The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)

The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)
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A Critical Review

Secrets of our Empire.....

might does not make right

Better Than Blowback

What else has Mr. Johnson done for the Republic lately?

The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)
Chalmers Johnson
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805077979
Release Date: 2004-12-23

Amazon.com

Since September 2001, the United States has "undergone a transformation from republic to empire that may well prove irreversible," writes Chalmers Johnson. Unlike past global powers, however, America has built an empire of bases rather than colonies, creating in the process a government that is obsessed with maintaining absolute military dominance over the world, Johnson claims. The Department of Defense currently lists 725 official U.S. military bases outside of the country and 969 within the 50 states (not to mention numerous secret bases). According to the author, these bases are proof that the "United States prefers to deal with other nations through the use or threat of force rather than negotiations, commerce, or cultural interaction." This rise of American militarism, along with the corresponding layers of bureaucracy and secrecy that are created to circumvent scrutiny, signals a shift in power from the populace to the Pentagon: "A revolution would be required to bring the Pentagon back under democratic control," he writes.

In Sorrows of Empire, Johnson discusses the roots of American militarism, the rise and extent of the military-industrial complex, and the close ties between arms industry executives and high-level politicians. He also looks closely at how the military has extended the boundaries of what constitutes national security in order to centralize intelligence agencies under their control and how statesmen have been replaced by career soldiers on the front lines of foreign policy--a shift that naturally increases the frequency with which we go to war.

Though his conclusions are sure to be controversial, Johnson is a skilled and experienced historian who backs up his claims with copious research and persuasive arguments. His important book adds much to a debate about the realities and direction of U.S. influence in the world. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

"Impressive . . . a powerful indictment of U.S. military and foreign policy." Los Angeles Times Book Review, front page In the years after the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as a "reluctant sheriff," next as the "indispensable nation," and in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important national bestseller, Chalmers Johnson thoroughly explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling us to pick up the burden of empire.Recalling the classic warnings against militarism-from George Washington's Farewell Address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex-Johnson uncovers its roots deep in our past. Turning to the present, he maps America's expanding empire of military bases and the vast web of services that support them. He offers a vivid look at the new caste of professional militarists who have infiltrated multiple branches of government, who classify as "secret" everything they do, and for whom the manipulation of the military budget is of vital interest. Among Johnson's provocative conclusions is that American militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization and bankrupting the United States, even as it creates the conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon-with the Pentagon in the lead.

Customer Reviews:

A Critical Review.......2007-08-05

This book gets everything wrong.

Johnson argues that the demise of the USSR was a great economic victory, having everything to do with the failure of socialist economics and nothing to do with the successes of American foreign policy. Unfortunately for Johnson, the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race - and the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race alone - were what bankrupted the natural-resource rich Soviet states. The United States fought and won the Cold War economically, by forcing the East into a battle it could not win - a battle where the biggest spender (necesarily the economically liberal west) wins by default. Left to its own devices, the Soviet states could have persisted indefinitely in moderate prosperity thanks to the global capital markets and the value of their domestic resources, the lunacy of their domestic economics aside. See China, India, and even Venezuela today.

Johnson further argues that the Pentagon failed to "restructure" and/or "demobilize" following the Cold War. This is categorically false. The United States military (particularly its Army and Air Force) was phased down radically in the two decades between the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the September 11th terrorist attacks. A signifigant Naval presence was maintained as a matter of apparent national necessity - even without a Soviet Union, the post-globalization world demanded the West have at least one member capable of global power projection as a simple matter of motivated self interest. The United States has ALWAYS maintained a signifigant peace-time naval capacity, however. This is nothing new and certainly no product of a "military-industrial" complex. Washington himself, that great hero of the anti-military renegades and oft-quoted as decrying standing armies, comission the first permanent and standing warships of the USN to protect the young country against - whoulda thunk it - Islamic terrorists.

Johnson then argues that the Pentagon's involvement in the war on drugs and terror is a dishonest effort at justification of a bloated budget, but this is historically inane. The American armed forces have always been intimately involved in the enforcement of extramilitary foreign policy. American soldiers pursued Mexican criminals across our sothern border over a century and a half ago. We have dispatched the Navy repeatedly throughout our history to deal with piracy and barbarism when local authorities have been noncooperative. The war on drugs - and military involvement therewith - is simply an extension of this legacy. So, too, is the war on terror.

Everything this book argues is backwards and apparently nonsensical. And everything that Johnson proports to be a "new" product of post-Cold War Pentagon amokism is as old as the Republic he so claims to love. The man could do well to get himself an elementary history lesson, and to spend 15 minutes outside the safe, secure, and utterly arealistic ivory tower that is American elite society. Our half a trillion dollar military is the foundation that keeps his - and to an extent all of our - tower(s) of ignorance erect and pristine. We would all do well to realize that our lives and lifestyles are both historically unprecedented, and unique to our borders and our civilization even today. THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES NOT LIVE AND THINK LIKE WE DO.

The United States maintains the worlds largest and most capable standing army in the history of the planet not because it wants to, but because it must. The world is a dark place. Most if its people are not like Americans (and Westerners), and most of its countries are not as benevolent as America (and the Western world). While the rest of our civilization surrenders its capacity and will to defend itself and its ideological allies, the United States has willfully chosen to bear the burden alone, knowing full well the costs and consequences of this decision. We do this because we have confidence in this old, and grand, Republic. And because we know better than to trust and surrender our fates to the good-will of our less Republican neighbors.

Secrets of our Empire............2007-07-26

Truly a revealing expose of things you never knew about our American military and related.....now you do...and it may surprise you or scare you.....read this book...very revealing.....

might does not make right.......2007-07-03

From George Washington and James Madison to Eisenhower's farewell address in 1961, some of our country's greatest leaders have warned about the dangers of standing armies and the military-industrial complex. In this second installment of his "inadvertent trilogy" about the costs and consequences of America's belligerent empire, Chalmers Johnson describes in meticulous detail the nature and extent of American militarism. In his first book, Blowback (2000), he warned that our global militarism and predatory economic policies virtually assure retaliations for decades to come. He published Blowback about eighteen months before the 9/11 attacks, and in retrospect his warning now reads like a diagnosis. His third volume, Nemesis (2006), is more like an autopsy; it describes our destiny with Nemesis, "the goddess of retribution and vengeance, the punisher of pride and hubris" (in Greek, "nemesis" means "to give what is due").

Unlike ancient empires, our imperial hegemony consists not of conquered territories but of military bases. Today the Department of Defense admits that America deploys 254,788 (double that number if you include dependents) military personnel to at least 725 military bases in 153 countries (there are 189 countries in the United Nations). That does not include numerous secret and officially nonexistent bases. Our own country is home to 969 separate bases in all fifty states. It's hard to believe, writes Johnson, that at the beginning of World War II our regular army consisted of 186,000 men; today it numbers 1.4 million. Nor is this any longer a citizen's army, but instead a professional warrior class (41% of whom are nonwhite).

Johnson's book documents our militarism beginning with the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American war; Woodrow Wilson's fervent belief in America's moral exceptionalism and obligation to export democracy to the world; the incestuous marriage of the military to the incredibly lucrative for-profit arms industry, and merry-go-round of former military and corporate personnel; America's sale of weapons to the world; our violations of international treaties and courts that have generated global distrust of much of what we say and do; the roles of oil (our import levels are "at the highest levels ever recorded") and Israel; and the predatory nature of economic globalization.

In a final chapter Johnson suggests four sorrows of our militaristic empire that he now considers all but unavoidable: a state of perpetual war, the loss of democratic processes and institutions, endemic lying by the state (glorification of war, disinformation, propaganda, etc.), and financial ruin. Empires don't last forever, he reminds us. In the last hundred years nine "empires" have collapsed: Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, China, Austro-Hungaria, and the Ottomans. Despite our deep delusion about our good intentions and moral exceptionalism, we have no reason whatsoever to expect that history will treat our belligerence and hubris any differently. What we should expect is a meeting with Nemesis.

