Breach of Trust
How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country
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Narrated by:
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Sean Runnette
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By:
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Andrew Bacevich
About this listen
A blistering critique of the gulf between America’s soldiers and the society that sends them off to war, from the best-selling author of The Limits of Power and Washington Rules.
The United States has been "at war" for more than a decade. Yet as war has become normalized, a yawning gap has opened between America’s soldiers and the society in whose name they fight. For ordinary citizens, as former secretary of defense Robert Gates has acknowledged, armed conflict has become an "abstraction" and military service "something for other people to do".
In Breach of Trust, best-selling author Andrew Bacevich takes stock of the separation between Americans and their military, tracing its origins to the Vietnam era and exploring its pernicious implications: a nation with an abiding appetite for war waged at enormous expense by a standing army demonstrably unable to achieve victory. Among the collateral casualties are values once considered central to democratic practice, including the principle that responsibility for defending the country should rest with its citizens.
Citing figures as diverse as the martyr-theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the marine-turned-anti-warrior Smedley Butler, Breach of Trust summons Americans to restore that principle. Rather than something for "other people" to do, national defense should become the business of "we the people". Should Americans refuse to shoulder this responsibility, Bacevich warns, the prospect of endless war, waged by a "foreign legion" of professionals and contractor-mercenaries, beckons. So, too, does bankruptcy - moral as well as fiscal.
©2013 Andrew J. Bacevich (P)2013 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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For more than half a century, the United States has been pursuing a grand imperial strategy with the aim of staking out the globe. Our leaders have shown themselves willing, as in the Cuban missile crisis, to follow the dream of dominance no matter how high the risks. Now the Bush administration is intensifying this process, driving us toward the final frontiers of imperial control, toward a choice between the prerogatives of power and a livable Earth.
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Read and open your mind
- By Rupert on 01-15-04
By: Noam Chomsky
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Interventions
- By: Noam Chomsky
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Interventions, by Noam Chomsky, is getting new press after the Pentagon banned the book from Guantanamo Bay's prison library. Interventions is Noam Chomsky at his best. Not since his all-time best-selling title, 9/11, published in the Open Media series in 2001, have readers and listeners had a timely, short, affordable Chomsky. Unlike 9/11, Interventions is a writerly work - a series of more than 30 tightly argued essays aimed at various aspects of U.S. power and politics in the post-9/11 world. While critical of U.S. military interventions around the globe, each piece in the book is in itself an intellectual intervention.
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Chomsky on Fire
- By Susie on 01-09-13
By: Noam Chomsky
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The Age of Illusions
- How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory
- By: Andrew Bacevich
- Narrated by: Andrew Bacevich, Rob Shapiro
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When the Cold War ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Washington establishment felt it had prevailed in a world-historical struggle. Our side had won, a verdict that was both decisive and irreversible. For the world’s “indispensable nation”, its “sole superpower”, the future looked very bright. History, having brought the United States to the very summit of power and prestige, had validated American-style liberal democratic capitalism as universally applicable.
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Needs an update
- By Scott Burton on 05-24-20
By: Andrew Bacevich
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Bully of Asia
- By: Steven W. Mosher
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The signs are everywhere. China unilaterally claims the entire South China Sea as sovereign territory, then builds artificial islands to bolster its claim. It suddenly activates an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, and threatens to down any aircraft that does not report its position. It builds roads into Indian territory, then redraws the maps to show that it is actually Chinese territory. The People's Republic under President Xi Jinping is quickly becoming The Bully of Asia.
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Eye opening, up to date
- By Silomi on 01-01-19
By: Steven W. Mosher
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The End of Europe
- Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age
- By: James Kirchick
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Once the world's bastion of liberal, democratic values, Europe is now having to confront demons it thought it had laid to rest. The old pathologies of anti-Semitism, populist nationalism, and territorial aggression are threatening to tear the European postwar consensus apart. Based on extensive firsthand reporting, this book is a provocative, disturbing look at a continent in unexpected crisis.
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Disappointing, Silly And Really Childish Book.
- By Eireannach on 04-14-17
By: James Kirchick
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When the Facts Change
- Essays, 1995-2010
- By: Tony Judt
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
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In When the Facts Change, Tony Judt's widow and fellow historian Jennifer Homans has assembled an essential collection of the most important and influential pieces written in the last 15 years of Judt's life, the years in which he found his voice in the public sphere. Included are seminal essays on the full range of Judt's concerns, including Europe as an idea and in reality, before 1989 and thereafter; Israel, the Holocaust and the Jews; American hyperpower and the world after 9/11.
