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Summary: In Love With War
Review: Chris Hedges was a war correspondent for many years, covering the various wars and insurgencies in Central America, North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans. This book is not so much a memoir (although Hedges draws deeply on his own experience) as it is a meditation on the effects of war and of the nationalist myths that often provide a basis for war -- how easy it is to be caught up by the myth of the hero, of noble sacrifice, of the utter depravity (inhumanity) of the enemy (the Other), and how difficult it is to recover from the inevitable disillusionment when the terror of war, the collapse of morality and the essential humanity of the Other is revealed. Hedges is at his best in discussing the aftermath of war -- the collective forgetting as history and memory are erased, lest the survivors be forced to face what they have done. Yet it is only by recovering the truth, acknowledging guilt and seeking reconciliation that society can begin to heal and move forward.Hedges' message is an important one as we rush headlong into war, particularly for all who demonize the "axis of evil" without acknowledging the role we have played in creating the despair and rage that have turned men and women into terrorists. As Hedges shows, it is difficult for non-combatants to resist the national myth, to penetrate behind the approved rhetoric, to waver from the absolute, unquestioning patriotism demanded by the state. But some must do so if we are to keep our moral compass and begin to heal the world (i.e., to address the despair felt by both sides). Although the message is strong, there are a few weaknesses in this book. Hedges tends to over-generalize based on his experiences in the Balkans, characterizing all war as though it involved marauding packs of criminals (otherwise known as militias). The Persian Gulf War, while certainly displaying many of the mythic elements necessary to any war, was either about freedom for the Kuwaitis or about access to oil -- and was certainly about power -- but in any event does not seem to have involved the kind of wanton depredation on the civilian population common to the Balkans and (to a more limited extent) the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Although the book is short, it does get repetitive after a while, as Hedges hammers home his points about what war does to (and for) us. We also lose contact to some extent with Hedges' personal experience, as he comes to focus more on the experiences of others as the book progresses, and the book loses some of the immediacy it had at the beginning. Overall, a very worthwhile (and quick) read for anyone concerned about our future as we rush into the war on terror.
Rating: 
Summary: Chris Hedges Explodes the Myth of Heroic War
Review: In this powerfully honest book by this Pulitzer prize-winning New York Times Journalist, we see through a glass darkly into war as necrophilia, war that in the beginning looks like love. Hedges, who has a Masters of Divinity from Harvard, speaks with brutal honesty of his own addiction to the adrenaline rush of war as he witnessed it in El Salvador, the Middle East and the Balkans. He writes about Thanatos, the death instinct in the human psyche in constant struggle with Eros, the impulse to love. He exposes what he calls the "god-like exhileration of destroying" that emotionally maimed veterans reflect on later as "nothing gallant or heroic, nothing redeeming." He shows us in graphic detail how he almost lost his soul, but was redeemed by love in partnership that recognizes both the fragility and sanctity of the individual. He warns us that this flirtation with weapons of mass destruction is a flirtation with our own obliteration, an embrace of Thanatos. With humility and grace, he reminds us that "love alone can save us." Hegdes' message is one that the world desperately needs to hear.
Rating:
Summary: an extremely timely and necessary work
Review: Especially in light of the state of the world today and likelihood that the Bush administration will continue policies of violence and destruction, a book that provides a realistic view of war and its toll on humanity is sorely needed. Cutting through the glorified mythology that surrounds war and crusades again "evil" this book left me with a deeper understanding of the whole idea of war and where it fits into the dark side of the human psyche. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A Message to America
Review: Chris Hedges began his education in the classics and religion, but became attracted to journalism and eventually addicted to war itself. He has decades of experience closely following conflicts in El Salvador, the Balkans, Israel, Sudan, Iraq, etc. Unlike many of today's "embedded" reporters who ride along with mechanized American divisions and see little of war except for the explosions in the sky, Hedges was always in close contact with the belligerents and victims of the conflicts, and this book details many of the gruesome scenes he witnessed. Hedges' book also describes the brutal, catastrophic, and often irreparable damage that war and organized violence causes to the societies in which it erupts, as well as the disturbing and obscured reasons people actually kill in the name of the nation. He is not delivering a message of non-violence and non-intervention but trying to warn everyone about the dangerous and destructive addiction of war. Even those unaffected by the war in Iraq suffer the long-term consequences of this war. The effects of the increasing acceptability of war and excessive American nationalism will be visited upon our society in untold ways. Hedges vividly describes the effect that these forces have on other societies in the hope that it will disabuse people of the idea that America is the historical exception and that war is clean and simple. That said, Hedges' book is a good read, but it lacks the intellectual punch of many other books about war and militarism. Many of the paragraphs read like they should have been spoken by Hedges (I have seen him speak and have talked to him before), and Hedges lacks much of the analytical ability needed to combat the overwhelming pro-war nationalist blather that pervades our society and media outlets. Many times he digresses unnecessarily and often reverts to moral and philosophical cliches. Nevertheless, the book is still very good and extremely timely. Everyone should read it if only to hear the stories of an unparalleled war correspondent and a truly compassionate human being.