Better Than Blowback.......2007-06-10

In the first nine chapters of the book, Johnson writes about his perception of an increasing American militarism, and also says there is an emerging American empire. He also describes the privatization of the military through war merchants and mercenaries. A solid case is made against some members of the current administration, but he doesn't spare Clinton's "globalization" in the book either. The tenth and last chapter alone is nearly worth the price. After making a very strong case for the United States to turn from its interventionist tendencies of the last 30 years, Johnson outlines four great dangers the USA will face as it wades deeper into the waters of interventionism. He finds fault with all recent past presidential administrations, and says that Congress has abandoned its duties and responsibilities in favor of greasy palmed careerism.

Like the first part of the trilogy, Chalmers Johnson writes about blowback, a CIA term for unintended consequences of covert action. His theory is that the perils of blowback are increasing, and the country is rapidly descending farther and farther away from its democratic moorings and into a militaristic empire.

This book is written in a more interesting style than part 1 ("Blowback") and keeps the reader interested through out.

Weakness-Some of the original source work is not strong and it is clearly written with a more popular audience in mind. For example, the suspect web site Capital Hill Blue is used as a source. So, perhaps some of the evidence presented is flawed, but the main theme still rings true.

This book, coupled with "Blowback" have seriously altered my thinking of foreign policy matters. I recommend both.

What else has Mr. Johnson done for the Republic lately?.......2007-06-03

Gore Vidal has been writing far longer and more eloquently than Mr. Johnson on the end of the Republic as a consequence of the American Empire. Mr. Johnson adds a dispassionate and steadily accumulating set of figures, monetary and otherwise, that show the true costs of the American Empire and its negative eroding effects on the Republic.

This is Mr. Johnson's second book in his "American Empire Project". The first Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire (Second Edition), published before the events of Sept. 11, 2001 now seems eerily prescient. That book pointed out the unintended but inevitable consequences of American foreign policy and interference abroad and suggested a consequent "blowback".

The problem I have with Mr. Johnson and other eminent diagnosticians, even Vidal (though he did try running for elected office in CA a long time ago), is they seem unwilling to go further than write books. Mr. Johnson makes much (pp. 12) of Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the US Constitution which says "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time." Now the latter clause regarding publication of accounts has been honored only in the breach, at least in recent times. I wrote Mr. Johnson asking "What legal attempts by private citizens have been made thus far to attempt to have this provision enforced?" Mr. Johnson replies that "You ask an excellent question but it would take a Constitutional lawyer to answer it." Now if I am to trust Mr. Johnson in his avowed belief in the Republic, its Constitution and the enforcement thereof, I would have expected him to have explored this avenue of enforcement already.

Given that the Republic is not yet dead, and that the rule of law is at least intermittently permitted, and that the courts are not yet entirely corrupt or partisan. I for one don't understand why those of Mr. Johnson's ilk, with their resources, don't approach the courts or petition the few honest or semi-honest legislators left to force the light of day on the costs and consequences of our empire. At least then, no citizen of this our disappearing Republic will be able to say that Mr. Johnson didn't do his best to tell them so. Only writing books doesn't cut it.

Corporate Warriors (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)

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An Academic Review of the topic....
Excellent book.
Not an academic review
A Solid General Guide to PMCs and PSCs, But...
A must read!

Corporate Warriors (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
P.W. Singer
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Contract Warriors

ASIN: 0801489156

Book Description

As violence spreads in Iraq, many have been stunned by the extensive roles that private firms now are playing in the fighting. In seeking to understand exactly what was going on, ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, The Economist, Fox News, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, PBS, USA Today, and the Washington Post all turn to one source: Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry.

Named among the year's top five books in international affairs by the Gelber Prize, P.W. Singer's groundbreaking book from Cornell University Press explores one of the most interesting, but little understood developments in modern warfare. Over the last decade, a global trade in hired military services has emerged. Known as "privatized military firms" (PMFs), these businesses range from small consulting firms, who sell the advice of retired generals, to transnational corporations that lease out wings of fighter jets or battalions of commandos. Such firms number in the hundreds. They have an estimated annual revenue of over $100 billion. And, they presently fill military roles in over fifty countries, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. From recent events in Iraq, where some 15,000 private military contractors work on behalf of the coalition, including the four men brutally killed in an ambush in Fallujah earlier this year, to Latin America, where three American private military contractors have been held captive by Colombian rebels for the last 16 months, to Sub-Saharan Africa, where private military personnel earlier this year were arrested as part of an alleged coup plot in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, these firms appear in the world's hotspots and headlines again and again. Yet, until Corporate Warriors, no book has opened up this powerful new industry to the public eye.

Now released in paperback, Corporate Warriors provides the first comprehensive analysis of the private military industry. The book traces the firms' historic roots in the mercenary outfits of the past and the more recent underlying causes that led to their emergence at the end of the Cold War. In a series of detailed company portraits, Singer then describes how the industry operated and the three sectors within the industry: how military provider firms, like Executive Outcomes, a South African company made up of ex-Apartheid fighters, offer front-line combat services; how military consulting firms, like MPRI, a Virginia-based firm staffed by U.S. Army veterans, provide strategic and military training expertise for clients around the world; and, finally, how military support firms, like Vice President Cheney's former Halliburton-Brown & Root, carry out multi-billion dollar military logistics and maintenance services, including running the U.S. military's supply train in Iraq.! In fact, the book's portrait of how exactly Halliburton got into the lucrative, but now controversial, military support business has served as a resource for investors, reporters, congressional investigators, and soldiers alike.

Singer then explores the many implications of this industry, ranging from their impact on military operations to their possible roles in international peacekeeping. He analyzes how the hopes for economy and efficiency duel with the risks that come from outsourcing the most essential of government functions, that of national security and soldiers' welfare. The privatization of military services allows startling new capabilities and efficiencies in the way that war is carried out. However, as demonstrated in Iraq, the mix of the profit motive with the fog of war raises a series of troubling questions -for international affairs, for ethics, for management, for civil-military relations, for international law, for human rights, and, ultimately, for democracy. In other words, when it comes to military responsibilities, private companies' good may not always be to the public good.

Corporate Warriors is a hard-hitting analysis that provides a fascinating first look inside this exciting, but potentially dangerous new industry. Its research has been featured by every single major news outlet in the United States and covered by media over 20 different countries.

Easily accessible to general readers, the book provides a critical but balanced look at the businesses behind the headlines. With the continued expansion and growth of this industry in the coming years, Corporate Warriors will be the essential sourcebook for understanding how the private military industry works and how governments must respond. As one reviewer describes, "Many fine volumes about U.S. foreign policy and world events have been published in recent months. This one is something special. Corporate Warriors might just be a paradigm shift. It may change the way people look at history and analyze current events…a must-read…"

Customer Reviews:

An Academic Review of the topic...........2007-09-27

This book provides an academic view of the topic (i.e., dry and sterile). Coming from an academic press (Cornell) and an academic, however, this not a surprise. The author starts with a history of the private sector in warfare during the medieval ages up to the current period, with emphasis on trend towards increasing state control (i.e., de-privitization) over time with increasing re-privatization. The later is in regard particularly to the U.S. and its overstretched (probably temporarily) forces. This is, in the author's opinion, is cause of large increase in recent expansion of privitization in the U.S. The author then discusses various aspects, mostly negative, regarding this privitization (i.e., legal status of private "troops", reliability in case of large scale combat and increase of the danger they face, etc.).

The book has two weaknesses. The first is that it does not cover the benefits of this privitazation in sufficient detail. Especially financial savings and, more importantly, the private sector filling the void in Iraq due to lack of long-term permanent U.S. public sector troops. The author needs to address the question of how else the U.S. would be able to cope without this strategy (i.e., draft?). No discussion here. Also, some perspective on other nations' attempts at privitization would be useful for purposes of perspective and comparison with U.S. How much are they privitizing vis-a-vis the U.S. and how has it affected their combat effectiveness/cost of operations. For these reasons the book receives four stars instead of five. Nevertheless, provides a good primer on the subject. Especially considering the fact that most other books have been written by journalists from a sensationalist point of view.

