America's War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts, by James McCartney, Molly Sinclair McCartney
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America's War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts, by James McCartney, Molly Sinclair McCartney
Download Ebook PDF America's War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts, by James McCartney, Molly Sinclair McCartney
When President Dwight D. Eisenhower prepared to leave the White House in 1961, he did so with an ominous message for the American people about the "disastrous rise" of the military-industrial complex. Fifty years later, the complex has morphed into a virtually unstoppable war machine, one that dictates U.S. economic and foreign policy in a direct and substantial way.
Based on his experiences as an award-winning Washington-based reporter covering national security, James McCartney presents a compelling history, from the Cold War to present day that shows that the problem is far worse and far more wide-reaching than anything Eisenhower could have imagined. Big Military has become "too big to fail" and has grown to envelope the nation's political, cultural and intellectual institutions. These centers of power and influence, including the now-complicit White House and Congress, have a vested interest in preparing and waging unnecessary wars. The authors persuasively argue that not one foreign intervention in the past 50 years has made us or the world safer.
With additions by Molly Sinclair McCartney, a fellow journalist with 30 years of experience, America's War Machine provides the context for today's national security state and explains what can be done about it.
America's War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts, by James McCartney, Molly Sinclair McCartney- Amazon Sales Rank: #383584 in Books
- Brand: Thomas Dunne Books
- Published on: 2015-10-27
- Released on: 2015-10-27
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.54" h x 1.10" w x 6.37" l, 1.00 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 304 pages
Review
"The McCartneys' book provides a crisp, clear analysis of the state of the Military Industrial Complex more than 50 years after Eisenhower and his advisors coined the term. The authors deploy dozens of examples to make their case that unfortunately, the Military Industrial Complex is alive and well, with an outsized role in determining not only how much to spend on the Pentagon, but also on whether the country is at war or at peace.... [T]he most complete treatment of the topic I have read in many years." ―William Hartung, huffingtonpost.com
"A concise, compelling account of how what President Eisenhower called the 'military-industrial complex' became an omnipotent force in our government....[W]ell informed." ―Tallahassee Democrat
"[A] riveting account of America's defense establishment over the past half-century.... This sobering yet essential account of the defense industry is for anyone curious about the evolution and influence of our contemporary military industrial complex." ―Library Journal
“With industry at the wheel and an appetite for oil still driving conflicts in the Middle East as if nothing has changed in 50 years, Congress gorges on pork while think tanks and the news media agitate for war.” ―Publisher's Weekly
“For 35 years as a Washington journalist, McCartney's analysis of the American War Machine has spotlighted the difference between national defense and Congressional pork …This book unmasks the dubious top-secret stamps hiding waste and draining American taxes.” ―Patrick J. Sloyan, Pulitzer prize-winner and author of The Politics of Deception
“James McCartney…provide[d] some of the American press' most dispassionate and insightful coverage of war and America's war making machinery at all levels -- executive, legislative and judicial.” ―Bill Kovach, author ofThe Elements of Journalism and former Washington Bureau Chief for the New York Times
“Jim McCartney…never lost his obsession with the power of America's political and industrial "war machine" to drive U.S. policy no matter who was president. It was his passion.” ―Robert Boyd, Pulitzer Prize-winner and former Knight Ridder Washington bureau chief
“Nobody knew the inside of the great Washington machine better than Jim McCartney. His knowledge, fortified by the perceptive reporting and graceful, sensitive writing of Molly Sinclair McCartney, makes a compelling combination in this essential book.” ―Thomas W. Lippman, author of Saudi Arabia on the Edge and former Washington Post national security correspondent
“You knew, if you were a government spokesman, that you'd better have it straight and you'd better have the facts, because he'd keep coming at you…He was not there to enhance the government. He was there to inform the people. I didn't know anyone I respected more than Jim.” ―Hodding Carter, former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and State Department spokesman
“The authors… go beyond describing the problem of often out-of-control defense spending and military intervention and raise possible fixes…These significant policy prescriptions deserve more public debate.” ―Dr. Michael H. Van Dusen, Senior Advisor, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, DC
“One of Knight Ridder's very best journalists… [he] knew the ins and outs of Washington better than anyone.” ―Tony Ridder, chief executive officers of Knight Ridder from 1995 until the 2006 sale of the company to McClatchy
“I can think of nobody better qualified to make the case this book makes than Jim McCartney and Molly Sinclair McCartney…This book reflects his experience, his judgment and his passion [and]…Molly Sinclair McCartney… was the perfect person to finish the job.” ―Larry Jinks, former senior vice president for news at Knight Ridder (now McClatchy)
About the Author
JAMES MCCARTNEY had covered every president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. McCartney covered the White House, the State department, the Pentagon and relevant committees on Capitol Hill. He reported from about 30 countries, including Vietnam, the Soviet Union, the Middle East and Europe. After retirement from daily journalism, he taught courses in foreign policy and politics at Georgetown University. McCartney's papers, including about 4,000 of his articles, are in the Special Collections Research Center at Georgetown University's Lauringer Library.
