Description
This provocative anthology challenges the notion that democracy is healthy worldwide, exploring the rise of the security state through writings by Gar Alperovitz, Kai Bird, William Blum, Saul Landau, and others. Original.
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9/11 and its aftermath invigorated the twin demons of American interventionism overseas and intolerance at home. But the editors of this book claim that the developments in American government since the attacks, though profound, are not radical departures. For at least a century, the "National Security State" has shaped our government. Since 1947, its presence has spread throughout everyday life: to the government bureaucracy, the U.S. congress, and little-noticed laws and regulations.This collection of groundbreaking essays by historians, lawyers, anthropologists, and public scholars traces these changes back to their origins and follows their development step-by-step through the Cold War up to the present. The contributors show how decision-making has become more centralized and government less transparent. They raise fundamental questions that must be confronted by us all for the sake of American democracy.
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