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Essential
- By Herman Utik on 09-19-16
By: Tony Judt
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The Mighty and the Almighty
- Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs
- By: Madeleine Albright
- Narrated by: Madeleine Albright
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Does America have a special mission, derived from God, to bring liberty and democracy to the world? How much influence does the Christian right have over U.S. foreign policy? And how should America deal with violent Islamist extremists? Madeleine Albright, the former Secretary of State and best-selling author of Madam Secretary, offers a thoughtful and often surprising look at the role of religion in shaping America's approach to the world.
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The point??
- By Thomas on 11-04-06
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American Creation
- Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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From the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Joseph J. Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation's founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams.
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Good But Not Quite There
- By Slide01 on 06-02-13
By: Joseph J. Ellis
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Fear Itself
- The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time
- By: Ira Katznelson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 22 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Redefining our traditional understanding of the New Deal, Fear Itself finally examines this pivotal American era through a sweeping international lens that juxtaposes a struggling democracy with enticing ideologies like Fascism and Communism. Ira Katznelson, "a towering figure in the study of American and European history" (Cornel West), boldly asserts that, during the 1930s and 1940s, American democracy was rescued yet distorted by a unified band of southern lawmakers who safeguarded racial segregation as they built a new national state to manage capitalism and assert global power.
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History in Context of Political Science Analysis
- By zsuzsanna on 08-27-15
By: Ira Katznelson
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The Jungle Grows Back
- America and Our Imperiled World
- By: Robert Kagan
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Recent years have brought deeply disturbing developments around the globe. American sentiment seems to be leaning increasingly toward withdrawal in the face of such disarray. In this powerful, urgent essay, Robert Kagan elucidates the reasons why American withdrawal would be the worst possible response, based as it is on a fundamental and dangerous misreading of the world. Like a jungle that keeps growing back after being cut down, the world has always been full of dangerous actors who, left unchecked, possess the desire and ability to make things worse.
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Out of date: covid, Trump nobel nominations etc
- By David on 11-13-18
By: Robert Kagan
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Destined for War
- Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?
- By: Graham Allison
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
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War with China is much more likely than anyone thinks. When Athens went to war with Sparta some 2,500 years ago, the Greek historian Thucydides identified one simple cause: A rising power threatened to displace a ruling one. As the eminent Harvard scholar Graham Allison explains, in the past 500 years, great powers have found themselves in "Thucydides's Trap" 16 times. In 12 of the 16, the results have been catastrophic.
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Balances, Counter-Balances and Traps
- By Joyce U. Olewe on 10-09-17
By: Graham Allison
What listeners say about Breach of Trust
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Steve Betzer
- 05-18-14
Must read for every citizen!
Would you consider the audio edition of Breach of Trust to be better than the print version?
Not better than print, but equal to.
Any additional comments?
Should be mandatory reading for every high school civics class.
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- Madeleine
- 10-26-13
Do You 'Support The Troops'? Really?
I've long admired Bacevich since I read his The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. Politically speaking, we are almost at opposite poles, but perhaps they are opposite poles of an honest, ethical conversation. Bacevich is a West Point graduate, has been a serving officer and holds a PhD in American Diplomatic History from Princeton University. He lost his son in 2008 in Iraq.
Breach of Trust takes a very thorough and deeply critical look at the evolution of America's professional (as opposed to a conscripted) military. From its inception after the Vietnam war to the present, he examines who has benefited from its evolution, how it has shaped the rise of the industrial military complex, fed and grown a voracious bureaucracy and enabled disastrous foreign policies and defense strategies.
The book takes acidic aim at a population that pays only superficial lip-service to 'honoring' those who serve, while demanding the right to sacrifice nothing and continuing to consume with relish while lives are wasted on foreign adventurism that is not only unsuccessful, but does little if nothing to ensure the security of the US.
It is essential reading for any American who truly cares about their culture, their democracy and principles of fairness. Its implications stretch far beyond the constitution of a military and address questions of what it means to be a citizen - its benefits and its responsibilities.
By necessity it covers certain parts of history in depth in order to build the author's arguments. When he offers examples to illustrate his point, he doesn't settle at one - he lists many - and because of this, there is a certain tone of academic writing to the text. This does make for dense, but it is all the more rewarding and persuasive for it.
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8 people found this helpful
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- David
- 10-15-13
Sad Truths
I thoroughly enjoyed this book but, I must admit, I already new much of the history he points out. I was a little surprised he did not go into more detail about how the American public has forgotten about the military while, at the same time, use the military as political fodder. Perhaps it is because the general public does not want to be actively involved in any form so the bumper sticker is enough to satisfy their collective conscience.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Sean
- 07-13-16
Eye-Opening
This book puts into words how and why the US military and its actions are today different than in the past. It's an uncomfortable read because the author - rightly so - puts the blame on the disengaged American public.
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- borgyborgy
- 11-17-14
Compelling but wish for more dynamic reader
If you could sum up Breach of Trust in three words, what would they be?
