[OPE-L] Hossein-zadeh, _The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism_

From: glevy@PRATT.EDU
Date: Mon Sep 11 2006 - 21:05:29 EDT


NEW BOOK CHALLENGES U.S. MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX





The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism

by Ismael Hossein-zadeh, Professor of Economics, Drake University

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How do we explain the increasing militarization of US foreign policy? And
why is America losing the moral compass it held not long ago?



Critics of these ominous trends have identified a number of culprits: big
oil, the cabal of neoconservatives, the Israeli lobby, the cultural or
attitudinal fascination of the United States with military might as a sign
of national greatness, and George W. Bush's desire to be a war president.



Without denying the contributory role of these factors, The Political
Economy of U.S. Militarism explores the bigger but largely submerged
picture: the economics or profit-driven forces of war and militarism. By
highlighting the critical influence of powerful special economic interests
over the dynamics of U.S. military spending, the study examines the
escalating Pentagon appropriations of taxpayers money as a roundabout way
of cutting social spending, as a subtle strategy to reverse the New Deal
and other social safety net programs, and as a regulatory mechanism to
redistribute national income in favor of the wealthy-especially of the
influential beneficiaries of war dividends.



The study is unique not only for its examination of the factors and forces
that have been directly behind the U.S. drive to war and militarism, but
also for its careful analysis of a series of closely related topics: the
roots of the conflict between the Muslim world and the West; the rise of
religious fundamentalism, both Islamic and Judeo-Christian, and its impact
on the escalation of war and militarism; the theory of "the clash of
civilizations" and its implications for the strategy of "preemptive wars;"
the 9/11 attacks, global terrorism, and their impact on the U.S. drive to
war and military expansion; and more.





PRAISES FOR THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF U.S. MILITARISM:



"Ismael Hossein-zadeh's penetrating analysis of the role of the
military-industrial complex in driving U.S. foreign policy and rearranging
domestic priorities could not be more timely. With U.S. military spending
at levels higher than the peak years of the Vietnam War, Hossein-zadeh
provides the most cogent explanation yet of how we got to this point."
(William D. Hartung, Senior Research Fellow, World Policy Institute)



"Writing in a scholarly but accessible manner, Ismael Hossein-zadeh
provides an impressive overview of policy trends, their historical
background and their political and economic influences.  In examining the
recent tendencies towards war and militaristic responses to foreign policy
issues, the author looks past the now dominant neo-conservative
justifications, focusing on the powerful interests that lie beneath."
(David Gold, Associate Professor, International Affairs Program, The New
School)



"Hossein-zadeh reveals how budgetary militarism is defeating the New Deal,
even as it musters a long term assault on the Bill of Rights and other
foundations of American democracy. The Political Economy of U.S.
Militarism is a must-read for patriots concerned about the future of the
United States." (Grant F. Smith, Director of Institute for Research,
Middle Eastern Policy)



"Ismael Hossein-zadeh has produced an original and powerful synthesis of
previous explanations of contemporary U.S. militarism. He locates the
relevant economic, political, and ideological forces within a power-elite
military-industrial complex framework firmly grounded in a structural
analysis of capital accumulation. By steering past the twin dangers of
conspiracy theory and economic reductionism, this framework clearly
reveals the parasitic, class-biased, and systemic character of the Bush
administration's unilateralism. Along the way, Hossein-zadeh provides a
challenging analysis of the cyclical fluctuations of U.S. military
spending since World War II." (Paul Burkett, Professor of Economics,
Indiana State University).



CONTENTS: Introduction * The Military-Industrial Giant: An Empire in
Itself * Imperial Militarisms: Past and Present * The Rise of U.S.
Militarism * Inventing "Threats to Our National Interests" * Militant
Islam, Terrorism, and "Clash of Civilizations" * Behind the Invasion of
Iraq * Waste, Inefficiency and the Spoils of Military Spending * The
Political Economy of U.S. Military Spending * Limits of U.S. Militarism



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For more information on the book, including buying options, see:

http://www.cbpa.drake.edu/hossein%2Dzadeh/books/books.htm



To set up an interview, or to order a review copy of The Political Economy
of U.S. Militarism contact Ismael Hossein-zadeh, professor of economics at
Drake University, either at 515-271-4026 or 515-255-5380, or
ismael.zadeh@drake.edu.


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