Washington Rules
America's Path to Permanent War
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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
The best-selling author of The Limits of Power critically examines the Washington consensus on national security and why it must change.
For the last half century, as administrations have come and gone, the fundamental assumptions about America's military policy have remained unchanged: American security requires the United States (and us alone) to maintain a permanent armed presence around the globe, to prepare our forces for military operations in far-flung regions, and to be ready to intervene anywhere at any time. In the Obama era, just as in the Bush years, these beliefs remain unquestioned gospel.
In a vivid, incisive analysis, Andrew J. Bacevich succinctly presents the origins of this consensus, forged at a moment when American power was at its height. He exposes the preconceptions, biases, and habits that underlie our pervasive faith in military might, especially the notion that overwhelming superiority will oblige others to accommodate America's needs and desires—whether for cheap oil, cheap credit, or cheap consumer goods. And he challenges the usefulness of our militarism as it has become both unaffordable and increasingly dangerous.
Though our politicians deny it, American global might is faltering. This is the moment, Bacevich argues, to reconsider the principles which shape American policy in the world—to acknowledge that fixing Afghanistan should not take precedence over fixing Detroit. Replacing this Washington consensus is crucial to America's future, and may yet offer the key to the country's salvation.
©2010 Andrew Bacevich (P)2010 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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A good historical review of the progression of war
- By Ian R. Graham on 06-14-18
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On China
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Nicholas Hormann
- Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to a country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon’s historic trip to Beijing.
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Another History of China
- By Elton on 09-23-11
By: Henry Kissinger
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Kissinger's Shadow
- The Long Reach of America's Most Controversial Statesman
- By: Greg Grandin
- Narrated by: Brian O'Neill
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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A new account of America's most controversial diplomat that moves beyond praise or condemnation to reveal Kissinger as the architect of America's current imperial stance. In his fascinating new book, acclaimed historian Greg Grandin argues that to understand the crisis of contemporary America - its never-ending wars abroad and political polarization at home - we have to understand Henry Kissinger.
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A Rehash of Rehashes...nothing new
- By A. M. on 10-06-19
By: Greg Grandin
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House of War
- The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power
- By: James Carroll
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 26 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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This landmark, myth-shattering work chronicles the most powerful institution in America, the people who created it, and the pathologies it has spawned. Carroll proves a controversial thesis: The Pentagon has, since its founding, operated beyond the control of any force in government or society. It is the biggest, loosest cannon in American history, and no institution has changed this country more.
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A Biased Account
- By GoTravel1385a on 09-06-07
By: James Carroll
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Before the First Shots Are Fired
- How America Can Win or Lose Off the Battlefield
- By: Tony Koltz, Tony Zinni
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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For the better part of the last half century, the United States has been the world's police, claiming to defend ideologies, allies, and our national security through brute force. But is military action always the most appropriate response? Drawing on his vast experience, retired four-star general Tony Zinni argues that we have a lot of work to do to make the process of going to war-or not-more clear-eyed and ultimately successful.
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A must read for leaders
- By Ted on 06-17-22
By: Tony Koltz, and others
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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
- Unabridged
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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
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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 Return of Marco Polo's World
- War, Strategy, and American Interests in the Twenty-First Century
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on decades of firsthand experience as a foreign correspondent and military embed for The Atlantic, as well as encounters with preeminent realist thinkers, Kaplan outlines the timeless principles that should shape America's role in a turbulent world: a respect for the limits of Western-style democracy; a delineation between American interests and American values; an awareness of the psychological toll of warfare; a projection of power via a strong navy; and more.
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Essays on the Region of the Silk Road
- By Jeff Beardsley on 05-19-18
By: Robert D. Kaplan
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America in Retreat
- The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder
- By: Bret Stephens
- Narrated by: Bret Stephens, Sean Pratt
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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America in Retreat identifies a profound crisis on the global horizon. As Americans seek to withdraw from the world to tend to domestic problems, America’s adversaries spy opportunity. Vladimir Putin's ambitions to restore the glory of the czarist empire go effectively unchecked, as do China's attempts to expand its maritime claims in the South China Sea, as do Iran's efforts to develop nuclear capabilities.
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The Burden of American Exceptionalism
- By Harry Paget on 08-15-15
By: Bret Stephens
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A Failed Empire
- The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev
- By: Vladimir Zubok
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Western interpretations of the Cold War--both realist and neoconservative--have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or its aggressiveness, argues Vladislav Zubok. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet perspective on the greatest standoff of the 20th century.
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Focus on the Top Leadership
- By Augustus T. White on 08-13-10
By: Vladimir Zubok
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Kissinger: Volume I
- 1923-1968: The Idealist
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 34 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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No American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Once hailed as "Super-K" - the "indispensable man" whose advice has been sought by every president from Kennedy to Obama - he has also been hounded by conspiracy theorists, scouring his every "telcon" for evidence of Machiavellian malfeasance. Yet as Niall Ferguson shows in this magisterial biography, the idea of Kissinger as the ruthless arch-realist is based on a profound misunderstanding.
