Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism: Amazon.ca: P. J. O'Rourke: Books

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From Publishers Weekly

O'Rourke has made a career out of telling people off. As a foreign correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and Rolling Stone, he has demonstrated a flair for sarcasm and an aptitude for making people laugh. In his 11th book, however, this provocateur par excellence presents a more sober and, alas, less funny, take than usual, this time in essays on American foreign policy, including visits to several important countries on the international scene. Starting with Kosovo, he comments on the Serbian-Albanian conflict, then makes his way to Israel, Egypt, Kuwait and Iraq. Other entries look at the effects of September 11 on the U.S. home front, which includes poking fun at airport search techniques and a clever deconstruction of a 2001 statement on peace and social justice signed by 103 Nobelists. O'Rourke's book does many of the things a conservative bestseller is supposed to do: it's irreverent, in-your-face and often offensive (Hillary Clinton: "the furious harridan on the White House third floor"). Yet O'Rourke, the funny man of foreign politics, seems less interested in humor here than in slightly skewed reporting. His articles on Israel and Egypt, for example, are basically descriptive, a diary account of where he went, what he saw, the hotels he stayed in, the food he ate, interrupted every so often by O'Rourke's trademark non sequitur humor. The author's fans probably won't mind the slight shift in direction, though they will wish for more laughs; O'Rourke is one of the most popular conservative authors around and this book, like his others, should find a happy nest on national bestseller lists.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Another Bush was president and another war was on in Iraq when O'Rourke's first smart-alecky, frat-boy dissection of public policy, Parliament of Whores (1991), was a best-seller. It seems a symptom of our polarized political discourse that, whereas that screed entertained even readers who opposed its libertarian grumpiness, O'Rourke's more recent works are more likely to annoy than amuse anyone left of Milton Friedman. There are few surprises in this volume's commentary on foreign policy: Kosovo, Israel, 9/11, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, a 2001 statement by Nobel laureates, a 2002 Palestinian solidarity march in Washington, D.C., the current war, and in an epilogue, a visit to the island of Iwo Jima. The print media have long included publications tailored for the political Right and Left; Air America gives talk radio a liberal response to the conservative chat shows. Increasingly, political books aim to reinforce the attitudes of readers who already agree with the author rather than to change the minds of others. Peace Kills will circulate best where readers are already committed to the I-hate-liberals humor of O'Rourke and his ideological brethren. Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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I was in Berlin in November 1989, the weekend the wall opened. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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19 Reviews

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3.8 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and insightful, July 18 2006

By

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME)

This review is from: Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism (Hardcover)

O'Rourke opens this engaging sojourn through various realms of conflict with a reminiscence of Berlin in 1989 when the Wall came down. He takes a wry look at American foreign policy during the Cold War, under Clinton and under the first President Bush.

Next stop is Kosovo 1989 where the author shares his conversations with refugees, peacekeepers and veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army. From there he takes us to Israel where he shares his impressions of the land and of Z, his witty tour guide. The author observes that Zionism was ultimately right and the only utopian "ism" to become a success.

The chapter 9/11 Diary records the reactions of ordinary Americans to that infamous day and considers overseas reactions while also presenting a picture of the kooks in a Washington "peace" rally.

He visited Egypt in Dec 2000 and regales the reader with reflections on Egypt's present and past. His thoughts on why the Arab World has fallen so far behind the West and the Far East are noteworthy as well as his descriptions of Anti-Semitism in the Egyptian media.

In Nobel Sentiments, O'Rourke skewers a group of Nobel prize winners (including Jose Saramago and Nadine Gordimer) who issued a banal and empty statement in 2001, pointing out their imbecilic notions on the political and social future. As he so accurately observes, nothing in their fatuous statement indicates that the opinions of ordinary people are more foolish than those of Nobel laureates.

In April 2002 the author attended a Palestinian Solidarity March in Washington DC. Commenting on the demonstration's lack of intelligible demands, he nails down the core issue of the Middle East conflict: Israel's stubborn insistence on existing and the stubborn refusal of the Arab dictatorships to accept the fact. The demonstrators consisted of a wide spectrum of moonbats, from Environmental Nuts to Black Panthers, a crazy bunch of nihilists with only one thing in common: they're all losers.

Thoughts On The Eve of War reflects his experiences in Iraq before and after Operation Iraqi Freedom, plus reminiscences of the situation in Kuwait after the First Gulf War. The book concludes with a visit to Iwo Jima and reflections on the nature of modern warfare.

