
Soldiers of Reason
The Rand Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire
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Narrated by:
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Peter Larkin
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By:
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Alex Abella
The first-ever popular history of the RAND Corporation, written with full access to its archives, Soldiers of Reason is a page-turning chronicle of the rise of the secretive think tank that has been the driving force behind American government for 60 years. Born in the wake of World War II as an idea factory to advise the air force on how to wage and win wars, RAND quickly became the creator of Americas anti-Soviet nuclear strategy
.A magnet for the best and the brightest, its ranks included Cold War luminaries such as Albert Wohlstetter, Bernard Brodie, and Herman Kahn, who arguably saved us from nuclear annihilation and unquestionably created Eisenhowers military-industrial complex.In the Kennedy era, RAND analysts became McNamaras Whiz Kids and their theories of rational warfare steered our conduct in Vietnam. Those same theories drove our invasion of Iraq 45 years later, championed by RAND affiliated actors such as Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, and Zalmay Khalilzad. But RANDs greatest contribution might be its least known: rational choice theory, a model explaining all human behavior through self-interest. Through it RAND sparked the Reagan-led transformation of our social and economic system but also unleashed a resurgence of precisely the forces whose existence it denied religion, patriotism, tribalism.
With Soldiers of Reason, Alex Abella has rewritten the history of Americas last half century and cast a new light on our problematic present.
©2008 Alex Abella (P)2010 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"[R]evealing and original... Abella does an excellent job ferreting out details... Abella's book is an introduction to the broad range of ideas RAND has espoused." (Chalmers Johnson, Asia Times)
RAND stands for Research and Developement, which is the American civilian think-tank which influenced military technology and planning, Cold War diplomacy, wartime strategy, and many other topics, even branching into social science, medical science and educational areas of research as well. This book covers the contributions and careers of the most interesting "RAND-ites" as well as the growth, change, and significant historical events RAND corp was involved in since its inception in the mid 20th century. RAND had a big impact on major parts of American history in the 20th century. I would describe Soldiers of Reason as a history book that is well researched and written in a very interesting and readable way. As a non-history buff, I found it a light, enjoyable (but still solid, authorative, well-researched) listen over about a week during my daily commutes in my car. A true history buff may find it even more intense and enthralling. Definitely worth a listen if you have an interest in either RAND or American military and political stragety in the modern age.
An interesting history of a remarkable institution
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20th Century history affecting us now
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The Alliance of Geniuses and Generals
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It is so shocking and extremely frightening to know that most of the American bloody wars and arrogant global policing were envisioned, shaped, and falsely justified by RAND.
The irony is that they put all that under the glossy cover of what they say "American Values", which they consistently insisted that it must be imposed globally, even by force and even if that would require and imply the annihilation of entire nations, cultures, and races.
The pressing question is: what is the difference between the motives, justifications, and outcomes of this group of criminals and those of the Nazis?!
Best Evidence on Crimes of RAND and the New Cons.
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