OPTRUTH: The New American Militarism

I recently finished reading The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War, by Dr. Andrew Bacevich of Boston University. It's truly a staggering work that will provoke your reaction, regardless of your political persuasion. Bacevich's thesis is quite simple: "Americans in our own time have fallen prey to militarism, manifesting itself in a romanticized view of soldiers, a tendency to see military power as the truest measure of national greatness, and outsized expectations regarding the efficacy of force...Americans have come to define the nation's strength and well-being in terms of military preparedness, military action, and the fostering of military ideals."
Now before I launch into the content of the book, let me address the inevitable cries of "liberal bleeding heart academia" currently coming form the right side of the room. You see, Dr. Bacevich's credentials to write this book, in addition to his doctorate in International Relations from Princeton, include service as an armored cavalry platoon leader in Vietnam and command of the entire 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment , at the time one of the most powerful combined arms formations in the Army. This is not your typical dry, analytical tome. This is a work of passion by someone who has spent a lifetime in service to the nation.
It's also worth noting that this is not your typical, ranting,Bush-is-the-devil screed that typifies much of the current literature in this field. Bacevich notes that there is in fact plenty of blame to go around, from defense intellectuals eager to justify an ever-expanding bureaucracy, to neo-conservative ideologues who see military power as a tool for social change, to the military officer corps attempting to split the difference between politics and war fighting, while accomplishing neither. This is also very much a work of history: Bacevich traces the roots of this militarism back to Woodrow Wilson, and the very first American attempt to reshape the power dynamic of an entire continent through war.