Category Archives: Week 13: War on Terror

Andrew Bacevich argues that America’s deeper issue of an ethic of self-indulgence and profligacy takes precedence as the main factor driving U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, rather than notions of combating terrorism. Bacevich writes that even though the proliferation of “national defense” is used most frequently by presidents and officials, there are deepContinue reading “Land to Burn”

The article says that people have already created alternative reasons for foreign policy in the Middle East. One of those reasons is oil, but many find those reasons inadequate. The main reason stated in the article for foreign policy is to show off American military power. In the article, Bacevich talks about how freedom hasContinue reading “War on Terror”

On page 48 of The Limits of Power, author Andrew Bacevich writes, “The truth is that the United States is engaged in an effort to incorporate Central Asia into the Pax Americana” (Bacevich), as in the overarching goal is to mold that section of the world into a vessel that will continue peace and prosperityContinue reading “American “Freedom””

U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, I believe, can be traced back a couple of lines. Between the policies of Roosevelt in the early 1900s and the economic needs of America at the time of the Iraq war starting, and a sprinkling of Bush’s belief in America needing a rallying cry, you’ve got aContinue reading “America’s Modern “Big Stick” Diplomacy”

In “The Crisis of Profligacy,” Andrew Bacevich paints a sobering picture of America’s future, warning that the real danger isn’t coming from foreign adversaries, but from the internal rot of extravagance and entitlement. He identifies that America’s true crisis is one of self-indulgence and unwillingness to recognize limits, whether material, moral, or geopolitical. He arguesContinue reading “When will it stop?”

Andrew J. Bacevich, in “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism,” more particularly in the chapter “The Crisis of Profligacy,” dives into the political and economic aftereffects of the sheer amount of entitlement in American society. He argues that this entitlement or profligacy that persists in the American society plays a vital roleContinue reading “A Look into USA’s Foreign Policy”

Andrew Bacevich challenges the popular narrative that U.S. involvement in the Middle East is simply a response to terrorism. He argues that deeper structural forces drive U.S. foreign policy — mainly the pursuit of global dominance, economic interests (especially oil), and the maintenance of what he calls an “informal empire.” According to Bacevich, America’s politicalContinue reading “Empire, Freedom, and the Endless Wars”

In the first chapter of his book The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism, Andrew Bacevich argues that the United States’ involvement in the Middle East isn’t solely about combating terrorism. Instead, he says that U.S. foreign policy is driven by an older, underlying value: America’s need to continue its high-consumption way ofContinue reading “Addicted to “More””

No one could deny that Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are real threats to humanity. In addition to that many believe that today’s wars happen because of Islamofascism but does this reasoning solely explain why the United States remains present in seemingly endless wars? The historian Andrew Bacevich states that these figures, though dangerous,Continue reading “Does Freedom at Home Require Empire Abroad?”