LIMITS OF POWER

The world, usually a dark and dangerous place, seems even more ominous at the moment. Our entire financial system is in jeopardy – or so we are told - the war in Iraq continues, the war in Afghanistan grows, while the war in Iran, as Shakespeare would say, is hard upon.

How did we get here? How did we go from being the post-WWII savior of the free world to being the 21st century imperial threat to world peace? The answers are neither simple nor particularly pleasant, but with a critical election just weeks away, the lines are being drawn and decisions made.

If a clear view of the last 60 years, a step-by-step look at how we got here from there, would help you make up your mind, then I recommend – I strongly urge – that you get a copy of Andrew Bacevich’s, Limits Of Power. The audio version can be downloaded from itunes.

A West Point grad and Viet Nam vet. with a Ph.D. in American Diplomatic History, Bacevich now teaches at Boston University. With no political axe to grind, Bacevich lays out a series of snapshots, showing America’s goals and mis-steps over the past half-century. If you want to know what the hell is going on, this is a good place to start.