MOLLY SINCLAIR MCCARTNEY worked as a newspaper reporter more than 25 years, including 14 years at the Washington Post. In 2012 she was appointed a Woodrow Wilson Public Scholar in Washington D.C. to do the research and interviews needed to finish America's War Machine.
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Most helpful customer reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Lies, Data Twisting, and Politicking to Spend More, While Making America Less Safe By Loyd Eskildson President Eisenhower used his farewell address to warn of the dangers of the military-industrial complex, seeing its potential to undermine democracy. That warning has not been heeded, and we're now paying the price.Congress is a major part of the problem. Jobs created by defense spending create vested interests in military action. Many Americans do not understand the forces at play, but may be reluctant to question top decision makers for fear they will be seen as unpatriotic. The process began in the late 1940s and expanded dramatically with the Korean War which began in 1950. While that war ended in 1953, defense spending remained at historic levels as fear of communist expansion dominated American politics. Then came the Vietnam War and defense spending soared again in the mid-1960s. Reagan's military buildup in the 1980s brought Cold War spending to a new peak of $552 billion. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought a modest reduction in defense spending.Then came 9/11/01 - predictably, defense spending nearly doubled as we launched two wars and turned out new high-technology weapons living in caves and mud houses. Invading Afghanistan and Iraq killed over 350,000 and added untold numbers of new enemies. Today, we spend about as much on our military as the next nine-countries combined.Why does our military budget today continue at near-record levels (nearly $1 trillion for the Pentagon wars, Homeland Security, nuclear weapons, veterans benefits, etc.), with many calling for major boosts? (If the war costs hit $6 trillion as predicted by Bilmes at Harvard, that would be the equivalent of about $75,000 for every U.S. household.) Why do we act as the world policeman, now expanding our role in Asia even while withdrawing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? What did the 1991 Gulf War accomplish? Why did we get involved in Libya?As of 2013, DOD employed over 2 million, including 1.4 million uniformed personnel, over 700,000 civilians, and another 1.1 million part-time members of the National Guard and Reserves. The State Department employed about 69,000.Has all this made us safe, or at least safer? It would be difficult to conclude that it has. A Russian airliner was just destroyed mid-air - likely culprit being ISIS, responding to Russia's involvement in Syrian civil war - we could be next, thanks to our far larger involvement in the Middle-East. Our Navy is prodding China over its latest island construction, while we also attempt to reign in Russia's efforts in the Ukraine. And our leadership in delaying Iran's nuclear weapon development certainly didn't win new friends there either.The Pentagon recruited 75 retired military officers during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, who supposedly worked as independent analysts for U.S. television and radio networks. Revealed by NYT reporter David Barstow, the program gave them special access in exchange for pro-Pentagon commentary. The retired officers were also working collectively for over 150 companies selling to the Pentagon. Their special access to policymakers received by parroting Pentagon talking points also gave them opportunities to pitch their companies' offers of various products and services. Rumsfeld's personal approval was required for each officer in the program.By 2008, DOD had more contractors in Iraq than troops (155,826 vs. 152,275), and in 2013 108000 contract workers in Afghanistan vs. 65,700 troops. Innumerable corruption scandals have been reported involving Pentagon procurement.'Time' magazine reported U.S. military spending was $2,700/capita in 2008 - up from $1,500 in 1998; NATO allies spent only about 4500/capita/year during that period. Jennifer Rizzo (CNN) reported in 2011 that about three million were employed by the defense industry - both directly and indirectly (local businesses supported by a defense contractor's location nearby). The Aerospace Industries Association reported in 2012 that the average salary paid aerospace and defense workers was $80,175, vs. $44,140 for the average American worker.Edward Snowden, former Booz Allen employee, earned $200,000/year. Defense contractors see cybersecurity as their next cash cow - 70% of national intelligence budgets are spent in the private sector.U.S. arms sales outside the U.S. in 2011 were $44.3 billion and included 173 countries, including Saudi Arabia and Israel.The defense community donated $27 million to political candidates and committees during the 2012 election