Author(s): P J O'Rourke

Current Affairs & Politics

In his classic Parliament of Whores, P.J. O'Rourke listened to the dirty joke that is the US government. In his bestseller Eat the Rich he subjected himself to the shaggy dog story of economics. Now O'Rourke brings his critical facilities to bear on the ultimate stand-up act - American foreign policy. Imperialism has never been so funny.

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 he arrives with the US Army and, standing in one of Saddam's palaces, decides 'If a reason for invading Iraq was needed, felony interior decorating would have sufficed'.

Peace Kills is P.J. O'Rourke as both incisive reporter and absurdist, relevant and irreverent, with a clear eye for everyone's confusion including his own. O'Rourke understands that peace is sometimes one of the most troubling aspects of war.