific Middle East policies long identified with public opposition in the region (for example: support for Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, economic sanctions responsible for widespread deaths of Iraqi civilians, and support for repressive monarchies and dictatorships throughout the Arab world), but also provides context to these issues and the legacy of US unilateralism. Washington’s contempt for international law as well as its disdain for the United Nations, are seen internationally as evidence of the US upholding a law of empire from which the rest of the world is excluded. Paramount is the creation of a US-forced “coalition” to wage a brutal war against an already impoverished and disempowered people, instead of a truly international cooperative effort to find and bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime against humanity. In light of this attitude, Before & After traces the decisions made by the Bush administration in the wake of the September 11 attacks, analyzes the choices ignored, the options discarded, and the international laws violated—and the likely consequences.

"Public opinion in the United States and Great Britain has long called for ending the Iraq war - in recent polls about 70 percent of Americans agree. But the war continues, and what it will take to finally end it is not as clear. In an easy-to-read "frequently asked questions" format, long-time Middle East analyst Phyllis Bennis discusses the issues that have determined the course of the war, with an eye toward ending the US-led occupation and bringing peace to Iraq and the region. She analyzes the history of US and UK relations with Iraq, the origins of the war, the role of oil, the roles of Israel and other regional players, the past and possible future role of the UN, and the private military contractors and stop-loss policies that have made this war possible - at such a huge cost. And she examines Iraq at war, its sectarian divisions and the makeup of the resistance, and the terrible price Iraqis continue to pay for the war and occupation. She outlines possible courses of action for the US Congress and for the global antiwar movement, and critiques the plans for ending the war that have been presented thus far. This urgent, concise discussion will help every reader understand the war in Iraq in context, and provides the honest, independent analysis most needed for those working to end the war."--BOOK JACKET.