cycle.A 1998 GAO reported stated that the Air Force requested 5 C-130s, while Congress funded 256 over a multi-year period. Major system contracts are spread to 40 or more states. Numerous other examples of Congress buying more than the military wanted.Federal spending on defense creates jobs, but not as many as some other areas. Pollin, of the University of Massachusetts, in a 2011 study found that spending $1 billion created 11,200 military jobs, 16,800 clean-energy jobs, 17,200 health-care jobs, and 26.700 education jobs.Militarism springs from the same psychological deficit that requires an endless series of enemies, both foreign and domestic.America has 1,826 think tanks, per a 2014 University of Pennsylvania report, with over 400 in and around D.C. Many don't 'think, they justify and fight for their ideas.' Conservative think tanks typically are hawks on defense, financed by corporate money - much from defense industries or right-wing billionaires. They hire conservative academic and experts to write papers, letters, and opinion articles advocating robust defense policy, and often also argue for war. The group that built the rationale for the Iraq War (Project for the New American Century - PNAC) was part of one of the largest conservative think tanks - AEI. Since the 1980s, the Koch brothers have provided over $30 million to George Mason University for 'market-oriented ideas.' When talk shows and PBS want 'experts' on foreign policy, they often turn to think tanks.Rob Stein estimates that from 2003 to 2005, conservative organizations spent about $295 million to influence policy, vs. $75 million on the left. The libertarian Cato Institute traditionally opposes foreign intervention.Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an hour-long U.N. speech 2/5/03 made at least 18 false statement while selling Congress, the media, and most Americans on the need for war with Iraq. The information came from the CIA, which previously vastly and repeatedly had overestimated Soviet strength - also for political purposes. It was not alone - a National Security Council study in 1950 (NSC-68) did the same, becoming the foundation of our foreign policy for over two decades. Senators Symington and Kennedy helped lead public campaigns against Eisenhower for his supposedly tolerating a 'missile gap.' Data later revealed that the U.S. actually had a 17:1 advantage - this was exposed by Secretary McNamara. Embarrassed by being forced out of Cuba, the Soviets then caught up via a massive missile program.The Vietnam War was motivated by fear of Communism. In 1976, hawks on Ford's Presidential Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board pushed 'competitive analysis' of the Soviet threat. A group of CIA analysis ('Team A') was pitted against outsiders ('Team B') in evaluating the same classified intelligence. George H.W. Bush, Ford's newly appointed CIA director agreed to this, just months after predecessor, William Colby, had rejected the idea; reportedly, Donald Rumsfeld lobbied for Colby's replacement. Team B was backed by politically conservative politicians opposing détente and coexistence - eg. Richard Pipes, Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Nitze, Norman Podhertz, and Dick Cheney.Republicans in Congress, angered by a 1995 CIA report on missile threats to the U.S. established an alternative commission, chaired by Rumsfeld which then issued a more threatening forecast. Previously the CIA had also systematically overstated the Soviet threat during the Cold War, therefore 'justifying' expansion of U.S. bases, ships, missiles, and bombers. It then failed to foresee the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the 2011 Arab awakening.The U.S. has 17 intelligence agencies. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to Congress - stating the NSA did not 'wittingly' collect information on Americans; Snowden revealed the NSA collected millions of Americans' phone and e-mail communications; Clapper then apologized.'Once upon a time you could trace the spread of imperialism by counting up colonies. America's version of the colony is the military base.' Chalmers Johnson.Since WWII, the U.S. has taken military action an estimated 125 times. The 1973 War Powers Resolution allows the president to deploy limited numbers of troops without prior congressional approval (Bush II got a congressional resolution supporting the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but no declaration of war.) The War Powers Resolution allows Congress to avoid controversy and just vote after the fact to 'support the troops.' Since WWII we've had the Korean, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq (2) Wars, sponsored/supported coups in Iran, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, and Panama, occupied Grenada, Somalia, Haiti, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, and Lebanon, bombed Laos, Cambodia, Libya, Serbia, Pakistan, and supported existing governments in Afghanistan and El Salvador. Our total spending for national security was about $1 trillion in F.Y. 2012, including Homeland Security.Dana Priest, Washington Post, 7/2013: 'The government has built a security and intelligence system so big, so complex, and so hard to manage, no one really knows if it's fulfilling its most important purpose - Keeping its citizens safe.' Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies are working on programs related to counterterrorism, Homeland Security, and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the U.S. Many do the same work - eg. there are 51 federal organizations and military commands, operating in 15 U.S. cities, to track the flow of money to/from terrorist networks. We publish 50,000 intelligence reports/year - many are simply ignored.With defense spending, the only lobby is the one in favor. Anyone speaking against defense spending risks being labeled weak on defense.President Carter's 'Carter Doctrine' 1/23/80: The U.S. holds 'vital interests' in the Persian Gulf and would use 'any means necessary, including military force, to bar any nation's attempt to dominate that region.' The other engine of our policy in the area - support for Israel; the two often conflict.Candidate Reagan derided Carter's appeal to conserve energy and accused him of failing to build/use American power abroad, helping him win the election. Soviet involvement in Afghanistan was seen as a threat to America's Persian Gulf interests, thus motivating our support for Afghanistan from Carter.A 2010 study by Princeton University's Roger Stern concluded the U.S. had spent $7.3 trillion from 1976 to 2007 to keep at least one aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf to make it safe for oil shipments. Our invasion of Iraq added another $3 trillion in spending by 2008.Cato Institute's Benjamin Friedman - Most of our military spending goes to conventional forces adept at destroying well-armed enemies. Terrorists are lightly armed and mostly hidden. Counter insurgency enthusiasts claim we can be safe from terrorists only by using ground forces to rebuild the states where they operate. But we have learned the hard way that theory badly over-estimates our ability to organize other nations' politics.'McCartney also notes that some of our top leaders have an oil industry background: Bush I (Zapata Petroleum), Dick Cheney (Haliburton), George Schultz (Bechtel - operates oil refineries), Condoleeza Rice (Chevron board member).Reagan and Gorbachev's dream of eliminating nuclear weapons was killed when Richard Perle, neoconservative hawk and longtime opponent of arms control, told him the U.S. could not carry on SDI research in a laboratory as the Russians proposed (George Shultz, Paul Nitze, Robert McNamara, Madeline Albright, James Baker, Colin Powell, Melvin Laird, Melvin Laird, and Zbigniew Brezinski supported the Russian proposal.) Edward Teller supported the original proposal. We've pumped over $200 billion into Star Wars - even under favorable conditions, it has only been successful in half of 16 intercept tests. Regardless, a nuclear bomb could be delivered in a shipping container - a 'gun assembly' bomb would use 55 - 110 lbs of highly enriched uranium; we have 7,700 nuclear weapons, and spend about $30 billion/year keeping them ready.North Korea has 8 - 10 nuclear weapons, Pakistan 120.New 'Virginia-class' nuclear-powered attack submarines cost $3 billion (eg. USS Texas), take about five years to build; 30 are planned, they have suppliers in 47 states. The Navy also plans for a new class (SSBN-X), 12 at $7 - $8 billion each. We have 11 large nuclear carriers; the displacement of the U.S. battle fleet is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies - 11 of which are allies.China now fills the role as America's enemy. The Gulf of Tonkin incident (August, 1964) brought an escalating war in Vietnam, false.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Powerful book By doug k Loyd Eskildson has written an excellent review, I can't add much to that. This is a book that gives powerful ammunition to anyone opposed to the military policies of this country. Lots of statistics and other important information and strong arguments. Good endnotes and short bibliography. James McCartney was a WWII soldier who was wounded during the last days of the war, he died in 2011. Solid writing and research. Books and other information on democracy and politics can be found here:mwir-democracyandpolitics.blogspot.com/Midwest Independent Research
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Is "The Love of Money Is the Root of All Evil"? By Bluestocking It's rare for me to hear something new about the USA's imperialistic behavior, but this book delivers and with a supple prose style. A great primer for young folks for whom history and civics has apparently often been replaced by more and more standardized testing on the 3Rs courtesy of America's Education Machine.
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