2 options
Temptations of power : the United States in global politics after 9/11 / Robert J. Jackson and Philip Towle.
Table of contents only Available online
View online- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Jackson, Robert J., 1936-
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-.
- Political and social views.
- United States--Foreign relations--2001-2009.
- United States.
- International relations.
- United States--Military policy.
- Military policy.
- Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946---Political and social views.
- Bush, George W.
- Balance of power.
- World politics--1989-.
- World politics.
- September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001--Influence.
- September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001.
- War on Terrorism, 2001-2009.
- Terrorism--Government policy--United States.
- Terrorism.
- Terrorism--Government policy.
- National security--United States.
- National security.
- Physical Description:
- xiv, 228 pages ; 23 cm
- Place of Publication:
- Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
- Summary:
- Temptations of Power examines the new security dilemma which confronted President George W. Bush when terrorists proved for the first time on 9/11 that they could seriously wound even the greatest of military powers on its home ground. In their indictment, the authors argue that the response was influenced by a neo-conservative exaggeration of the efficacy of military power and a belief in the USA's ability to change the world in its own image. The first results were attacks on Afghanistan in 2001 and on Iraq in 2003, and the adoption of a general strategy of preventive war. Far from helping the War on Terror, on which the Administration embarked, such attacks have shown the limitations of US power. The USA is now embroiled in counter-insurgent operations and in quagmires that are sapping its economic, moral and military strength.
- Terrorism needs to be understood and its political roots addressed; the Muslim world will have to decide itself whether to adopt democratic systems of government; preventive wars are illegal and destabilizing; threats from the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons have to be addressed multilaterally; and the effort to prevent terrorist attacks in the US homeland threatens in turn to undermine civil liberties. The new security dilemma needs to be addressed by new politics but not by those that Washington has adopted since 2001.
- Contents:
- Introduction: Temptations of Power ix
- 1 Grappling with the New World: Concepts and Realities 1
- September 11 2001 and its aftermath 2
- Concepts and realities 4
- Concepts in international relations 6
- Realities in international relations 9
- The security debate 10
- Limited sovereignty 12
- International intervention 13
- The old and new security dilemmas 14
- 2 Ideologies, Ideas and Political Slogans in the Formation of George W. Bush's Foreign Policy 16
- A clash of civilizations 18
- America as empire 22
- The neoconservatives 28
- From commentators and analysts to George W. Bush 36
- 3 The United States, Europe and the World 44
- From victim to pariah 44
- The temptation of Iraq 45
- The anti-Iraq coalition, 2003 49
- Why Europeans often disagreed with the United States 51
- The growth of US military power 53
- The end of the balance of power? 55
- The United States' unipolar moment 57
- 4 New Challenges to US Hegemony: China and the Muslim World 64
- The challenge from China 65
- The Muslim challenge 71
- 5 Military Power and Democratic Transition 84
- The uses and abuses of military power 85
- Military power and democracy 89
- Coalition-building or unilateral action? 93
- The importance of restraint 96
- 6 The Temptation of Preventive War 102
- Modern precedents for pre-emptive and preventive wars 105
- Israel's preventive war precedents in the Middle East 106
- The United States creeps toward pre-emptive and preventive strategies 108
- The US decision to launch preventive war 110
- Fire discipline 113
- Precision attacks 115
- Preventive war and the 'axis of evil' 117
- Advantages and disadvantages of preventive war 119
- 7 Misunderstanding Terrorism: The Sword 123
- The new face of conflict 123
- Terrorism as a concept 126
- New and old terrorism 127
- Al-Qaeda, affiliates, regional jihadists and copycats 130
- Anti-terrorist strategies 134
- Bush's moment: war without purpose 136
- 8 Homeland (In)Security: The Shield 139
- Civil liberties 143
- The Patriot Act 144
- Enemy combatants 147
- Prison abuses 151
- Justice or security? 152
- The Department of Homeland Security 154
- Border controls 155
- The Intelligence agencies 157
- Nuclear terrorism 159
- Financial costs 163
- Homeland insecurities 164
- Security or insecurity? 165
- 9 Creating Quagmires: Winning the Wars, Losing the Peace 168
- Context and war in Afghanistan 169
- Context and war in Iraq 171
- Justifications and denunciations of the wars 173
- Consequences of the wars 176
- Afghanistan since the war 177
- Iraq since the war 178
- Constitutional developments in Iraq 181
- Staying power and counter-insurgency 184
- Ending insurgencies 185
- Quagmires 188
- 10 The Burden of Power 196.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 204-212) and index.
- ISBN:
- 1403946760
- 1403946779
- OCLC:
- 67840270
- Publisher Number:
- 9781403946768 (hbk.)
- 9781403946775 (pbk.)
- Online:
- Contributor biographical information
- Publisher description
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.