Carter Jefferson's review of The Three Trillion Dollar War begins "Wars cost lives — and money. World War II cost five trillion dollars, adjusted for inflation. Most Americans thought then, and probably most think now, that it was worth that huge sum. These authors quite effectively show that the current fighting in Iraq will cost the US three trillion, at least. Whether it’s worth that much is a matter of opinion."
Find the ...
THE THREE TRILLION DOLLAR WAR:
The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict
By Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes
192 pp. Norton $22.95
... on Amazon here.
Jack Shakely's reviews another book examining the state of the nation here, where he notes, "Despite the book’s title, Clarke doesn’t really believe in conspiracy-dripping big governments either failing or succeeding. The book is actually filled with individuals, both heroes and goats, who failed and succeeded in equal measure. He does have some surprisingly good things to say about career civil servants, whom some call bureaucrats, and some pretty harsh things to say about political appointees, especially those at the lower levels who used to be relatively impervious to the vagaries of presidential elections. He points out that the number of political appointees in the State Department, for example, has increased from 17 percent to 33 percent since 2001."
And find ...
YOUR GOVERNMENT FAILED YOU:
Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters
By Richard A. Clarke
358 pp. Ecco $25.95
... on Amazon via this link.
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