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 ------------------------------- 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 # # # # # 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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