Excellent book........2007-07-15

Singer's research is flawless. His writing is well organized and incisive with very astute observations. He approaches the subject with an objective understanding(he uses the term "mercenary" sparingly and only to describe actual mercenaries) of how this newly formed industry is organized and how it will affect our (United States) ability to implement foreign policy. His tip of the spear taxonomy explains the industry better than any other I have read in my own research on the topic. This book has set a great standard for academic writings on PMFs and will survive as reference source for many years to come.

Not an academic review.......2007-01-15

Corporate Warriors was in general a very boring book. Yes it was acurate and informative but was very dry. Singer seemed too biased against PMCs. I was also dissapointed to find out Singer has never been to Iraq himself to see PMCs at work there. When one writes a book with bias and with such depth I would like for them to have immersed themselves in the topic rather than write an academic report on PMCs. Sorry for the negative attitude but was dissapointed by the book.

A Solid General Guide to PMCs and PSCs, But..........2006-12-12

The title of this work is misleading. Singer has written an excellent guide to the recent history of PMCs (private military companies, such as Tim Spicer's Sandline) and PSCs (such as Blackwater), but has failed to distinguish between the two in a way made concrete for the uninformed reader. The result is that the fine line between hunting down Angolan rebels and guarding glorified haircuts like Paul Bremer has been blurred.

Sometimes this line is difficult to distinguish, but it is there. The fact that many of the PSC firms themselves sport members of past PMCs (many a South African and Rhodesian is back in action) has further blurred the situation, but you can be assured that their mandate is different. While the PSCs currently operating in Iraq and Afghanistan do their fair share of enemy engagement, they do so from a position of defense rather than from a position of offense. They are playing primarily a security role. They are not, by and large, performing paramilitary tasks at the bequest of dictators, corporations, or the State Department.

The author understands the difference, and does indeed attempt to make the distinction, the title itself tends to muddle the roles.

A must read!.......2006-10-10

A must read for anyone interested in the private security industry and the new future of war!
I served in the Kosovo region and the information about that region was 100% accurate. The US militray can no longer function without the assistance of private contractors and thier vast companies.
Cpl Dombrowski
578th Engineer BN

The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR

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A cautionary tale, and a great American hero
Learn Some History
Did It Happen Nov.22, 1963 ?
One of the greatest conspiracies of all time
One of the most important books you will ever read!

The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR
Jules Archer
Manufacturer: Skyhorse Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1602390363

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Most people will be shocked to learn that in 1933 a cabal of wealthy industrialists—in league with groups like the K.K.K. and the American Liberty League—planned to overthrow the U.S. government in a fascist coup. Their plan was to turn discontented veterans into American “brown shirts,” depose F.D.R., and stop the New Deal. They clandestinely asked Medal of Honor recipient and Marine Major General Smedley Darlington Butler to become the first American Caesar. He, though, was a true patriot and revealed the plot to journalists and to Congress. In a time when a sitting President has invoked national security to circumvent constitutional checks and balances, this episode puts the spotlight on attacks upon our democracy and the individual courage needed to repel them.

Customer Reviews:

A cautionary tale, and a great American hero.......2007-09-06

After many years of searching for this too-long out-of-print gem, it is finally back. (I bought three copies just to make sure it gets disseminated to those in my own immediate circle.)
The story of Smedley Butler's colorful career as a Marine probably wouldn't have been interesting to me, but it provides a necessary backdrop to the larger story here, and Jules Archer sketches it out with just enough attention to detail so one doesn't get the feeling that major events are being glossed over.
I should say, at times the book feels like it has a "stories for young adults" quality, but don't let that distract (or detract) from the fact that men of influence, wealth and power sought to overthrow Franklin Roosevelt, the PRESIDENT of the United States, in 1932.
You've never heard of such a thing? Well, citizen, THAT'S how powerful the conspirators were! And when the light of inquiry was shone on their traitorous plot, they scurried for cover like cockroaches heading back under a refrigerator, loudly claiming it was all nonsense. A.J. Leibling's dictum about freedom of the press (for those who own them) has rarely been so resoundingly underscored.
So kudos to the publishers of this volume, for resurrecting it for another generation. In the words of researcher Dave Emory, "if you don't study history, the world's a mystery."

Learn Some History.......2007-05-14

Well-researched, authoritative account of Wall Street's attempt to force a coup in 1933 to prevent New Deal policies from taking place. Every American should know this history, and understand the true politics of Wall Street and the "miracle" of the market.

Did It Happen Nov.22, 1963 ?.......2007-05-07

Chilling reading as Jules Archer tells the story of the attempted Wall Street against FDR. Maj. Smedley Butler, a Republican exposed the Morgan - DuPont financed coup aginst the President and the American people before Congress ( the McCormick - Dickstein Committee )and the plot crumpled. But Wall Street has always favored Pro - Business,War Making Regimes, with more than a pinch a racism. Wall Street wanted to remove FDR ( too radical ) or make him a " figurehead " as a front man for a fascist government. The Military - Industrial Complex succeeded on November 22, 1963, with the murder of John Kennedy. Howard Hunt's recent " confession " should awaken all Americans to the danger just around the corner. The LBJ regime wasn't racist, just the opposite, but starting with Nixon, are old ways are creeping back. "War is a Racket " - Smedley Butler. He should know,he says that he, as a U.S. military officer, was a gangster for Capitalism and Wall Street. Lets defeat facism again, this time at home !

One of the greatest conspiracies of all time.......2007-03-08

Who knows what the world would have been like if this conspiracy had succeeded. We might have never declared war against the Axis (Japan/Germany/Italy) powers in World War II. As Joseph Schumpeter writes in the book Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy: The political world consists of a series of short-run events that can change the course of history...The idea that good always triumphs over evil is one of those happy falsehoods. All patriots need to be vigilant!

One of the most important books you will ever read!.......2007-03-04

Excellent attractive and inexpensively priced paperback edition of the Jules Archer classic. It is terrific to have this wonderful book back in print again! The book tells the shocking true story of how United States Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler was the savior of our Republic from a fascist plot by Wall Street plutocratic militarists in the early 1930s. Author Jules Archer is featured in The History Channel documentary, The Plot To Overthrow FDR, a concise summary of this exceptional book.

For more on Butler and the attempted 1930's fascist coup d'etat against FDR, see my Amazon.com Listmania! book and video list, Smedley Darlington Butler.

Average customer rating:

A must reading for all Americans!
A study of the power of the US "defense" industry
Brings facts together in one place and gives cogent analysis
handsome butcher
Empire's Pricetag

Political Economy of U.S. Militarism
Ismael Hossein-zadeh
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1403972850
Release Date: 2006-07-20

Book Description

This wide-ranging, interdisciplinary analysis blends history, economics, and politics to challenge most of the prevailing accounts of the rise of U.S. militarism. While acknowledging the contributory role of some of the most widely-cited culprits (big oil, neoconservative ideology, the Zionist lobby, and President Bush's world outlook), this study explores the bigger, but largely submerged, picture: the political economy of war and militarism. The study is unique not only for its thorough examination of the economics of military spending, but also for its careful analysis of a series of closely related topics (petroleum, geopolitics, imperialism, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, the war in Iraq, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict) that may appear as digressions but, in fact, help shed more light on the main investigation.

Customer Reviews:

A must reading for all Americans!.......2007-08-12

Professor Hossein-zadeh takes over where the late Seymour Melman left off, showing the absurdity & perils of military spending. Those of you familar with Melman, who was a professor of industrial engineering at Columbia University know that time & time again in his many books, he demonstrated how ludicrous defense spending had become through numerous examples. The money spent on "overkill", the cost overuns, the many uneeded military projects, expensive quality control problems coupled with system & hardware failures are just several he often reiterated.
Dr. Hossein-zadeh takes the subject a bit further & in a new direction. He is backed by irrefutable statistics, documents & history itself to prove his case against excessive & unwarrented military spending. All of it very comprehensible, even to someone with no background in economics & a minute knowledge post WW2 history. By reading this book, one can gain some insight into the modus operandi of the military-industrial complex & its the effect it has on the economy,political establishment & both domestic & foreign policy.

