National Security and Double Government

Very well written and convincing portrait of present day America. I particularly like that the author does not conclude with any pat, Pollyanna solutions to the current crisis of democracy but rather clearly and convincingly articulates that we have passed the point of return towards a totalitarian security state. Sobering thought.

It is about time that academia turns its attention to a huge problem in our federal government which has arisen since the end of World War II: namely, a national security establishment which conducts U.S. military and intelligence operations outside the Constitutional framework and free of the accountability otherwise imposed by law. The President has become a mere pronouncer of policies in foreign affairs and national security matters, fashioned by the CIA and the Pentagon, with no meaningful Congressional oversight or involvement of our courts.Prof. Glennon is to be commended for having the intestinal fortitude to write this book and subjecting himself to the inevitable criticism which will follow from the defenders of the status quo.However, I can only give the book four stars, as it has a serious flaw in my opinion. The author subscribes to a benign explanation for the rise in double government, and unjustly ignores the role of the armaments industry and defense contractors in the explosive growth of the national security state. The motivation is money, and the systematic looting of the U.S. Treasury to benefit private industry, which may ultimately prove the undoing of our democracy.President Eisenhower, in his now famous farewell address in 1960, warned us all against the gaining of unwarranted influence by the military-industrial establishment. He saw the dangers posed by policies being formulated and operations being conducted by our military and intelligence agencies when the primary benefits flowed to those with an economic stake in the outcomes, rather than acting in the best interests of our citizenry.Anyone interested in learning how we have gotten to this sad stage, with no real prospects for change from one administration to the next, should read this book.

This book is the first major crack in the facade of what was taken for granted as democratic rule in the US. The author takes a very limited academic view towards the power of the bureaucratic machine that he believes is truly running the show. It is the experts who tell the politicians what they must say and do, all the while pretending that it is the people who still have their say. Glennon does not portray this development as anything particularly devious or sinister, but rather almost a cover for the flaws, or impracticalities of representative government. In this respect, his work seems rather self-serving. It is rather sad to suppose that the constitution and the vision of the framers can be viewed as historical relics with little real relevance to the real forces behind politics. Nevertheless, the admission that forces other than politicians are calling the shots does open the door to further investigation of what besides bureaucratic inefficiency may be directing change in our world.

Until this book I'd had a hard time finding titles covering the topic that didn't fall into two categories (neither of which interest me), firstly, the political opposition taking the opportunity to serve up some criticism courtesy of Snowden and others sources, and secondly, conspiracy nuts.Glennon has done a measured job with his book. Without getting too dry it has an almost scholarly feel with its strong evidential base and his care in not drawing too long a conclusion from the available evidence (a failing of many others in the area). He provides a very useful and memorable model for interpreting and questioning what is before us. I'd go as far as to call the model compelling, and at that point suggest that this may reflect my satisfaction with the work. Here in NZ we have had sweeping law changes in the last two years designed to bring us into line with the US - these were accomplished largely without public noise (we tend to a disgraceful degree of civic apathy here) and Glennon's model better frames those changes than any other I'm aware of.If you're a so-called "prepper"or anyone of similar thinking, this book's probably not for you. However, if you want an interesting and illuminating way of interpreting what you see and hear, and a sound option for working through what the events mean - this could be just the ticket.

So much for voting for a progressive political agenda. Between corporations, national security interests and the oligarchy any real reform is very elusive. The book makes it very clear that the "system" is stacked and there are few politicians that are willing or able to take it on.

Die Studie zeigt, dass die Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik der USA von einem quasi unkündbaren Personalkartell gesteuert wird, das einerseits politische Kontinuität über die Amtswechsel von Präsidenten hinaus sicherstellt, andererseits aber in Group-Think verharrt und Politiken perpetuiert, die der internationalen Sicherheit und den wohlverstandenen Interessen der USA schaden.

Interesting hypothesis.