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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN num: 9781595580924
ISBN number: 1595580921
Label: New Press
Manufacturer: New Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 176
Printing Date: July 01, 2006
Publishing house: New Press
Sale Popularity Level: 291501
Studio: New Press
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Product Description:
A look at the hidden cost of the Iraq war by the preeminent social scientist.
The release of The War at Home helped turn the spotlight back to the home front, focusing attention on the domestic causes and consequences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The subject of much attention upon its initial release, this sharp, incisive volume reveals the extent to which ordinary Americans, as well as Iraqis and Afghanis, are the victims of the Bush administration's warmongering.
Frances Fox Piven, one of the country's most celebrated political thinkers, explores the internal fallout of America's most recent military conflicts. Her trenchant exploration puts America's latest military involvement in historical context, revealing the way in which the current wars violate the lessons of history. While previous conflicts have led governments to compensate citizens for costly sacrifices in blood and money with progressive social programs at home, the Bush administration has rolled back democratic rights and slashed taxes for the rich, even reducing some veterans' benefits.
With an analysis of the way in which war has propped up American rulers, The War at Home makes sense of the Bush administration's military adventures abroad in the context of current domestic policy.
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"The War at Home" by Frances Fox Piven is a sharp indictment of the Bush administration's neoconservative agenda. Cloaked in the righteousness of war, Ms. Piven argues that extremist elements within the Republican Party skilfully exploited the public's fears in order to further a radical domestic agenda. By demonstrating that this behavior flies in the face of history -- where war has often been a catalyst for increasing democratic rights at home -- Ms. Pivens believes the political Right has opened an opportunity for the Left to successfully challenge the status quo.
The heart of Ms. Pivens' thesis is that the apparent irrationality of the Bush administration's foreign policy and the Iraq War in particular can be partly explained by the political advantage it has gained for Republicans at home. From exorbitant no-bid contracts for reconstruction in Iraq to huge outlays for defense and homeland security to a panoply of corporate tax cuts and deregulation, the war has proven to be a boon for corporate America. On the other hand, Ms. Pivens details how a host of social programs such welfare, meal assitance, unemployment insurance, health insurance and after school programs have been quietly cut or underfunded, thereby making the lives of many ordinary Americans more difficult than before.
Interestingly, Ms. Pivens discusses differences within the Republican Party constituency to highlight some of the contradictions created by the Bush administration's policies. For example, deregulation is a key issue for the tobacco and gun industries, but increased spending on homeland security has significantly increased the regulatory function of government. Similarly, the mostly wealthy anti-tax crowd cannot help but be alarmed by the explosive growth of the federal deficit and the threat this may pose to the long-term health of the economy. The author suggests that the rallying effect created by the September 11 attacks cannot persist in holding these factions together and that fissures within the Republican base will soon become exposed.
Of course, at the time of her writing in mid-2004 Ms. Pivens was hopeful that the people might reject Bush's bid for reelection. However, she anticipated the possibility that the Republican political machine might unabashedly exploit the public's fear of terrorism and propagandize a handful of deeply-flawed social initiatives in order to win, a prediction that sadly proved to be true. Yet, in my sole criticism of this book, she does not articulate a Leftist or Democratic agenda that might counterpose the far-Right Republican agenda. In my opinion, the Democrats must bear responsibility for its failure to oppose the war and to articulate a credible vision for America which has created a void that the Republicans have been only too happy to fill.
Still, I think this book does a superb job of illuminating the highly destructive course that the Bush administration and its neoconservative policies have charted for our country. I highly recommend this enlightening and empowering book to everyone.
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