The United States of Americas Military Policy - Book Report/Review Example

US Foreign Policy 1. The book, Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War pertains to the quintessential assumptions underlining the United States of America’s military policy, which have remained more or less unchanged over the years. This book has been written by Andrew Bacevich. The first copy right year of this book is 2010. This book could be primarily attributed to be dealing with political science and tends to elaborate on the essentials of the military policy and strategy of the United States of America. This book enunciates the American military policy aimed at retaining a state of semiwar, so as to align the global political, economic and social trends in consonance with the American beliefs, principles and ethos. The book certainly makes a good general reading source. The hallmark of this book is that the author elaborates on the topic by actually analyzing and dissecting the American military adventures or say misadventures, like the Bay of Pigs, Iraq invasion, Vietnam War, Cold war, thereby ushering in a sense of pragmatism and practical relevance. The hardcover version of this book is price at $6.41 and its ISBN is ISBN-10: 0805091416. 2. Even a cursory perusal of this book corroborates to the fact that the salient purpose of this book is to serve as a systematic and methodical critique of the American military policy. The author of the book under consideration that is Andrew Bacevich extends an elaborate, illustrative, unbiased, impartial, cogent and relevant critique of the beliefs and assumptions that constitute the foundations of the military policy of the United States of America. Taking apt examples from the American military history, the author pragmatically and unsparingly unravels the essential dogmas underlining the American military policy that is to maintain a large and well equipped military, which is capable of unleashing hasty interventions around the world, guided by the belief that the essential world order should be subservient to the American beliefs and interests. Doing so, Bacevich reveals the sense of unmasked aggression, self centeredness and hegemony defining the American military interests, which are totally callous towards the issues of diversity, multi-polarity and the sovereignty of other nations. 3. The central theme of this book is that it is unhealthy and unnatural for a country like the United States of America to be perpetually engaged in global crusades, at the pretext of safeguarding some platonic ideas and principles, while totally being oblivious to the beliefs and needs of the world community in general and the American masses in particular. The thesis of this book is aimed at exposing the tunnel vision and anachronism marking the mentality of the American military leaders over the years, which have led the American political and military strategy towards a path of perpetual warfare, an approach that is unsustainable and is deemed to present America as some sort of global policeman. Bacevich urges the American leadership to desist from a military policy bent on global occupation and to rather focus on the actual nation building at a local level. 4. While writing Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War, Andrew Bacevich seems to breakaway with the boring and clichéd trends that mark the other books on the same topic. On essential thing about Bacevich’s approach is that he seems to understand the fact that nothing grasps the attention of American readers like a personal account that is passionate, polemic and intimate. Certainly, it goes without saying that this book do deserves a global readership. Bacevich seems to bolster his thesis by presenting a sophisticated critique of the global ambitions of the United States of America. Bacevich certainly appears to have a finger in the conspiracy theory pie, considering his obsessive use of dogma and a somewhat quasi-religious language he resorts to in this book. Consider the assertion,”The Worldview had derived from this conviction: that American power manifested a commitment to global leadership, and that both together expressed and affirmed the nation’s enduring devotion to its founding principles (Bacevich 7).” The virtuosity of Bacevich lies in his ability to impose a large and systematic attempt towards machinations of a global scale on a realistic pool of verifiable historical facts. For instance, his explanation of the contrariness of the American military policy to its essential beliefs like “A people who had long seen standing armies as a threat to liberty now came to believe that the preservation of liberty required them to lavish resources on the armed forces (Bacevich 13).” Bacevich perfectly rounds up his thesis by delving on the most recent US engagements in the Middle East, which though superficially appeared to be motivated by ideology and hope, are actually unraveling more and more questionable outcomes and objectives. The book is a constructive critique of the American military policy by an outsider who was once an insider. 5. The United States of America being the only surviving super power certainly has strategic interests almost everywhere, even in space. However, with the emergence of the novel global economic and political trends and the gradual emergence of the hitherto unexpected economic powers, marked by the ongoing economic meltdown, America’s policy of engaging in conflicts around the world is proving to be costly and unsustainable. Suddenly, with people losing jobs and global terrorism knocking at the American doors, the people at home are questioning the pragmatism and affordability of the American militarism. In that context, Bacevich’s book is the most appropriate critique hitting the stands at the right time. People today are more than ever interested in America’s military policy and Bacevich’s book is bound to accrue much proportions of this interest amongst the well informed citizens. Bacevich’s builds on the passion of the critics of American militarism by unraveling a systematic strategy towards world hegemony, which could methodically be proved by citing a series of US military adventures, be they the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam War, Iraq invasion or the invasion of Afghanistan. It is not that people were not aware of these facts. The forte of Bacevich lies in imposing a form over the long standing doubts and misapprehensions. 6. The writer of Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War, Andrew Bacevich happens to be a retired colonel in the US Army. Bacevich is also a former West Point instructor and has served as a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. Right now he serves as a Professor of history and international relations at Boston University. In the current times, Andrew Bacevich has emerged to be a prolific writer on American international relations and foreign policy and an avid war critique. So it would not be wrong to say that Bacevich being an insider in the American military and an astute scholar of foreign relations is an ideal person to write on such topics. 7. There is no denying the fact that despite being a visionary, Bacevich’s approach towards American military policy in the book is astutely scholarly and fact based. The index and the endnotes and footnotes in the book are academically and professionally accurate and true. 8. Personally speaking, even right up to the thick of cold war, America’s military policy seemed to be pragmatic and relevant. However, in the contemporary times such an approach appears to be anachronistic and irrelevant as is aptly proved by Bacevich in his book. The future production hubs and viable markets are shifting to new destinations in Latin America, Asia and Africa. With the augmenting economic clout, the developed nations have garnered a capacity for self assertion, even through military might. On the other side, the economic trends in the West are making such a military approach untenable and unsustainable. So, now is the high time for the American military elites and policy makers to listen to the views of war critiques like Bacevich. Works Cited Bacevich, Andrew. Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2010. Print. Read More