The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism

Ismael Hossein-zadeh

Palgrave Macmillan, Aug 6, 2006 - Political Science - 296 pages

This wide-ranging, interdisciplinary analysis blends history, economics, and politics to challenge most of the prevailing accounts of the rise of U.S. militarism. While acknowledging the contributory role of some of the most widely-cited culprits (big oil, neoconservative ideology, the Zionist lobby, and President Bush’s world outlook), this study explores the bigger, but largely submerged, picture: the political economy of war and militarism. The study is unique not only for its thorough examination of the economics of military spending, but also for its careful analysis of a series of closely related topics (petroleum, geopolitics, imperialism, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, the war in Iraq, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict) that may appear as digressions but, in fact, help shed more light on the main investigation.

What people are saying

Review: The Political Economy of US Militarism

User Review  - Tom - Goodreads

4 1/2 stars. This is a sustained and detailed analysis of America's "parasitic militarism" (written from a Marxist perspective) that largely hits the mark. It's a must-read for anyone looking to ...

Review: The Political Economy of US Militarism

User Review  - Mark - Goodreads

A good overview of the history of the military-industrial complex and how it has spiralled completely out of control. Some major themes get repeated a bit too much from chapter to chapter but overall ...

About the author

Ismael Hossein-zadeh is Professor of Economics at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He has previously published one book, Soviet Non-Capitalist Development: The Case of Nasser's Egypt (1989), and a number of papers on significant topics. Those topics include long waves of economic expansion and decline, economic crises and restructuring policies, currency-trade relations, NAFTA and labor, Third World debt, determinants of presidential economic policies, the political economy of war and military spending, and the roots of conflict between the Muslim world and the West.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism
• Author: Ismael Hossein-zadeh
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006
• ISBN: 1403972850, 9781403972859
• Length: 296 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / International Relations / General; Political Science / Political Economy; Political Science / Public Policy / Economic Policy; Political Science / Security (National & International)