Imperial Delusions: American Militarism and Endless WarRowman & Littlefield, 2005 - 241 pages mil-i-ta-rism, n, A military state or condition; reliance on military force in administering government. A characteristic of regimes like the Soviet Union or communist China, militarism is rarely associated with American society and government. Rather, Americans see their nation as the peaceful mediator, intervening in world affairs only to "make the world safe for democracy". The uncomfortable reality, however, scarcely fits this kind of fanciful mythology. In this hard-hitting critique, Carl Boggs argues that the United States is dominated by a new militarism, one that has become more potent and menacing since 9/11. He skillfully explores the origins and development of this new militarism and shows its devastating effects on American society and foreign policy. As America expands its influence, Imperial Delusions demonstrates how Americans have become addicted to war--allowing a military culture to control their interactions with each other and the world. |
Contents
THE RISE OF THE MILITARY BEHEMOTH | xix |
THE HISTORICAL TRAJECTORY | xx |
GLOBALIZATION AND EMPIRE | xxxii |
THE PERMANENT WAR ECONOMY | 5 |
THE US STRUGGLE FOR GLOBAL DOMINATION | 17 |
AN IMPERIAL STRATEGY | 18 |
THE DEADLY CYCLE | 26 |
WARS IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER | 38 |
GUN CULTURE AND CIVIC VIOLENCE | 113 |
PATRIARCHY AND WARRIOR CULTURE | 125 |
HOLLYWOOD AND THE PENTAGON | 130 |
THE CRIMES OF EMPIRE | 141 |
NATOS HAGUE TRIBUNAL | 144 |
CRIMES AGAINST PEACE | 149 |
FROM HIROSHIMA TO BAGHDAD | 154 |
WARFARE AGAINST CIVILIANS | 159 |
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION | 53 |
THE MILITARY AND SUBVERSION OF DEMOCRATIC POLITICS | 63 |
EMPIRE AND POLITICAL DECAY | 64 |
PATRIOTISM AS ELITE LEGITIMATION | 76 |
CONDUIT OF MILITARISM | 79 |
MILITARISM AND THE INTELLECTUALS | 87 |
SECURITY STATE AND AUTHORITARIAN POLITICS | 97 |
THE CULTURE OF MILITARISM | 107 |
PATRIOTISM AS SECULAR RELIGION | 108 |
WAR CRIMES BY PROXY | 165 |
THE ROUTINIZATION OF MASS MURDER | 169 |
CONCLUSION | 172 |
THE ECLIPSE OF US HEGEMONY? | 175 |
NOTES | 195 |
INDEX | 207 |
| 223 | |
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Popular passages
Page vii - For they are in command of the major hierarchies and organizations of modern society. They rule the big corporations. They run the machinery of the state and claim its prerogatives. They direct the military establishment. They occupy the strategic command posts of the social structure, in which are now centered the effective means of the power and the wealth and the celebrity which they enjoy.