The Emergency State: America's Pursuit of Absolute Security at All Costs

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The Emergency State: America's Pursuit of Absolute Security at All Costs

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 19 ratings · 4 reviews

Editor’s Choice, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

�Ambitious and valuable” --WASHINGTON POST

America is trapped in a state of war that has consumed our national life since before Pearl Harbor. Over seven decades and several bloody wars, Democratic and Republican politicians alike have assembled an increasing complicated—and increasingly ineffective—network of security services....more Editor’s Choice, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

�Ambitious and valuable” --WASHINGTON POST

America is trapped in a state of war that has consumed our national life since before Pearl Harbor. Over seven decades and several bloody wars, Democratic and Republican politicians alike have assembled an increasing complicated—and increasingly ineffective—network of security services. Trillions of tax dollars have been diverted from essential domestic needs while the Pentagon created a worldwide web of military bases, inventing new American security interests where none previously existed. Yet this pursuit has not only damaged our democratic institutions and undermined our economic strength—it has fundamentally failed to make us safer.

In The Emergency State, senior New York Times journalist David C. Unger reveals the hidden costs of America’s obsessive pursuit of absolute national security, showing how this narrow-minded emphasis on security came to distort our political life. Unger reminds us that in the first 150 years of the American republic the U.S. valued limited military intervention abroad, along with the checks and balances put in place by the founding fathers. Yet American history took a sharp turn during and just after World War II, when we began building a vast and cumbersome complex of national security institutions and beliefs. Originally designed to wage hot war against Germany and cold war against the Soviet Union, our security bureaucracy has become remarkably ineffective at confronting the elusive, non-state sponsored threats we now face.

The Emergency State traces a series of missed opportunities—from the end of World War II to the election of Barack Obama—when we could have paused to rethink our defense strategy and didn’t. We have ultimately failed to dismantle our outdated national security state because both parties are equally responsible for its expansion. While countless books have exposed the damage wrought by George W. Bush's "war on terror," Unger shows it was only the natural culmination of decades of bipartisan emergency state logic—and argues that Obama, along with many previous Democratic presidents, has failed to shift course in any meaningful way.

The Emergency State: America’s Pursuit of Absolute Security At All Costs reveals the depth of folly into which we’ve fallen, as Americans eagerly trade away the country’s greatest strengths for a fleeting illusion of safety. Provocative, insightful, and refreshingly nonpartisan, The Emergency State is the definitive untold story of how America became this vulnerable—and how it can build true security again.(less)

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published February 16th 2012 by Penguin Press HC, The

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Apr 02, 2012 Roger DeBlanck rated it 3 of 5 stars

Unger offers a crisp, clear, and well-constructed evaluation of how the United States largely created its own dilemmas in foreign policy. He claims that over the past century these mistakes have, consequently, forced America into a perpetual and unnecessary mentality of alarm, requiring defense and protection at any cost. The entire premise of Unger’s book is based on the notion that in hindsight every decision and outcome takes on more clarity about how and why certain events in history transpi...more Unger offers a crisp, clear, and well-constructed evaluation of how the United States largely created its own dilemmas in foreign policy. He claims that over the past century these mistakes have, consequently, forced America into a perpetual and unnecessary mentality of alarm, requiring defense and protection at any cost. The entire premise of Unger’s book is based on the notion that in hindsight every decision and outcome takes on more clarity about how and why certain events in history transpired, and that certain events could have been carried out differently and, therefore, prevented world catastrophes and the predicament American finds itself with policing the world. For example, he assesses how Wilson initiated the groundwork for abuses of power during his presidency. He then proceeds to assess how FDR followed suit and overstepped his executive authority by shortcutting constitutional laws in order to aid and abet Great Britain during the early years of the war. These arguments are true in a vacuum, but in the sweeping, tumultuous context of history and the world twice at war, did not Wilson and FDR try to keep America out of the conflicts? Did they not want peace? By the next chapter, Unger works ahead to Truman and claims that the Cold War and the emergency state began at the precise moment when Truman failed to reconcile with Stalin over postwar control of Germany and Europe. He criticizes Wilson and FDR’s undermining of power as essentially preparing the stage for Truman to proceed with misguided doctrines in the postwar world, yet a few pages later he argues that had FDR lived he would not have allowed the emergency state to continue. This type of reinvented evaluation of history comprises the book up to the modern day. It is curious and can be interesting, and Unger can be praised for providing a nuanced exploration of historical events and circumstances. His ideas, however, become less convincing due to the glaring fact that his chief device is to argue against what happened in history in favor of pointing out choices and circumstances that he predicts would have prevented future turmoil and entanglements had they been undertaken. The unfortunate result: a mindset in America that nurtures a formulated, perpetual “emergency state.” Unger’s ideas are valuable for their obvious concern that American can and must do better. That is an assessment that few, including myself, are in disagreement. In his last chapter, Unger outlines a course of actions and practices that can help America for the future. This may be his strongest contribution. At heart, even with its intent to magnify what went wrong, this is an optimistic book about how we can think about making things right.(less)

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Sep 22, 2012 Linda Larson kemp rated it 5 of 5 stars

A must read for everyone.

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Jan 19, 2013 Rflutist rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is an excellent review of recent American history, written with the slant of the demise of democracy. Whether or not you agree with the author's assessment or viewpoint, you'll fill in any gaps on your knowledge of history. The books points are well-researched and footnotes direct the reader to further articles and points of interest. I'd give this book a 4 1/2. It is not speed reading; take the time to read it when you have the time to pay attention and absorb its message.

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Jul 08, 2012 Frances Dinger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-borrowed

Very thorough, but occasionally redundant. Still, a good exploration of how even peacetime presidents have retained wartime powers and how that has affected constitutional democracy, international affairs, and the American economy.

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