A study of the power of the US "defense" industry.......2007-04-04

I loved it. It's packed with explicit information on the tight relationship and revolving door between war profiteers and government officials--they're often one and the same--naming names and providing dollar amounts and sources of information. When you study this book, you will gain an understanding of what motivates the neocons to start wars. Money makes the world go around: you will learn a great deal about why the current US administration bombed Afghanistan, then Iraq, and now appears to be aimed at Iran. Why would anyone want never-ending war?

Hossein-zadeh points out that it is the industrial part of the military-industrial complex that is most problematic because it is driven by the profit motive.

I happen to disagree with Hossein-zadeh in that I think the oil transnationals also want wars in the Middle East. (He says these entities prefer stability.) This difference in views detracts nothing, however, from his analysis of the military-industrial aspect of these conflicts.

I'm a writer and use this book as a reference.

I hope it comes out in paperback so more people can afford it.

Brings facts together in one place and gives cogent analysis.......2007-01-12

This book brings together lots of individual facts, statistics, and citations that those with a concern about US militarism who attentively follow current events and recent US history will have come upon in disparate locations.

The genius of the book is that it puts all of this information in one place and presents it in a coherent structure. It is also very clearly written. The citations and bibliography are useful starting points for those wishing to delve more deeply into the economic underpinnings of the military-industrial complex.

handsome butcher.......2007-01-10

most comprehencive ,well documented,well researched book exposing the essence of our heartless government subserviant to the demands of giant corporations sacrificing the ones it is elected to protect.

Empire's Pricetag.......2006-12-20

Ismael Hossein-Zadeh's The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism will greatly surprise readers who imagine that what lies between its covers is an abstruse economics argument or a rant against the war in Iraq. This accessible, lucid, and generously documented approach to the history of military engagement by the United States since World War II clearly is written with a mainstream audience in mind although its hardcover price of $80 is out of the average reader's ballpark. Hopefully libraries will pick up the title since every taxpayer deserves the chance to consider Hossein-Zadeh's thesis. In short, he demonstrates that although the economic gains of imperialism might have supported required military outlays for a period, there comes a time in every empire's life when further expansion no longer is cost-effective for the metropole and becomes a drain on the national economy. At this point, the war industry becomes "parasitic" as the dividends of empire fall more and more disproportionately into the laps of those associated with military efforts. Hossein-Zadeh considers the current period in U.S. history such a time.

Readers may have heard this claim before. But few if any will have met such a persuasive presentation of it. The book is extremely helpful in how it identifies and then dismantles what Hossein-Zadeh considers weak explanations for why the United States continues to engage in military intervention and expansion abroad. The first is the widespread theory among liberals that the neoconservative element of the U.S. political scene is attempting to take advantage of the absence of a comparable world power in order to spread American values and free market economics. The second is that George Bush is spearheading military adventurism as a result of the need to pose as a "war president" so as to mask the failings of his administration. The third is that America's Zionist lobbyists are championing the war on Iraq in order to shore up U.S. support of Israel. The fourth (and Hossein-Zadeh considers this the most widespread assumption of all) is that the United States is engaging, in the case of Iraq and other Middle Eastern adventures, in military action in order to better control the world's oil resources. Hossein-Zadeh acknowledges and discusses each of these theories, ultimately discarding them as the driving force behind continued U.S. military imperialism.

Instead, he suggests that the military imperialism we are witnessing today "can be seen largely as reflections of the metaphorical fights over allocation of the public finance at home, of a subtle or insidious strategy to redistribute national resources in favor of the wealthy, to cut public spending on socioeconomic infrastructures, and to reverse the New Deal reforms by expanding military spending." Survival of the working man and woman aside, also at stake is the question of which cabal of capitalists will come out on top--the neoliberal multilateralists who favor globalization--that is, the expansion of free markets throughout the world in order to make way for the products of multinationals largely unconnected with war, or the unilateralists, who tend to be linked to the military industry and to other industries that are not competitive in the international marketplace.

In addition to providing engaging economic explanations and political commentary such as those already mentioned, Hossein-Zadeh offers a number of other helpful analyses. He makes a distinction between the military bureaucracies of past empires--e.g., Rome--and America's present-day military industry, which reflects the imperatives of an advanced capitalist economy. Bearing in mind this distinction, he suggests, unlike many who see the United States as declining in the mode of Rome, that decline of the United States more likely would follow that of the British Empire. He points out that multilateralists have in no way been eliminated by unilateralists; rather, leading capitalist countries tend to experience alternating periods characterized by resurgence and diminution of the importance of these two poles. He also acknowledges the benefits of the military industry on an economy such as that of the United States. Finally, as an Iranian-American he offers a unique perspective in terms of political economy on the issue of religious fundamentalism and the fraught relations between the West and the Muslim world. Ismael Hossein-Zadeh's The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism is a fascinating text and one that deserves to be as accessible to the average pocketbook as it is to the average reader.

Average customer rating:

(RAW Rating: 4.5) - What is happening to black men?
Why Are So Many Black Men In Prison? A Comprehensive Account Of How And Why The Prison Industry Has Become A Predatory Entity In
A Must Read
Why are so many Black Men in Prison?
Why are so many blacks in prison?

Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison?
Demico Boothe
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

War on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Kill Them Before They Grow: The Misdiagnosis of African American Boys in America's Classrooms
The State of Black America 2007: Portrait of the Black Male
Visions for Black Men
Motivating and Preparing Black Youth for Success
The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture

ASIN: 1425713971

Customer Reviews:

(RAW Rating: 4.5) - What is happening to black men?.......2007-08-04

Demico Boothe has explored the reasons so many black men are indeed in prison in, WHY ARE SO MANY BLACK MEN IN PRISON? He begins with his own story of a shaky upbringing and his subsequent dabbling in drug dealing. He was caught with a few grams of crack cocaine but because it was the dreaded crack, he was given 10 years in prison. When he left prison after serving his time, he was actually railroaded back into prison by a crooked justice system. He delves deeply into our justice system and the motives behind all the new prisons that are being built. He gives succinct and reasonable views of exactly what is happening now in the United States and how the past has played a role in the present. He uses persuasive statistics regarding the number of black men in prison as compared to the number of white men who are incarcerated.

Demico Boothe has done an excellent job of researching his subject and it is a plus, if unfortunate for him, that he has actually experienced first hand what he's talking about. I knew I was hearing the real story rather than just statistics from an intellectual who had no real idea of what the prison system is really like. I would have liked for Boothe to search a little deeper into the Haiti, Aristide and USA question, maybe even reading Randall Robinson's take on the situation, and then he might see it a bit differently. Otherwise, it is a good book and one every one in America should read. We indeed, have a crisis going on.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Why Are So Many Black Men In Prison? A Comprehensive Account Of How And Why The Prison Industry Has Become A Predatory Entity In.......2007-06-09

The book was very interesting. I learned soooo much about the government and the prison industry. I did some searching independantly to check on the things reported in the book and they are very true. Great Read!! Buy the book.

A Must Read.......2007-05-25

Mr. Demico's book is a must-read for anyone concerned about young African American men. Although I did not agree with every conclusion he reached, Demico's main premises are convincing. As a white woman who teaches mainly students of color, I am always impressed, and often in awe, of those young men who reach college with so much going against them. Demico's books lays bare not only the horrible inequalities of our society, but also the racist attitudes of our political system - - Democrats, Republicans, and most everyone in between.

Why are so many Black Men in Prison?.......2007-05-13

I is a well put together book. He really goes into a lot of detail of how our society is really set up.

Why are so many blacks in prison?.......2007-05-12

I found this book very interesting. As a white devil myself, I had no idea that I was responsible for forcing blacks into committing crimes and then subsequently clogging up the whole "Prison Industrial Complex"(tm). I will try to stop causing this, as I am sure it is creating a LOT of trouble for everyone! Sorry!

It is probably also my fault that young black men dressed in XXXXL clothes overtly threaten me and my family members routinely. Can anyone tell me what I should do to make this not happen?