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Summary: War is a drug, and humans are addicted
Review: There are many standard answers to the question, "why do people go to war": economics; ethnic/religious differences; conflicts between radically different secular ideologies or simply factions of the same ideology; political science theory; "Hegelian forces;" etc. These are all interesting, but ultimately unfulfilling on some level. The question still lingers, why do people have to actually GO TO WAR over land, or religion, or whatever? Why can't we work it out peacefully? Why can't we all just get along? To all these questions, NY Times war correspondent Chris Hedges -- in his book, "War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning" -- proposes some disturbing answers. To boil it down to its core argument, what Hedges is saying is that war is so common and durable across time, space, and dimension because, perversely, and in spite of its horrors, war actually can be highly addictive and alluring, at least as powerful as heroin or sex, but far more destructive. According to Hedges, war appears to be almost hardwired into our species' DNA. Hedges particularly points to the force labeled by Sigmund Freud as "Thanatos," the urge to destroy, to kill, and to die. In addition to Thanatos, there's also that other powerful driving force for humans, what Freud calls "Eros" -- the urge to love, to fornicate, to procreate, to build. War, in Hedges' view, is exciting and alluring, bringing people of a particular nation together and uniting them in a heroic, mythical way that covers up differences and alone-ness. The combination of Eros and Thanatos results in what is, essentially, an addiction, a rush, an all-consuming high. War, like love (or sex), is a drug, and humans are most definitively addicted. Hedges argues persuasively that war, "even with its destructiveness and carnage... can give us purpose, meaning, a reason for living," has the power to obscure the "shallowness and vapidness of...our lives." Unfortunately, as Hedges points out, this "meaning" and "reason for living" come at the expense of a few many other important things -- individuality, truth, memory, and "honest inquiry," among others. And as if that's not bad enough, Hedges also notes (correctly) that war perverts language and culture, warps perception and social norms, and "breaks down long-established prohibitions against violence, destruction, and murder." Sadly, despite all of its obvious flaws (as seen in the cold, dispassionate light of day), war -- not unlike a powerful narcotic such as heroin -- has amazing staying power. Hedges himself, a man who has seen more than his share of horrors, states that even now, ''There is a part of me -- maybe it is a part of many of us -- that decided at certain moments that I would rather die like this than go back to the routine of life." How could ordinary life be so terrible, so dull, so empty, that war could seem a desirable alternative? Perhaps it has to do with another one of Hedges' main themes, that war -- as depicted in countless war movies -- is highly sexualized, even eroticized ("There is in wartime a nearly universal preoccupation with sexual liaisons"). Sex in war is not, however, a healthy expression of sexuality by any standards (recall the Rape of Nanking). In fact, Hedges views the combination of sex and war as nothing better than "necrophilia...[wiping] out all delicacy and tenderness" and leaving in its place "a frenetic lust that seeks...to replicate or augment the drug of war" (Abu Ghraib prison photos spring to mind). This is all strong and depressing stuff, and Hedges offers only the barest glimmer of hope. Specifically, Hedges argues that when people actually EXPERIENCE war ("rotting flesh," "cries of agony," "froth-corrupted lungs," "blood and entrails seeping out of bodies") for long enough, they sometimes begin to realize that war isn't what it was cracked up to be. Eventually, there comes a point when all the killing and destruction becomes routine and boring, and then people sometimes tire of war. It is at that point that the chance exists for the myths to be exposed for the lies that they always were, after all. Are there flaws in Hedges' otherwise excellent book? Well, sure, the evidence presented here is mainly anecdotal, based on Hedges' own particular experiences regarding war, and is by no means a systematic study of war across history and cultures. This raises the question: is it possible that Hedges' analysis is not applicable to all war, but just to certain types? This would harm the universality of Hedges' argument. A lesser critique is that Hedges doesn't offer us any practical advice stemming from his observations and analysis. Specifically, it would be helpful to hear from Hedges whether he is against any war at any time, or whether some wars (e.g., World War II) might be justified. Despite its (minor) flaws, though, this is an excellent book which I highly and wholeheartedly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning
