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

by Andrew J. Bacevich

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231131582
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	07/03/2007
Pages:	608
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

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.

Table of Contents

Andrew J. Bacevich · The Pattern of U.S. Civil-Military Relations Since World War II
Tami Davis Biddle · U.S. Strategic Forces and Doctrine Since 1945
James Burk · The Changing Moral Contract for Military Service
Charles Chatfield · Dissent from the "Long War"
Benjamin O. Fordham · Costs and Benefits of Postwar U.S. Military Spending
James Kurth · Variations on the American Way of War
Anna Kasten Nelson · The Evolution of the National Security State
William L. O'Neill · National Security and American Culture
Arnold A. Offner · The Ideology of U.S. National Security Policy
George H. Quester · The Politics of Conventional Warfare in an Unconventional Age
John Prados · Intelligence for Empire
Alex Roland · The Military-Industrial Complex

What People are Saying About This

Marilyn B. Young

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

David Hendrickson

This superb volume, expertly edited by Andrew J. Bacevich, undertakes a sweeping reexamination of U.S. national security policy since World War II. Its provocative themes and wide-ranging scope help place recent U.S. misadventures into perspective. This is a major contribution that will prove indispensable to students of American foreign and defense policy.

— David Hendrickson, professor of political science, Colorado College

Editorial Reviews

A remarkable collection.

Major Stephanie D. Halcrow

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 welcome antidote to much of the traditional historiography that takes its cues from the official paradigms of US security policy.

The International History Review - Thorsten B. Olesen

A valuable resource.

The Journal of Cold War Studies

A remarkable collection.

Major; Proceedings - Stephanie D. Halcrow

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