I imagine it's also my fault that black on white violent crime is WAY higher than white on black violent crime, even though blacks constitute about 12.5% of the population, and whites are about 70%. But since it is impossible for a black to commit a hate crime according to our criminal justice system (since blacks are not under any circumstances racist), statistically, there are more white on black hate crimes. Boothe notes a statistic regarding hate crimes, but he skips the one about interracial violence in general.

In sum, Boothe notes that just about everything blacks do is actually MY fault, because my skin is white. Boothe, I've got a word for you.

Introspection.

Profits of War : Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network

Average customer rating:

The Zionist State
Mixed Feelings...
Better Spy Fiction Than Ian Fleming
Ari Ben-Manashe's experience
Exceeds five stars!

Profits of War : Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network
Ari Ben-Menashe
Manufacturer: Sheridan Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer
The Other Side of Deception: A Rogue Agent Exposes the Mossad's Secret Agenda
Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services
Robert Maxwell, Israel's Superspy: The Life and Murder of a Media Mogul
Woman from Mossad: The Story of Mordechai Vanunu and the Israeli Nuclear Program

ASIN: 1879823012

Customer Reviews:

The Zionist State.......2007-06-26

Amazing book on the inner workings of Mossad, Israeli govt, CIA, the Republicans, Democrats, etc. What a bunch of gangsters. Even the cynical will be surprised.

Mixed Feelings..........2003-10-18

For those who are interested in MidEast affairs (as myself) this covers a fascinating topic and is written in a fluid style, which adds up to a truly gripping read.

The only reason for which I am not awarding this book 5 stars (and were it possible 6 or 7 stars) is the fact that many of the claims are indeed extreme...

Too much of the book simply adds up to bill this as complete fiction. Several other books (amongst which "The Samson Option", written by a renown journalist) have been based on Ben-Menashe's knowledge. Investigations have sprung up in the US and in Australia. Of course, these haven't lead far, but this is a serious case of the poeple in power charged with investigating the people in power - so what would you really expect?

Whilst I was reading this book I kept my copy of "Israels Secret Wars" at hand to verify events, facts and dates, and together with a bit of searching around the net, the essence of it all seems to add up.

Right from the start the author makes his embitterment with the "system" clear, so accusing him of having an axe to grind is pretty lame - add to that the fact that amongst his sworn enemies (at the end) was the media mogul R. Maxwell (who unleashed the full weight of his media empire to destroy his credibility) and you end up without much of a case...
****************************
TO SUM IT UP: You have to be deeply cynical, but alas perhaps realistic, to accept all that is stated in this book. In the end, however, I am one who believes that where there's smoke, there's got to be some fire as well, and this book discloses a hell of a lot of smoke!

Better Spy Fiction Than Ian Fleming.......2002-12-13

After reading this book I didn't know how to react to much of it. Many of the claims are plausible, many are wildly implausible, and some of the information is just plain factually wrong. Sharon left the IDF in 1973, not 1970 as Menashe says. Shamir retired or "was retired from" the Mossad in 1965 not the "early 1970s." Ben-Menashe is the first person who claims that the IAF has B-52s--two squadrons no less--but he doesn't say where Israel hides these massive eight-engine bombers. He also claimed that the murder of an old American Jewish cripple by Abul Abbas' organization on the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro was an Israeli plot to discredit the PLO. Ben-Menashe doesn't really document any of his claims but asks us just to trust him. His first whopper is to claim that Shimon Peres had been paid millions by Lockheed while defense minister. Since all of Israel's American fighters were built by McDonnel Douglas or General Dynamics this seems highly unlikely. Israel does use the Lockheed C-130, but the Lockheed scandal in Europe at the same time was to get the Belgians, Dutch, and Italians to purchase F-104 Starfighter interceptors. This is typical of Ben-Menashe--he seems to take bits of news and spin it into a plot like a Hollywood screenwriter.

Ari Ben-Manashe's experience.......2002-05-01

An excellent well documented book by a high level Israeli agent. I have to give Sheridan Square Press's publishers Ellen Ray & Bill the Credit for the content as the author did the same. Most of us out of the publishing, or, media business are not skilled writers. Sheridian Square Press out of N.Y., N.Y. did the same service for the deceased Jim Garrison in his book "On the Trails of Assassins" documenting events leading up to the events of the Kennedy asassination that Oliver Stone made a movie of.

Exceeds five stars!.......2002-04-23

This was a fantastic read. If you really want to know about the workings of world intelligence agencies from the inside, how they manipulate other countries, people, events then you must read this book. Better than a James Bond novel!
As you read further and further into the book you become more and more entangled in the world of espionage and paranoia. Gripping to the end.

Average customer rating:

Great Intro to Military/Industrial Stranglehold
Great Book, Very Interesting
A great militiary book
War, Incorporated
Eisenhower Warned: Beware of the Military-Industrial Complex

Private Warriors
Ken Silverstein , and Daniel Burton-Rose
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Contract Warriors

ASIN: 1859847560
Release Date: 2000-07-27

Amazon.com

Journalist Ken Silverstein delivers a broadside against the modern military-industrial complex in Private Warriors. In the post-cold-war world of rising defense budgets and arms proliferation, Silverstein finds plenty to worry about: "Former Defense Department officials serve as consultants to the arms industry, helping lobby for needless Cold War-era weapons systems and promoting greater arms sales to foreign regimes. Retired generals form private corporations that train the armies of foreign nations and encourage U.S. entanglements abroad. Arms dealers linked to U.S. intelligence agencies still trot the globe hawking their wares, sometimes in support of government operations, sometimes acting strictly as private businessmen. Intellectuals who gained their names by hyping the Soviet threat still counsel our political leaders. The advice they offered during the Cold War was of dubious value, and it has decidedly less merit today." Silverstein wisely populates his book with real-life characters such as German arms dealer Ernst Werner Glatt, Nixon- and Reagan-administration veteran Alexander Haig, and missile-defense advocate Frank Gaffney. He also has an eye for vivid anecdotes: the B-2 bomber, he notes, literally "costs more than its weight in gold." Silverstein's on-the-scene reporting includes visits to a weapons bazaar in Rio de Janeiro and a Soldier of Fortune convention in Las Vegas. At bottom, however, Private Warriors is a polemic rather than a piece of journalism; it aims to make a forceful argument against transplanting the mindset of a cold-war hawk into the security policies of the 21st century. Not everyone will be convinced--attitudes on this subject are famously inflexible--but Silverstein's portrait of the industry and people who profit from military buildups will give pause to all its readers. --John J. Miller

Book Description

Widely-researched and fast-paced, Private Warriors surveys the generals, gun-runners and national security staffers who were cast adrift at the end of the Cold War and who now operate in the private sector. In these pages we encounter Ernst Werner Glatt, a right-wing German who was for many years the Pentagon's preferred gun-runner; ex-Secretary of State Alexander Haig who now lobbies for China and assists in selling weapons to Turkey; and Frank Gaffney, an ex-Pentagon official who has grown rich by promoting the biggest boondoggle of them all, Star Wars. Today's private warriors have a direct financial interest in war and the connections to push for the maintenance of bloated military budgets.

Customer Reviews:

Great Intro to Military/Industrial Stranglehold.......2007-02-23

This book brilliantly summarizes how the legacy of the Cold War, the self-sustaining military industrial complex Eisenhower warned us about, has thoroughly corrupted American politics and its foreign policy. The wretched results are too obvious in the wastelands of Iraq and Afghanistan. The author gives brief examples of how the US uses private contractors to do its dirty work (go see the movie "Lord of War" for a wonderful cinematic treatment) and how the revolving door between the Pentagon and the defense industry begs for the public interest to be violated. For a perfect example of a military-turned-entrepeneur pimp, read about Alexander "I'm in Charge Now" Haig's sweet deals. No American will read this book and not feel like they've been screwed over big time. The only drawback to this little gem is that it is pre-9/11. A subsequent new edition will doubtless be twice as thick with details of this criminal Bush administration's corrupt and malignant behavior.

Great Book, Very Interesting.......2002-08-07

This was a very interesting and eye opening book. The book is broken into chapters that look at different aspects of the current war / armaments industry. We get the full picture from arms dealers, armaments companies and their lobbyists to private mercenary companies. The author gives the arms dealers some extra mystery by introducing us to two of the more successful ones, both of which were ex-Nazis. We also get a who's who name run down of past government officials who are now employees or lobbyists for large arms manufactures. I now know where all the cold warriors go after they leave office.