Review: WAR IS A FORCE THAT GIVES US MEANING Hedges chronicles the agony of war as he has experienced it; the horror, destruction, inevitable abuse and justifications. His personal stories and observations are riveting and believable. His warning that we must not go into war with blinders on and his challenge to try to understand both sides of a conflict are worth considering. We must be on guard lest we "become the evil we deplore". When it comes to his moral and ethical judgements, I found his premises foggy and his analyses contradictory. He makes no distinction between war and murder. He is not a pacifist, he says, and he says we were right in going to war in Kosova. However, there is no discussion of the question of justice. He writes about WW1 but silent on WW11. He is critical of our motives for going into Kuwait, but implies we made a mistake in not going on to Baghdad to finish off Saddam. He implies we asked for 9/11 by our policies. Critical of our invasion of Afghanistan, he nonetheless wonders why we didn't go to other parts of the world and straighten them out. He depicts the abuse of Israeli soldiers with moving anecdotes but leaves out the stories of suicide bombing raids from the Palestinian side. Instead of making reasoned responses to decisions he disagrees with, he uses code words to denigrate people of sincere faith. He is actually dismissive of all the major religious faiths. Instead of evaluating the evidence for the fruits of religious faiths or aberrations thereof, he dismisses the subject as irrelevant. Ironically, when in danger, he calls on God and bargains with Him. There is a sense that a political thread is running through the book and the fact that it is endorsed by General Wesley Clark makes one wonder whether we are talking mainly about war or who should be the next Commander-In-chief.
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Summary: Both hawks and doves beware: this book will change you
Review: This is powerful stuff. Whether you think yourself a hawk or a dove, you'll never feel the same about the fanfare of war. Forget about glory, heros, and pulse-pumping excitement, Chris Hedges will extinguish those cheap thrills forever. A seasoned war correspondent, Chris Hedges knows of what he writes. He's no pacifist and severely chids the Clinton administration's slow response in the Balkans. But he lets no warmongers off free. In strong, poetic language, Hedges forces the reader to face the costs and subterfuges of war: hyperbolic nation myths, manufactured heros, "demon" enemies. Violence intoxicates, leaving combatants spent, disgusted, and scarred. Mass amnesia and shameless revisionism allow each generation to re-embrace war ignorant of the deeds of their predecessors. I can't recommend this book strongly enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Hypocrisy Incarnate
Review: Having made a good living covering--and ENJOYING ("I was an addict")--war for several decades, Hedges now chooses to preach to us as a "pacifist." In fact, he has become an apologist for the terrorists who seek to destroy our society. We're asked to understand the "rage" of the WTC bombers. Indeed, when it comes to blaming the victim, Hedges has no peer. Hitler too was motivated by "rage." Did we fail to understand him? Well written but resolutely wrong-headed. Hedges simply cannot bring himself to oppose evil.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful, disturbing, important.
Review: This is a must read, especially in these terrible times. I read this in nearly one sitting - couldn't put it down, even as disturbing and usettling as it was. Memo to Bush/Cheney crowd: Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Read this book
Review: Hedges opened my eyes to the inevitable role a nation's martial mythology has on its soldiers. I am grateful he wrote this. Regardless of your opinion of war, you need to read this.
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