Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism

Although he has written about foreigners and foreign affairs for years, PJ O'Rourke has never really thought about foreign policy. Just as a dog owner doesn't have a "dog policy", says PJ, "we feed foreigners, take care of them, give them treats, and, when absolutely necessary, whack them with rolled-up newspaper." But in 'Peace Kills', PJ finally sets out to make sense of America's "Great Game". He visits countries on the brink of conflict, in the grips of it, and still reeling from it, starting with Kosovo where he discovers that "whenever there's injustice, oppression and suffering, America will show up six months late and bomb the country next to where it's happening." From there, it's on to Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where PJ witnesses both the start and finish of hostilities.