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Future: Tense: The Coming World Order

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Future: Tense: The Coming World Order (ISBN 0-7710-2978-0) is a 2004 book by Canadian journalist and author Gwynne Dyer.[1] In it he examines the motivations and consequences of the 2003 U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq.

Arguments

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In his book, Dyer makes the argument that:

  • the U.S. "neo-conservative agenda" included the invasion of a country as a demonstration of U.S. military power and a new willingness to operate in defiance of international co-operation and the UN;
  • Iraq was chosen because it was an unpopular government engaged in human rights violations and obstruction in implementing U.N. resolutions, and that therefore an invasion would elicit a minimum of antipathy from the world;
  • Iraq was also chosen because, while it was a potential long-term threat, the invasion would be low-risk as it was considered unlikely that Iraq possessed usable weapons of mass destruction;
  • oil was not a motivating factor, as military occupation is not the most cost-effective way to obtain oil;
  • undermining the UN's role in international security will result in the kind of security situation that existed in 1914;
  • the United States does not have the military assets or economic base to sustain a self-appointed role as the world's 'judge, jury and executioner';

His conclusion is that embarking on a mission of world domination without the ability to sustain it in the long term will lead to a dangerous increase in the chances of a world war.

References

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  1. ^ Liebenberg, I (2013). "Book Review: "Future Tense: The Coming World Order" by Gwynne Dyer". Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies. 41 (1).

Online resources

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