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A must read 2009-09-24

Reviewer: A. Freechild

This book was fascinating, well cited and of interest to Americans of all political bents. I never thought I would find such an appreciation for military history This is a vital book for reviving our democracy and understanding the threats to it.

An important but rather distressing analysis of how American political culture has been corrupted 2009-06-30

Reviewer: Robert Moore

This is a very good book that goes well beyond the documentary film made by the author of this book. It explores how the American political system has increasingly become intertwined with military interests. As a result, the needs and desires of the military industry has come to drive American foreign policy to an unjustifiable degree.

The tragedy of this is that it undermines the founding principles upon which the nation was established. Virtually all of the founders, with the notable exception of Hamilton, envisioned a nation not ruled and controlled by military interests. Like in the Roman Republic that the Founders so admired (both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both highly esteemed them -- both admired Machiavelli, not for what is today his most famous work, THE PRINCE, but for his DISCOURSES, which dealt with the ideals of republicanism), they hoped for a nation built upon ideals of civic responsibility rather than the martial virtues. One of the many points of contention between the Republicans led by Jefferson (the Republican party later transformed into the modern Democratic party) and Hamilton's wing of the Federalist party was the role of the military in the national life. Hamilton envisioned a great standing army and the achievement of national ends through militaristic means. Jefferson, on the other hand, was opposed to the building of a navy, even when national needs dictated their its necessity.

Today, however, the danger that Eisenhower foresaw, the nation enthrall to a military industry that has taken on a life of its own, forcing government to structure foreign policy around its needs.

What breaks my heart is that by cutting dramatically on military spending -- and given the complete lack of state powers that act as enemies in the current alignment of nations there is no reason why we shouldn't -- we could easily afford health care and energy reform, put social security on firm footing, and even establish a national pension. Why can't we? Because Eisenhower's military-industrial complex dominates our thinking about our priorities as a nation.

Even with the election of Obama and the establishment in many ways of new national goals, this new set of national priorities that have been in place since World War II is likely to undermine national interests by forcing us to further our policies by militaristic means.

I'm not certain that we are ready as a nation to really embrace change in the role of "the military-industrial complex" in national life. But we need more voices like Jarecki's explaining how things have gone so wrong.

The Road to a Government Obsessed with war 2009-04-23

Reviewer: E. Byers

I wanted to read this book since hearing about it when the author was a guest on the daily show. However that tidbit might want to make you think this book is biased, although it really isn't. A lot of books of late have kind of jumped on the bandwagon of blaming the previous administrations failures, and getting information that the normal US Citizen would not see in their morning newspaper. This book does expose those same things, but builds it's case, showing America's path to the war machine has built over the years, and the responsibility behind it.

This book was great for me, it gives you a lot of background, insight, yet presents it as something that you don't want to put down. This is a good read.

Interesting and Educational! 2009-04-05

Reviewer: Loyd E. Eskildson

Jarecki contends that an exploding defense budget, millions employed in the defense sector, and over 800 military bases in 130 countries have brought the worst fears of Presidents Washington and Eisenhower (both former generals) about becoming overly militaristic to pass.

He then goes on to assert that Bush 43's preemptive strike on Iraq was not simply attributable to misguided advice of neocons in the inner circle following Leo Strauss' (political science professor at the University of Chicago) paranoid vision of the world vs. liberal democracies, and use of the "noble lie" to sell action. Instead, it was more the cumulative outgrowth of 19th century "Manifest Destiny" (eg. wars conquering the Native Americans, the Louisiana Purchase), the 1823 Monroe Doctrine and Teddy Roosevelt's expansion of it, Wilson's post-WWI "Fourteen Points," FDR's "great arsenal of democracy," and the 1947 Truman Doctrine that called for permanent military preparedness that preceded the more proactive bush Doctrine post 9/11.

On the other hand, Stalin and Kruschev's post-WWII occupations (Hungary, Poland, E. Germany, the Czech Republic, North Korea. North Vietnam) and threats (Greece, Turkey, South Korea, Cuba, South Vietnam) certainly created solid rationale for the fears that grew during the early Cold War.

These same events, reinforced by the need for faster responses to the advent of nuclear weapons and their new delivery systems, combined with the long lead times and enormous expenses associated with their development, construction, and deployment also led to increasing power being concentrated in the executive branch. (The executive branch employs over 5 million and includes key departments such as the CIA, NSA, Dept. of State, and the Pentagon, vs. about 30,000 in the Congress.

It was particularly interesting to read that Susan Eisenhower, President Eisenhower's grand-daughter, claims that his famous farewell warning originally was aimed at the "military-industrial-Congressional complex," and that he took the last term out in deference to maintaining good relations with the Democrat leadership in that body.

Finally, Jarecki describes the deliberate process of bureaucratic gaming - over-promise what will be accomplished, underestimate the burdens, and spread the contracts over a wide range of congressional districts to build lasting support. Example: The F-22 was originally promised to cost $30 million each; it now is at $300+ million and climbing, built in 44 states, and has become irrelevant in an era without a competing air force.

An amazing jaunt through the history of the MIC(C) 2008-12-28

Reviewer: James Ridgway

This book is different than I thought it would be. This book takes you through the history of the Military Industrial Complex starting during and after World War II and on through the current situation in Iraq. Jarecki takes the reader through the past 60 years of the MIC and creates real interest in what has gone before and where we find ourselves today. The dangerous increase in power that has come to the Executive branch of the US Government is nothing new, it has simply been brought to new heights with the latest 'regime'.

This is an excellent and easy to read book. The author keeps the subject interesting and puts everything in superb perspective.