The book really leaves the impression with the reader that the military arm of the government is running the rest of the country via the spending allocated to it via the budget. The author presented the reader with an armload of facts, and left the reader to make his own conclusions. This is not an anti military propaganda piece, but a good book with an incredible amount of information. One of the more shocking conclusions one takes from the book is the ongoing American policy of continual military mobilization. I guess this should not be that surprising given that it is a billion dollar business that has a vested interest in making sure the business keeps on coming it's way.

Overall the book was very good and interesting. It was easy to read and I got through it in only a few days. My only complaint is that there was no ending chapter, no wrap up - it just kinda ended. Other then that a great book.

A great militiary book.......2002-03-03

I thought this book was great.I think that Private Militiary
Compinies are the Futuer of warfare.I think America should train fomer Soviet countries against terrorism.I found this book very informative.It was great.

War, Incorporated.......2001-06-15

Ken Silverstein's "Private Warriors" is an excellent resource -- I wish we had more journalists like him, willing to delve deep into a story and present just the facts, and leave it to the reader to connect the dots. Silverstein doesn't preach: he just offers an incredible amount of information -- all but the most diehard reactionary will find it persuasive.

He names names, and provides an exhaustive account of the ongoing American policy of permanent military mobilization, which was conveniently masked during the Cold War but which continues to grow after the death of Soviet Communism.

The book is broken into six chapters, each exploring a different avenue of the war industry -- from ... arms dealers to private mercenary companies, to the cynical use of military consultants to evade public accountability and oversight and, of course, Star Wars (these days referred to as the Ballistic Missile Defense).

What I was struck with on reading this book is how cynical and amoral the participants are -- they may be flag-waving Americans, but the brotherhood of warmongers really transcends nationality, which is probably a sign of the changing times. It's frightening and infuriating when you see the level of corruption at work, here, and the incredible success achieved by these individuals, and the degree of networking they engage in to ensure that American policy remains firmly locked on a wartime footing.

The only drawbacks I saw in this book was there was so much information presented, it was a little hard to keep track of all of the players -- I would have liked to see some graphs or lists to illustrate some of the points Silverstein enumerated. Also, I thought there ought to be a concluding chapter to the book, to sort of wrap everything up.

Get this book if you want to get a sense of why the "peace dividend" was a short-lived concept (I recall it being talked about for about two weeks, after the collapse of the USSR); I recommend it as a gift for anybody who wants a sense of what's wrong in American policy, and also for anybody too enamored of the status quo.

Eisenhower Warned: Beware of the Military-Industrial Complex.......2000-11-15

Ken Silverstein's excellent book `Private Warriors' exposes the underside of that vile, despicable trade the making and marketing of implements to destroy wholesale-lives, properties, cities, countries--yes, civilization itself. WAR!

It is a megabillion dollar business and with big money at stake greed prevails and morality is easily compromised. Just imagine the size of the business. Start with a US defense budget for next year of $305 billion (that is $8,000 per second) and add what other countries around the world will spend.

The book consists of a preface and six chapters that explore six aspects of the business. Each chapter consists of areas that provide important connections in the mosaic of the military-industrial complex. Upon completion one gets an overall perspective of the whole messy business.

Early in the century munitions makers were known as "Merchants of Death" and dispatched agents and salesmen around the world to promote their business. To control this unconscionable activity governmental regulation was effected. With their strong influence over a period of time the merchants were able to gain acceptance. Now instead of restraining their activities governments actively promote the interests of the arms makers. And in spite of the regulations-where big money is involved--clandestine trading proliferates. According to Jane's Intelligence Review black market sales are about $1 to $2 billion dollars a year in bad years and five times as much in good years.

Among other services, arms brokers set up shell companies and offshore bank accounts and secure vital documents such as end user certificates stating which nation the goods are headed to. If all end user documents were legitimate Peru would have a bigger army than the United States. Most importantly, the brokers provide governments with `plausible deniability'.

Two brokers profiled in the book are former unrepentant Nazis. Their wealth from the business is enormous. They have close connections to our military and are held in high regard. Yet for the right price they do business with just about everyone, frequently dealing with both sides in a conflict. When the military wanted to compare a Soviet helicopter against an expensive anti-aircraft gun, a dealer was able to acquire the helicopter.

Formerly it was considered unconscionable to use the influence and knowledge obtained on a military job for personal enrichment. That prohibition no longer exists. Often the companies that officials regulate become the official's next employers.

Former government officials trade on their vast connections to procure contracts on behalf of defense firms and represent foreign governments desirous of expanding their military. Alexander Haig is a wheeler-dealer who has used his connections to open doors for corporations who seek foreign investment; and has represented such individuals as Sun Myong Moon and governments as China, Indonesia, etc.

With the end of the Cold War there was panic. Arms makers feared a significant reduction in their business. Employees in occupations connected with the military were threatened with a loss of jobs. What to do?

Consultants and think tanks provided the PR to convince the Congress and the public of the new dangers that confront us around the world and pressed for additional spending for defense and a nuclear buildup.

With the reduction of armed personnel, private mercenary firms came into existence. The firms absorbed former officers to create a staff with the proper experience and connections. They provide the military and police training for any allied government under contract. The firms provide many benefits: the legislature does not have to authorize sending our troops; if casualties occur there will be no popular backlash; and no spotlight is put on the human rights abuses of the recipient regime.

The sheer waste of our military budgets are exemplified by some of these choice nuggets in the book: According to a Brookings study, Pentagon spending from between 1948-1998 was $19 trillion dwarfing second place social security at $7.9 trillion! In 1999, dozens of M-60 and M-48 tanks were dumped off the Alabama coast to form artificial reefs! The world's second largest air force-after the Pentagon's-is mothballed in Arizona so that new aircraft can be delivered! As of 1998, four major defense firms-Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon-had more than 250 influence peddlers on their payrolls and the firms collective spending for lobbying that year topped $22 million! Trent Lott, providing pork for his state, added $1.5 billion to a defense appropriation bill for an assault ship the Pentagon did not even ask for!

After reading this book I realized how prescient President Eisenhower was when he delivered his farewell speech on leaving office. Some pertinent remarks were: `...we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence...by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist...we must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together...'

Read the book. Learn how the skullduggery of the warmongers have caused terror, death and destruction throughout the world. Learn how to satisfy their insatiable appetite for greater profits they have bamboozled us with fears of non-existent enemy threats. Our pusillanimous politicians rather than heeding Eisenhower's warnings outbid each other so that our defense outlays continually increase. Meanwhile our infrastructure deteriorates and the poor are relegated to hunger and homelessness.

The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush's Military-Industrial Complex
Average customer rating:

a chilling analysis of our world

Incredibly misleading

"There she goes again......"

Nuclear Madness Explained by a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee

Important book

The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush's Military-Industrial Complex
Helen Caldicott
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

The world-renowned antinuclear activist's argument for a response to terrorism based on the country's best interests rather than weapons manufacturers' bottom line. On September 18, one week after the World Trade disaster, Lockheed Martin, the country's leading manufacturer of conventional weaponry, nuclear delivery systems, and national missile defense, took a full page ad in the New York Times echoing JFK's famous call to "pay any price....to assure the survival and the success of liberty." The ad offered an unusually public display of what is typically the invisible hand and muscle of the arms industry guiding American sentiment and government. In her uncannily timely new book, Dr. Helen Caldicott looks at the indebtedness of the Bush Administration to the arms industry and warns of the incredible dangers inherent in allowing weapons manufacturers to dictate foreign policy. Recounting the history of government collusion with industry, Caldicott shows how the merging of weapons firms in the 1980s created hugely powerful "death merchants," including Lockheed and others, ready to lobby politicians and manipulate public opinion on behalf of their corporate interests. Now, with unprecedented acts of terrorism fueling the American public's willingness to grant its government broad power to wage war, the constant pressure from weapons makers to use military force—and by extension, buy more of their weapons—poses the very real threat of nuclear war. Enumerating, as a physician, the medical consequences of such a war, Caldicott demonstrates conclusively that the notion of nuclear survival is a complete fantasy, and that nuclear victory is an oxymoron. In the same way that a generation embraced Caldicott's hugely influential Nuclear Madness and Missile Envy, The New Nuclear Danger stands to educate, alert, and mobilize millions of young people and concerned citizens, who must understand the planetary threat posed by overly-aggressive nuclear scientific establishments and weapons industries in a volatile world.

