Noting that a new edition of "American Empire:The Realities and Consequences of
U.S. Diplomacy" by Andrew J. Bacevich, published by Harvard University Press,
is coming out in a couple of weeks, with a paperback edition coming in March, I
thought I'd give a heads up to those on the NG who have an interest in
background to current conflicts.
Bacevich is that uncommon combination of soldier and scholar, having graduated
from the US Military Academy and received a Ph.D from Princeton in American
Diplomatic and Military History, U. S. Foreign Policy, and Security Studies.
Bacevich's ideas have kicked up controversy, annoying all sorts of people, from
those who don't believe the US is an empire to those who don't like his
pointing out that GB41, WJC and GB43 were and are following the same US foreign
policy program--one set in motion by Woodrow Wilson.

A mini-review:
"To say that Andrew Bacevich's American Empire is a truly realistic work of
realism is therefore to declare it not only a very good book, but also a pretty
rare one. The author, a distinguished former soldier, combines a tough-minded
approach to the uses of military force with a grasp of American history that is
both extremely knowledgeable and exceptionally clear-sighted. This book is
indispensable for anyone who wants to understand the background to U.S. world
hegemony at the start of the 21st century; and it is also a most valuable
warning about the dangers into which the pursuit and maintenance of this
hegemony may lead America."
--Anatol Levin, Washington Monthly

Aviation content: The dust jacket has a picture of an F-18 gracing it (at
least I think it's an F-18: it carries bombs, has two tails and two engines and
doesn't look like a B-25).


Chris Mark