Irrational Security: The Politics of Defense from Reagan to Obama
In this compact, meaty, and devastating critique, Daniel Wirls exposes both the continuities and the contradictions informing post–Cold War U.S. national security policies. What becomes abundantly and depressingly clear is how little those policies have had to do with keeping Americans safe and how much they derived from efforts to satisfy various domestic interests.(Andrew J. Bacevich, author ofThe Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism)A timely book that will contribute to scholarly and public debate over the purposes of American power, as well as to lively discussion in the classroom. Wirls offers a critical analysis of national security policy from the end of the Reagan years to the beginning of the Obama era. Students will find it a useful reminder that politics rarely stops at the water’s edge.(Peter Trubowitz, University of Texas at Austin)In this important book, Daniel Wirls shows that whether the White House is controlled by Democrats or Republicans, when it comes to national security, America suffers from a bias in favor of hawkish policies and excessive military spending. Those who believe their choices at the polls will affect the nation's policies may be disheartened but should read this book nonetheless.(Benjamin Ginsberg, The Johns Hopkins University)A provocative thesis, with impressive statistics, charts, and numbers in support and a narrative accessible to the intelligent, informed lay reader.(Choice)This volume is an important contribution to a growing literature on the dysfunctional nature of national-security politics in the United States.(Survival)This volume will be a valuable resource.(Philip A. SchrodtPolitical Science Quarterly)Meticulously researched, highly detailed, and persuasively argued.(Peter HarrisPolitical Studies Review)