Customer Reviews:

a chilling analysis of our world.......2007-06-13

The most striking observation about Helen Caldocott's book is that what she warned about in 2002 has come to pass in 2007. Turn on the TV and you will hear the nightly reports about the new Cold War -- but how did this happen?

For the answers read Caldicott's book. Did you ever wonder why, for example, Bill Clinton expanded NATO into eastern Europe? What Americans need to understand is that it had nothing to do with national security. Acccording to Caldicott Geo Bush Sr. made a deal with Gorbachev at the end of the Cold War. Bush promised not to expand NATO into eastern Europe if Russia (USSR) allowed the reunification of Germany, and abided by the SALT agreements. Russia held up its end of the deal, but Clinton renegged.

Why? Simple: The big arms manfacturers like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dyamics, TRW etc viewed eastern Europe as a huge new market -- and spent millions lobbying for an expanded NATO. The US arms industry is the world's largest. (The only thing more profitable than selling arms is drug smuggling.)

In the 1990s America and Clinton had a historic opportunity to chart a new direction after the Cold War. Clinton should have given the Pentagon firm direction to disarm. He should also have given the national weapons labs (Los Alamos, Sandia. Lawrence etc) a new mission, namely, to solve the energy crisis in order to wean us away from oil into a new era of clean and abundant solar and other energy alternatives. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

Here real leadership would have made the difference -- but Clinton failed to rise to the challenge. Caldicott's brutal assessment will make Democrats uncomfortable but it has the ring of truth. She says Clinton was weak and she has it right. I would go even further: I fault Bill for having no principles. (And now Hillary aspires to the same role. Give me a break! Haven't we been there already and done that?)

Bill Clinton thus allowed the expansion of NATO into eastern Europe -- not for national security reasons but to line the pockets of a very few. Nor was it in the interest of Europe or the world. The poor nations of eastern Europe needed to spend what little capital they had on rebuilding their infrastructure and improving the lives of their people. But we pressured them to buy Amercan weapons (we promised in return to support their bid to join the EU).

It was clearly the devil's bargain and set ther stage for Bush Jr and everything that has happened, since. Even as I write Geo W. prepares to install star wars radar and other related facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic. One can't read Caldicott'sbook without a feeling of "I told you so."

Which brings me to the bottom line. The US Constitution gives Congress the authority over commerce but today Wall Street bankers and the arms industry have done an end run around our founding document. Today they dictate both US Foreign and domestic policy. The result is a destabilized world that is increasingly armed to the teeth. What brings this home is knowing that every time a US soldier dies in Iraq our current leaders (such as they are) and their cronies in the arms industry are profitting. Obviously, they have no incentive to create the conditions for a more peaceful world. In fact, just the opposite is the case. We prepare for war to fight the next one -- not to build peace. Meawhile, the doomsday clock is ticking.

Will Americans wake up and take back their country before it is too late? That is for us to decide. By all means, READ THIS BOOK!

Incredibly misleading.......2005-04-12

In this book, Helen Caldicott presents her view of the continuing nuclear dangers facing the world. As a student of nuclear proliferation issues, I read it with interest. I was very disappointed, however. Ms. Caldicott presents a biased, misleading picture of the issues facing the world.

I was particularly struck by her discussion of missile defense systems. After repeating the normal litany of technical problems facing NMD, she goes on to argue that the fissile material from a disabled warhead would contaminate an area where it lands. I assume she feels a thermonuclear explosion would be more environmentally sound. Shockingly dishonest passages like this are littered throughout what amounts to little more than a shrill tirade against the nuclear and military industries. I share Ms. Caldicott's hope for a nuclear-free world, but I feel that the public is better served by reasoned, honest accounts and not propaganda. Someone interested in counterproliferation would be advised to look into Sagan and Waltz's "The Spread of Nuclear Weapons" or Kurt Campbell's "The Nuclear Tipping Point". Don't waste your money here.

"There she goes again......".......2004-06-20

She was wrong then, and she's wrong now. Just as Helen Caldicott was wrong about a nuclear freeze in the 1980's, she's wrong about the fight against terrorism now. Does anyone really take seriously the thoughts of an appeaser who would rather let terrorist enemies run over us than go after them forcefully as we should?
Admirers may point to her Nobel Peace Prize, but just remember, Yasir Arafat, a terrorist, won a Nobel Peace prize as well. The award really isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
Silly, naive, foolish - it's as simple as that.

Nuclear Madness Explained by a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee.......2004-05-20

+++++

The heart of this well-referenced, easy-to-read book (with very informative appendices), by Dr. Helen Caldicott, is about two substances or two chemical elements:

(1) Plutonium (Pu)
(2) Uranium (U)

There are two types or isotopes of plutonium of primary importance:

(1) Pu-239
(2) Pu-238

Pu-239 is used in nuclear weapons and reactors. Pu-238 is used as a nuclear power source especially in space probe exploration. Both types of Pu cause severe health consequences when there is exposure to them via various means such as by radiation. Note that Pu-238 has been called "the most dangerous material on Earth." One pound of Pu-239 "is almost the most carcinogenic [cancer-causing] substance known to the human race."

There are two types of uranium of importance in nuclear reactions:

(1) U-235
(2) U-238 (more common)

U-235 is also used in nuclear weapons and ammunition. U has to be processed and there are medical risks associated with processing it. Both types of U cause severe health consequences when there is exposure to them via various means such as by radiation.

A large part of this book deals with nuclear weapons covering such topics as the following: their components, how they work, their testing, the newer and more efficient ones being made, the aging of nuclear weapons, and the deadly consequences of what happens if nuclear weapons are used. (Caldicott devotes an entire chapter to "The Reality of Nuclear War.") It "has [been] documented how more than 1.3 billion people have been killed, sickened, or maimed by nuclearism over the past 55 years, and how pollution from nuclear weapons operations has drastically changed the global environment and endangered all life forms."

Caldicott presents many examples of innocent people (including children) that now have serious or hopeless medical conditions as a result of being exposed to nuclear radiation through such means as working with and handling nuclear substances, conflict where uranium ammunition is used, and nuclear waste that contaminates food and water sources.

This book, I feel, has its greatest impact when it discusses nuclear accidents. I think most enlightened people are aware that there could be an accidental nuclear war set off by something as simple as the "launch of a weather balloon" and possibly resulting in the "annihilation of the planet." But other types of accidents are possible. For example, in 1964 "a [U.S.] satellite with a...plutonium power system crashed. Some 2.1 pounds of plutoniun-238 were dispersed around the world. A report prepared in 1989...stated that, "a worldwide sampling program carried out in 1970 showed [this contamination] to be present at all continents and all latitudes." Another example closer to where I live: "The most serious Russian nuclear space accident occurred in 1978 when a [Russian] satellite carrying a nuclear reactor smashed into the Northwest Territories of Canada. Sizable amounts of radioactive debris were distributed over [many thousands of miles]...[The resulting] carcinogenic, radioactive particles posed a serious risk to the population, because they could be either inhaled or ingested through the food chain."

The frightening thing is that as more countries acquire nuclear technology and know-how and, as well, as more countries attempt to join the "space race," the potential for increased nuclear accidents increases dramatically.

Another interesting aspect of this book is how the military, corporate-industrial, and political spheres are intertwined and support nuclearism. (Caldicott names specific corporations and politicians.) As a result, tremendous amounts of money are spent on U.S. military programs, money that could be used probably more effectively in non-military areas.

Near the end of the book, Caldicott states the following:

"America has the power and resources to reverse global warming, to save the ozone layer, to prevent chemical pollution, to stop deforestation, to curb the human overpopulation problem...The money that [the American government] invests in killing must now be redirected urgently to the preservation of life. America must rise to its full moral and spiritual height to reach its intended destiny--the nation that saved the world.

