The Ruses for War: American Interventionism Since World War II Paperback - 2007

From the rear cover

Why were American troops committed to Korea in 1950? Was it to stop the onslaught of world communism, as President Truman claimed? Why did the U.S. Marines land in the Dominican Republic in 1966? President Johnson argued that it was to protect Americans in danger. This is the same defense used by President Reagan when he sent troops to Grenada in 1983. In The Ruses for War: American Interventionism since World War II, John Quigley provides answers to these and other questions that may shock many Americans. This compelling volume explores U.S. military actions taken over the last half-century, focusing on the reasons given for these operations by the current administration. What emerges is a tale of coverups, distortions, and manipulation of the media by our country's leaders for the purpose of gaining public support. Typically, presidents have been led to commit American troops to foreign soil for economic and strategic reasons. However, as President Bush learned in the Persian Gulf in 1990, a rationale based on these considerations alone rarely succeeds with the public. Therefore, successive administrations have engaged citizens' support by arguing that we were fighting aggression by one nation against another, protecting Americans living abroad, or combatting a Soviet threat to our freedom and way of life. When military action has been taken covertly, presidents have always denied American involvement. The Ruses for War shows, startlingly, that presidents have usually gotten away with their ruses. The public has almost always believed the administration's story, at least long enough for the military action to be brought to successful completion. The White House has gotten intodifficulty only when - as happened in Korea and Vietnam - the military engagement dragged on for so long that the public became disaffected. The implications of such deliberate deception are severe. If presidents shade the truth when they send troops into battle, one of the basic premises of democracy - that our nation's leaders be held accountable to the electorate - is undermined. The Ruses for War urges that America's citizens be given the real reasons behind any future U.S. action so they may act accordingly. Otherwise, our young men and women will continue to be sent to their deaths overseas without really knowing why.

Media reviews

"Quigley writes with intellectual fire." –The Washington Post
"Quigley’s extensive survey of American policy is a most valuable resource for anyone interested in testing America’s foreign policy claims against historical record."
Ludwig von Mises Institute Web site

Citations

• Reference and Research Bk News, 11/01/2007, Page 66