Twilight of the American Century - Softcover

Bacevich, Andrew J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0268104867 ISBN 13: 9780268104863

Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press, 2018

Synopsis

Andrew Bacevich is a leading American public intellectual, writing in the fields of culture and politics with particular attention to war and America’s role in the world. Twilight of the American Century is a collection of his selected essays written since 9/11. In these essays, Bacevich critically examines the U.S. response to the events of September 2001, as they have played out in the years since, radically affecting the way Americans see themselves and their nation’s place in the world.

Bacevich is the author of nearly a dozen books and contributes to a wide variety of publications, including Foreign Affairs, The Nation, Commonweal, Harper’s, and the London Review of Books. His op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, among other newspapers. Prior to becoming an academic, he was a professional soldier. His experience as an Army officer informs his abiding concern regarding the misuse of American military power and the shortcomings of the U.S. military system. As a historian, he has tried to see the past differently, thereby making it usable to the present.

Bacevich combines the perspective of a scholar with the background of a practitioner. His views defy neat categorization as either liberal or conservative. He belongs to no “school.” His voice and his views are distinctive, provocative, and refreshing. Those with a focus on political and cultural developments and who have a critical interest in America's role in the world will be keenly interested in this book.

About this title

About the Author:

Andrew Bacevich is professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University and is the author of numerous books, including America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History.

Review:

"Bacevich is a prolific writer and academic, and policy-oriented scholars in diplomatic history, international relations, and security studies are well aware of the books he has published since 9/11. He speaks with the authority of an experienced practitioner as well as and academic theorist. But this collection will alert even experts in those fields to numerous essays, commentaries, op-eds, and blog posts he has produced over the past 15 years." (Walter McDougall, Alloy-Ansin Professor of International Relations, University of Pennsylvania)

"The histories of empires and the histories of war are generally written by the winner to put themselves in a positive light. It has been difficult for the U.S. empire to maintain their facade of goodness for their endeavors after World War II, and even more significantly after 9/11. In Twilight of the American Century, a selection of his own collected writings, Andrew J. Bacevich reveals the contradictions between what is said about U.S. actions―either as anticipation or as definition―and the results of such actions. In essence, the rationalizations, the hubris, and the arrogance do not match up with the lack of accomplishments, the latter themselves ill-defined." (The Palestine Chronicle)

"This book is very unique in both its scope and in the positions that Bacevich takes on these very important issues impacting the United States and its relations with the outside world." (Philip E. Muehlenbeck, George Washington University)

“[Bacevich’s] writing transcends easy categorization. . . . The title suggests that the book will join the ranks of many recent works documenting the decline of American hegemony. (Law and Religion Forum)

“I read everything written by Andrew Bacevich with a maniacal obsession. His work provides a glimmer of hope for a return to realist sanity in American foreign policy. . . . Bacevich speaks the truths many Americans, and all their leaders, refuse to face.” (University Bookman)

“After more than 20 years of active service as a U.S. Army officer, Andrew J. Bacevich taught history and international relations at Boston University, where he is now an emeritus professor. His new book, Twilight of the American Century, examines the ambitions and failures of America’s foreign policy.” (The American Scholar)

"Since he left the US Army and thrust himself into the world of polemical journalism, Andrew Bacevich has distinguished himself with his toughness of mind, forcefulness of expression, and clear-eyed realism. All are displayed in this muscular volume of collected works―along with a bonus: an enlightening and touching autobiographical essay that lays bare much of the origin of his thinking." (Robert W. Merry, author of President McKinley: Architect of the American Century)

“ Twilight of the American Century is a profoundly intellectual, provocative work. It will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of both Democrats and Republicans. The book is a tough-minded call for liberals and conservatives to come together to ‘repair our democracy’ in the post-Vietnam War, post-Cold War, post-9/11 era.” (The VVA Veteran)

"In his new collection, Twilight of the American Century, Andrew Bacevich . . . an unsurpassed chronicler of America’s misadventures in the Middle East, turns his eye to Washington’s self-anointed elite. . . . Bacevich is at his best when he focuses on how America sees itself and how that distorted self-image affects its relations with the rest of the world." (The Nation)

"Andrew Bacevich is one of the sanest, most articulate, and most courageous voices in American public life today. A true conservative, he is a powerful critic of imperialism in the tradition of Christopher Lasch and Wiliam Appleman Williams―both of whom he discusses compellingly in this indispensable book. Twilight of the American Century reveals the wide range and undiminished vitality of his thought." (Jackson Lears, Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of History, Rutgers University)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0268104867
• ISBN 13: 9780268104863
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 504