In a similar vein, the people of Europe must resist the constant call from America to arm and re-arm. So too, the people of Canada, of Austrailia--and indeed the people of the world. We cannot continue to behave as primitive animals killing for pleasure, killing for money, killing for religious imperatives, killing for greed and territorial imperative. Conflict resolution and peacekeeping must be our new priorities."

(Some people see the solutions in the above two paragraphs as unrealistic. How are they unrealistic?)

There are a few inaccuracies in this book. However, because the overall message is so important, I found it easy to ignore these minor inaccuracies.

In conclusion, this is a powerful book with a powerful message. In 1985, the late two-time Nobel Prize winner (once for chemistry, once for peace) Dr. Linus Pauling nominated Dr. Caldicott for a Nobel Peace Prize. After I read this book, I understood why he nominated her!!

+++++

Important book.......2004-05-01

This is a very important book to read. The author is able to present her point of view in a fairly objective manner, although obviously a little one-sided. I wont go into details on the book, it needs to be read cover to cover for maximum effectiveness. Basically, it traces the U.S.'s nuclear development from the Reagan Adminstration to the present mess we are in. The only reason the book didnt get a 5 was because on the version of the book I have, the 2004 version, the cover has a picture of Bush and his buddies on the front. By no means am I a Bush supporter, rather the opposite, but I fear that this picture may keep the more conservative supporters of Bush from looking at, let alone reading the book. Most of them wouldn't even take the time to see that the author is a doctor and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Im worried that it will interfere with getting the message out to the people that really need to hear it most. That aside, this is an excellent book and is highly recommended.

Fortress America: The American Military and the Consequences of Peace

Average customer rating:

The Hobo Philosopher
Analysis of military's dilemma holds up well post-9/11
Useful, Not Moving
How We Got Here
Fortress America: Weapons for yesterday's war.

Fortress America: The American Military and the Consequences of Peace
William Greider
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1891620096

Amazon.com

"The U.S. military-industrial complex, as we have known it, is in the process of devouring itself, literally and tangibly. The awesome interlocking structure of armed forces, industrial interests, and political alliances that has sprawled across American public life and purpose for two generations cannot endure for long," writes Rolling Stone correspondent William Greider in the introduction to Fortress America. Although shorter than his previous books on the Federal Reserve and the global economy, Fortress America is vintage Greider: strong reporting and sharp analysis on a topic of current and compelling interest. Greider doesn't address U.S. defense strategy so much as the perverse economics underlying the American military establishment. Costs and commitments forever escalate as basic military readiness deteriorates. The Pentagon continues to request next-generation fighter aircraft and Congress agrees to fund them even as fundamental training exercises go wanting. The problem isn't that the United States will lose its next war, but that massive waste and incredible redundancy make national defense a pricey behemoth. Greider calls for a fundamental reordering of priorities; this is an argument Washington--and, increasingly, the public--cannot ignore. --John J. Miller

Book Description

Through vivid reportage, revealing anecdotes, and illuminating interviews with military personnel, bestselling author William Greider explores how and why America has avoided coming to terms with the end of the Cold War era-and the troubling consequences for our fighting forces and our country.

Customer Reviews:

The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-05

I ordered this book knowing that it would not contain a picture of the future America. I bought it because I knew that it would be filled with numbers and the dollars and cents of the exorbitant and wasteful costs of the Military Industrial Complex. I figured that this might be the last time - for a long time - that I might find such numbers displayed so openly.
I'm thinking that this book by Mr. Greider may become a collector's item. A few years from now it will probably be inconceivable to think that there was ever a time when the theme of this book - How to Downsize the Military Industrial Complex - was ever a serious topic for political discussion. This book is already an historical classic. Another like it will not appear in my life time - maybe never ever again. Once again we have been saved from the horrible prospects of "peace".

Analysis of military's dilemma holds up well post-9/11 .......2007-07-22

Interesting 1998 book discussing the U.S. military's inability to deal with post-Cold War realities. Greider argues that, determined to maintain all its Cold War capabilities as well as the capacity and profitability of the defense industry, the military failed to adjust staffing, procurement, and strategic planning to the `new world order.' Most of his conclusions hold up well post-9/11: an emphasis on high-tech weaponry at the expense of appropriate staffing levels has led to near-disaster in occupied Iraq, and the vast ramping-up in the defense budget hasn't helped retrieve the situation--though, ironically, it has helped shore up defense industry profits and avoid the downsizing of that sector that Greider predicted. As for the peace dividend, it is long gone.

Useful, Not Moving.......2003-02-03

This book contains useful facts and analysis, but I doubt it's moved many people to action. (Of course the policies it advocates have not been adopted by the Bush II regime.)

People like me who would like to see our military drastically reduced and who have little faith in the good intentions of anyone involved in it are likely to be turned off by Greider's more middle of the road views and what appears to be his reluctance to express some of the anti-military views he does hold.

People who long for an ever bigger military are unlikely to be converted by this book.

I think Greider wanted to avoid preaching to a choir, but walking down the middle, or pretending to, has found him fewer readers than his information and ideas deserve. He ought to have passionately argued a case (a moral case, not a strategic or economic one) for radical change. Those inclined to agree would have been more likely to get their hands on the book, and those inclined to disagree would have ended up picking it up too in order to know their opponent. Some would have been persuaded.

On page 10, Greider predicts a decrease in military ("defense") spending because this is what the public wants. On page 172 Greider points out a yawning chasm between what the public wants and what happens. This is illustrative of a gradual shift. The book starts out sounding like an article in the Washington Post and concludes sounding like one in the Nation.

The corruption analyzed along the way is not terribly new to readers of the Nation, but it's useful to have these facts and anecdotes in one place. The fact that a single aircraft carrier costs $5 billion, the same price as a proposed National Housing Trust Fund, is the sort of thing that cannot be restated enough.

What we could have used much more than this book was a plan for tying opposition to military waste into campaigns for positive public spending. We have for too long desperately needed to transform tax-and-spend proposals into axe-the-military-and-spend proposals.

We NEED to work out the politics of proposing and fighting a grassroots campaign for specific public school or Medicaid improvements tied to specific eliminations of military pork.

And quit calling it "defense" for godsake!

How We Got Here.......2002-12-06

In 200 startling pages, William Gireder tells America how our insatiable appetite for all things military has led us into a national dilemma, the economic and global implications of which are frightening.

Grieder's 'wake up call' details a bloated military industrial machine which has consumed much of our national wealth, and now has nowhere to direct its massive inventories.

Greider examines the political, social and economic effects from the perspectives of generals, line workers and politicians alike. The book has an excellent read, which will hold your interest through every paragraph. You will not be tempted to sigh and page ahead.

Grieder tells us how we got here, and offers a thesis to explain the current administration's obsession with finding a new boogey man to justify the continued propping up of a military industrial complex whose utlity expired along with the threat it geared up to face for decades - the Soviet Union.

Fortress America: Weapons for yesterday's war........2002-02-09

The book is ahead of its time. The problems that the book identifies are (somewhat) being addressed by the Army Transformation toward new technology and new types of weapons.

If this book reads like the tabloids, then please tell me which newspaper. I'd like to read related facts.

A puzzle still remains: How to keep weapon production ready for war without overproducing? Some old weapons are being upgraded or retrofit. However, obsolescence remains a major issue. Parts are really hard to replace when the vendor no longer exists, etc....

Book Description

What road did Americans travel to reach their current global preeminence? Taking the long historical view, Hunt demonstrates that wealth, confidence, and leadership were key elements to America's ascent. In an analytic narrative that illuminates the past rather than indulges in political triumphalism, he provides crucial insights into the country's problematic place in the world today. Hunt charts America's rise to global power from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to a culminating multilayered dominance achieved in the mid-twentieth century. He examines how the United States remade great power relations, fashioned limits for the third world, and shaped our current international economic and cultural order. Hunt concludes by addressing current issues, such as how durable American power really is and what options remain for America's future.

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