Very, very important.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
Andrew Bacevich continues to address, compellingly, America’s ossified and constrained approach to foreign policy and military policy since WWII. He clearly chronicles the errors in thinking and strategic mis-understanding that have caused so many problems, so much needless cost and so many needless deaths with so little productive gain in security. He is a dynamic analyst and is given particular insight given he was a career officer and West Point graduate. It is rare but not singular that a military person can escape the usual military perspective and see the larger picture as he does. He names names instead of making generalized references so we get to see the actors (generals, politicians and others) more closely for who they are and what they did.
Further he identifies officers who, like him took seriously the duty to see the military role as part of the diplomatic and peace seeking function for the nation not just for its own survival and self justification. Many do not realize that West Point teaches, not just military mastery but statesmanship as well (perhaps more directly than other ivy league schools).
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The narrator while not bad lacked the necessary dynamic delivery this book needs. His narration was not without inflection but I had a sense that nearly every paragraph was read with the same emphasis, a mistake in my view. I found myself wishing the author were reading it as I’ve head him in interviews and think he would be better.
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
The known corruption that took place in so many ways in the Iraq war with nothing, nothing ever done about it.
Any additional comments?
I’d recommend the book to anyone but perhaps to read instead but it’s important enough to listen to in any case.
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- Todd R Fredricks
- 03-27-16
A Disturbing and Important Book
What was one of the most memorable moments of Breach of Trust?
The entire book is reflective of a congressional military industrial complex run amock. The entire book is an accurate reflection of what any thinking and republic loving military member is haunted by; continuous war without public commitment or risk. This book lays it out very plainly the reasons underlying the separation of the American People from their military and the great risk that the US Military is taking by willingly participating in expeditionary war without the expectation of Congressional debate and consent.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This book just makes you sad. It makes you realize that the American People have been duped by their leadership into thinking that their way of life is cheap and costless. In the process it has allowed America to become soft. It has allowed Americans to think that Trigger Warnings and avoidance of the harsh realities of life will protect them from life and allow them to maintain an indefinite state of corpulent narcotization to the realities upon us.
The US Military can be both professional and citizen but there is little desire or pressure to do this in a system that promises discipline and separation from the "sheep" of the world. The US Military is divorced from the society it is meant to protect. Vast urban military centers like Norfolk and San Diego allow the US military to think that it understands the American people because their "communities" are ostensibly civilian. Unfortunately the maintenance of a vast active duty military centered on defense oriented cities only serves to further isolate and insulate the military and the American people from one another.
The system is broken and needs to return to one in which every community has an armory and every community watches its members go to active reserve duty. Americans need to feel the sting of the loss of members when they deploy so that Americans will engage their leadership to debate the need for deployment. The US Military was never meant to be nor can it be allowed to become a Praetorian Guard for the whims of the executive and unless Congress starts stepping up and demanding it's right to make the decision to deploy US forces after debate and consideration, the American People will one day find itself saddled with a mercenary force devoted only to those who hold the reigns of power.
Any additional comments?
Bacevich has made a name for himself as the "10th man"; the individual willing to stand up and say that the system is broken and failing badly. AS a USMA graduate and Army Officer he fully understands the implications of a professional standing army and the risks we face by having such a thing. His words are not pleasant to read but they are real and true. Every American should be forced to read this book and listen to his words.
More importantly, every US Congressman and woman should be forced to be briefed by Bacevich and reminded of their responsibilities to their constituents, the Constitution and ultimately the American Warrior Class. Allow the system to continue as it is is not protecting or loving America's soldiers...
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1 person found this helpful
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- Darwin8u
- 10-23-13
Volunteer Mil+Disengaged Pop = Perpetual War Baby
Andrew Bacevich follows up on the threads he started with 'The Limits of Power' and 'Washington Rules'. In this book he explores how the post-Vietnam transformation of the military from a citizen-soldier force to an all-volunteer force has come with many unintended (but not necessarily unseen) costs. Not the least of which is the expansion of long almost perpetual wars and a limited exposure of the real cost of wars to either the politicians or general population of our country.
The last letter I received from my older brother (an Army helicopter pilot who served twice in Iraq and twice in Afghanistan) dealt with the idea of reconstituting the draft. While Bacevich doesn't actually recommend the draft, he does think a conversation about national service and the draft would be useful. We have reached a point where our nation's imperial impulses have grown dangerous, while at the same time, we have relegated the cost to either future generations (the lat two major wars were all fought with debt) and a small cadre of professional warriors (less than 1% of our nation's population). If we have no skin (financial or physical) in the game, we are more likely to allow our leaders to continue to push us into perpetual war.
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15 people found this helpful
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- Nicholas
- 11-18-15
Every American Must Hear/Read This Book!
This book exposes the real issues in American society and offers real solutions that can make our country great again
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