Long War: A New History of U.S. National Security Policy Since World War II - Hardcover

Bacevich, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0231131585 ISBN 13: 9780231131582

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2007

Synopsis

Essays by a diverse and distinguished group of historians, political scientists, and sociologists examine the alarms, emergencies, controversies, and confusions that have characterized America's Cold War, the post-Cold War interval of the 1990s, and today's "Global War on Terror." This "Long War" has left its imprint on virtually every aspect of American life; by considering it as a whole, The Long War is the first volume to take a truly comprehensive look at America's response to the national-security crisis touched off by the events of World War II. Contributors consider topics ranging from grand strategy and strategic bombing to ideology and economics and assess the changing American way of war and Hollywood's surprisingly consistent depiction of Americans at war. They evaluate the evolution of the national-security apparatus and the role of dissenters who viewed the myriad activities of that apparatus with dismay. They take a fresh look at the Long War's civic implications and its impact on civil-military relations. More than a military history, The Long War examines the ideas, policies, and institutions that have developed since the United States claimed the role of global superpower. This protracted crisis has become a seemingly permanent, if not defining aspect of contemporary American life. In breaking down the old and artificial boundaries that have traditionally divided the postwar period into neat historical units, this volume provides a better understanding of the evolution of the United States and U.S. policy since World War II and offers a fresh perspective on our current national security predicament.

About this title

Review:

A remarkable collection.--Major Stephanie D. Halcrow, U.S. Air Force "Proceedings "

A welcome antidote to much of the traditional historiography that takes its cues from the official paradigms of US security policy.--Thorsten B. Olesen "The International History Review "

Bacevich has produced a volume that illuminates the present as much as it does the past... A fine work of history.--Marilyn B. Young

A valuable resource.--The Journal of Cold War Studies

About the Author:

Andrew J. Bacevich is professor of history and international relations at Boston University. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he received his Ph.D. in American diplomatic history from Princeton. His most recent book is The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.

About this edition

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0231131585
• ISBN 13: 9780231131582
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 608