Irrational Security

2011 Winner of the Selection for Professional Reading List of the U.S. Marine Corps The end of the Cold War was supposed to bring a “peace dividend” and the opportunity to redirect military policy in the United States. Instead, according to Daniel Wirls, American politics following the Cold War produced dysfunctional defense policies that were exacerbated by the war on terror. Wirls’s critical historical narrative of the politics of defense in the United States during this “decade of neglect” and the military buildup in Afghanistan and Iraq explains how and why the U.S. military has become bloated and aimless and what this means for long-term security. Examining the recent history of U.S. military spending and policy under presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, Wirls finds that although spending decreased from the close of the first Bush presidency through the early years of Clinton’s, both administrations preferred to tinker at the edges of defense policy rather than redefine it. Years of political infighting escalated the problem, leading to a military policy stalemate as neither party managed to craft a coherent, winning vision of national security. Wirls argues that the United States has undermined its own long-term security through profligate and often counterproductive defense policies while critical national problems have gone unmitigated and unsolved. This unified history of the politics of U.S. military policy from the end of the Cold War through the beginning of the Obama presidency provides a clear picture of why the United States is militarily powerful but “otherwise insecure.”

How commerce determines whether America preserves the peace or goes to war When the Cold War ended, many believed that expanding trade would usher in an era of peace. Yet today the United States finds itself confronting not just Russia in Europe but China in the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. Shedding new light on how trade both reduces and increases the risks of international crisis, A World Safe for Commerce traces how, since the nation’s founding, the United States has consistently moved from peace to conflict when the commerce needed for national security is under threat. Dale Copeland shows how commerce pushes the United States and its rivals to expand their spheres of influence for access to goods even as they worry about provoking a breakdown in trade relations that could spiral into military conflict. Taking readers from the wars with Britain in 1776 and 1812 to World War II and the Cold War, he describes how America’s leaders have grappled with this inherent tension, and why they have shifted, sometimes dramatically, from peaceful, mutually beneficial policies to coercion and force in order to increase control over vital trade and prevent economic decline. A World Safe for Commerce reveals how trade competition could lead the United States and China into full-scale confrontation. But it also offers hope that both sides can work to improve their overall trade expectations and foster the confidence needed for long-term peace and stability.

The Security Handbook 2008 examines the regional security in part of Asia. This collection take a closer look at the role of the emerging powers from the perspective of distinguished researchers from the respective countries. The picture is completed by reviewing two "hot spots" in East Asia, along with a discussion of whether or not there is, or should be, a shaping role for a European actor in the region. The book discusses existing trends, risks, and the chances to employ the capability of emerging powers for the sake of regional stability and cooperation. This said, Russia's, India's, and China's rises offer fewer risks than opportunities. Given closer cooperation among the three, the outlook for resolving bilateral and regional conflicts - and for mastering global challenges in a regional context - seems more promising than the hierarchical system of the past, which was based on bilateral alliances and pragmatic coalitions.

Irrational security -- After the Cold War : from buildup to bottom-up -- What comes down must go up : Clinton and the politics of military spending -- From ambition to empire : Bush and military policy before and after 9/11 -- Hidden in plain sight : the Bush military buildup -- Paying the price : from Bush to Obama.