Peace Kills may not provide as many side-splittingly funny moments as some of O'Rourke's earlier masterpieces, but it remains compelling and thought provoking throughout. He still has the great gift of making associations that at first appear improbable but then reveals meaningful sets of correspondences.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Flashes of Brilliant Writing amid Endless Ironies, July 15 2006

By

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 112,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER) (#1 HALL OF FAME)

This review is from: Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism (Hardcover)

Peace Kills is a collection of mostly previously published writing by P.J. O'Rourke as he looks at America's progression from a peace keeper under President Clinton to a democracy implanter under President Bush with an interlude as a target of terrorist violence in the United States.

Here are the sections:

Why Americans Hate Foreign Policy; Kosovo (November 1999); Israel (April 2001); 9/11 Diary; Egypt (December 2001); Nobel Sentiments; Washington, D.C. Demonstrations (April 2002); Thoughts on the Eve of War; Kuwait and Iraq (March and April 2003); and Postscript (Iwo Jima and the End of Modern Warfare).

The book is deeply skeptical about how well any human activity can succeed, whether its purpose is noble or not. Perhaps the most telling section is about ancient and modern Egypt in which Mr. O'Rourke postulates that people have always been crazy . . . with the pyramids as lasting evidence of that observation.

Most of the essays take an ironical cast. First, the official purpose of an activity is described. Second, a counter-example is presented to show the purpose is being undercut. Third, a segue-way occurs into a further irony relative to the counter-example. You have left shaking your head in wonder. These sections are most interesting when they provide local color that you didn't know before. I loved all of the examples from Egypt of the antiterrorist safeguards being ignored in favor of either religious observances or advancing tourism.

What makes the book special to me is the incredibly fine writing that shows up in each essay in explaining a complicated event and circumstance in terms of our American perspective. These are real gems and show careful rewriting. One yearns in vain for more of this type of writing in the essays . . . rather than having one more point, counter-point, segue-way example of irony.

If you already think that war doesn't make sense, you won't need this book to convince you.

But if you love fine, witty writing and don't mind slogging through too many ironic examples to find it, this book will reward you with ten or so remarkable paragraphs.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Humorous Look at the World We Live In, July 18 2004

By

D. Buxman "A Seeker of Truth" (Pueblo, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a knee-slapping, good time description of the world today, you should look somewhere else. Actually, I don't know where you could look, in light of the times. In any event, this is a funny, light and easy to read book that examines hot zones aroung the world with a lighter perspective. Oddly enough, the author makes quite a few valid points about the foundational aspects of conflict around the world. As Americans, it would be good for us to learn that we can't solve the world's problems with the fast-food approach that we find so satisfying to apply to other aspects of life. I especially enjoyed Mr. O'Rourke's descriptions of his interaction with common people in the Middle East, since it drives home the fact that most people just want to be left alone to make a decent living; without much regard for the politics of hatred that our leaders tend to focus upon.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start The Fire" rocks
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If your answer is "absolutely nothing, say it again," you're wrong. War is good for many things. Ted Kennedy. Mexico. Pottery. Killing 1. Read more

Published on July 16 2004 by Steve Thulen

4.0 out of 5 stars WAR, UGH. WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS
What is war good for?

Answer: It has ended colonialism in America, Europe's attempt to subjugate Islam, Islamic rule in parts of Europe, slavery in America (which was the death... Read more

Published on July 14 2004 by Steven Travers

2.0 out of 5 stars Reflective of the Times
O'Rourke breaks down a Nobel laureate set of assertions by advocating the post-Reagan pan-national wisdom: 'tis better to feel good than to actually DO good... Read more

Published on July 6 2004 by Melvin G. Brennan III

3.0 out of 5 stars Not his best.
I really like PJ O'Rourke but this book is only OK.

It may be that the subject matter is closer to home or more serious than his other books. Read more

Published on July 6 2004

2.0 out of 5 stars Supercilious and glib
I've enjoyed hearing PJ on NPR, but was sorely disappointed by his writings in this book. Certainly learning about the history of conflicts and cultures was interesting (hence 2... Read more

Published on July 5 2004 by Isaac Hepworth

5.0 out of 5 stars another wonderful selection from PJ..
One of the best writers out there when it comes to foreign affairs/conflicts and how our country is impacted and impacts them... Read more

Published on Jun 30 2004 by K. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars A thinking persons writer
Not only is this collection of pieces he has written fun to read but O'Rourke is probably the only chauvinistic writer I utterly enjoy reading. Read more

Published on Jun 27 2004 by MotherLodeBeth