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Riveting
- By Jean on 11-10-15
By: Niall Ferguson
What listeners say about Washington Rules
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- STEPHEN
- 02-01-15
A MUST read for anyone interested in politics
Good insight into the workings of Washington relative to war.
Requires strong participation of Americans to be citizens in a manner going back to the revolutionary days.
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- Jack
- 11-05-12
Must Read.
What made the experience of listening to Washington Rules the most enjoyable?
Concise analysis, based on facts.
Any additional comments?
I wish that the presidential candidates would read or listen to this book, but since they probably will not, at least you can so as to be better informed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- dorydan
- 01-30-11
Great entree, needs pepper.
This “listen” is not riveting. Not even close. But the content is so compelling and so relevant to the events in the last ½ century, I am bumping it up a star. It discusses our (USA) state of endless war mostly from a military and political perspective. It could have benefited from a more in-depth discussion on how pressure from private industry also perpetuates our dilemma. If this content could be transformed into a riveting best seller it could change the world.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jonnie
- 10-13-10
Permanent war and insolvency...thanks Washington
This is not a book of partisan politics but if you still think there is any significant difference between the Democrat and Republican parties you need to read this book. How could such an incompetent and corrupt group of federal politicians squander such tremendous wealth, currently and into the foreseeable future? This book gives a historical and current perspective of where we stand politically and militarily. It is not a happy or encouraging view. Where are the statesmen who undestand how to run a nation for the national good and not for very limited self-interest, not in Washington. This book is very well written and interesting.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Thomas M.
- 10-02-10
Washington Rules
An excellent book. I'd like to recommend Col. Bracevich be appointed as the next Secretary of Defense upon Robert Gates' retirement. He'll need a whip and a chair (and possibly a few good funerals) to get the job done, but we'd all be better off for it.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-23-17
insightfulness
Tells how DC gets its way for both sides. No wonder they fight Trump so much.
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Overall
- Nathan
- 02-23-11
Coherent Argument Against the Warfare State
In his recent book Washington Rules Andrew Bacevich sums up what he calls the “credo” which many in power adhere to. In essence, the credo summons the United States and the United States alone to lead, save, liberate, and ultimately transform the world. Not only does this capture the essence to the previous administration’s Iraq policy, it also it sums up the view held by most U.S. presidents since Harry Truman. The image of America as a moral force for good in the world was nurtured by the heroism of World War II and the crusade against Hitler, and later the Cold War crusade against Communism.
According to Bacevich, President Obama, in spite of his rhetoric, has adhered to the national security consensus to which every president since 1945 has subscribed. This consensus consists of four parts. First, the world must be organized. In absence of such organization, chaos will surely rein. Secondly, only the United States possessed the capacity to prescribe and enforce such global order. Third, America’s writ includes the charge of articulating the principles that should define the international order. Forth and finally, aside from a few rogues and wayward nations, everyone understands and accepts this reality.
In conclusion, Bacevich offers an alternative to this consensus. Composed of three basic principles, Bacevich’s alternative is the clearest way forward towards ending the warfare state leviathan. First, the purpose of the U.S. military is not to combat evil or remake the world, but to defend the United States and its most vital interest. Secondly, the primary duty station of the American soldier is in America. Third, consistent with the Just War tradition, the United States should employ force only as a last resort and only in self-defense.
Andrew Bacevich’s arguments are succinct and concise. As one who’s read a few books arguing against the warfare state, I would highly suggest Bacevich’s book.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Ed
- 11-19-10
A genuine and honest critique
Bacevich, a retired military officer and historian, asks the question,’ How did we come to a permanent state of war?’ For me, the take home message was not the how we got there but what to do now. As a nation we have a heritage of self reliance, democratic institutions, responsible citizenship, and resilient, responsive foreign policy. The cure is convincing, even if I do not agree with every step in the diagnosis of how we got here. The alternative as Bacevich sees it is continually expanding military commitments leading to bankruptcy and dependence - financial, moral, and ultimately military bankruptcy. It is sobering to contemplate the cost of our current international commitments.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jay Anderson
- 05-22-18
from Korea to present international policy
good history lesson from a root cause analysis perspective. Being a veteran I found this delightful
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Overall
- David
- 09-13-10
Washington Rules?
This book is OK, It depends on what you are looking for. If you want a quick review of history then this is a good book for you. It does give a little spin on the truth of our history but it is basically what we already know. If you do not know and have never read about our real history and only what we teach in school then this will help you open your eyes to the truth about American history. "The ugly truth".
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3 people found this helpful