Conversations with History: Institute
of International Studies, UC Berkeley
This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations
with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public
Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.
Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute
of International Studies. Our guest today is Andrew Bacevich, who is Professor
of International Relations at Boston University and is the author, most recently,
of The New American Militarism.
- Background ... midwestern Catholic
... child of WWII veterans ... West Point ... graduate school at Princeton
... dissertation on Frank Ross McCoy
- Studying Foreign Policy ... becoming
interested in the military role ... rejecting the "great man" theory
... disillusionment with inter-service military rivalries ... military's quest
for global supremacy despite changing international environment ... identifying
as cultural conservative ... parting ways with conservatives over foreign
policy
- American Militarism ... overconfidence
in efficacy of force ... mistaken emblem of national greatness ... romanticization
of soldiers ... bloated size, budget, and reach ... Chalmers Johnson ... disturbing
lack of public concern ... unwillingness to trim forces after the Cold War
- The Effect of the Vietnam War
... rebuilding the military to "save the country" from the shame
of defeat ... to restore status of the officer corps ... trying to choose
winnable wars ... focus on Europe ... surprise and irony of Iraq's invasion
of Kuwait
- The War Club ... Bush doctrine
of preventive war rests on military technology ... post-Hiroshima notions
of deterrence ... perceived value of small wars disproved by Vietnam ... defense
intellegentsia discovers precision weaponry ... mistaken faith in "shock
and awe"
- The Evolution of Mideast Policy
... Carter doctrine of Persian Gulf importance ... policy develops through
ensuing presidencies ... recklessly leading to present Iraq war ... U.S. pursuit
of freedom defined as affluence ... cheap oil
- Conclusion ... quixotic hope for
a new conservative agenda ... challenging people to think ... advice for students
... the problem of an all-volunteer force ... born-again Wilsonianism
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