One of the unspoken assumptions of the Western world is that we are great defenders of human rights,
a free press and the benefits of market economics. Mistakes might be made along the way, perhaps even
tragic errors of judgement such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But the prevailing view is that the West is
essentially a force for good in the wider world. Why Are We The Good Guys? is a provocative challenge
of this false ideology. David Cromwell digs beneath standard accounts of crucial issues such as foreign
policy, climate change and the constant struggle between state-corporate power and genuine democracy.
The powerful evidence-based analysis of current affairs is leavened by some of the formative experiences
that led the author to question the basic myth of Western benevolence: from schoolroom
experiments in democracy, exposure to radical ideas at home, and a mercy mission while at sea;
to an unexpected encounter with former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, the struggles to publish
hard-hitting journalism, and the founding of Media Lens in 2001.
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