The Forty Years War

by Len Colodny, Tom Shachtman

s/t: The Neocon Ascendancy from Nixon's Fall to the Invasion of Iraq

In this groundbreaking book, renowned investigative writers Len Colodny and Tom Shachtman chronicle the little-understood evolution of the neoconservative movement—from its birth as a rogue insurgency in the Nixon White House through its ascent to full and controversial control of America's foreign policy in the Bush years, to its repudiation with the election of Barack Obama in 2008. In eye-opening detail, The Forty Years War documents the neocons' four-decade campaign to seize the reins of American foreign policy: the undermining of Richard Nixon's outreach to the Communist bloc nations; the success at halting dÉtente during the Ford and Carter years; the uneasy but effectual alliance with Ronald Reagan; and the determined, and ultimately successful, campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein—no matter the cost.

Drawing upon recently declassified documents, hundreds of hours of interviews, and long-obscured White House tapes, The Forty Years War delves into the political and intellectual development of some of the most fascinating political figures of the last four decades. It describes the complex, three-way relationship of Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, and Alexander Haig, and unravels the actions of Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Richard Perle, and Paul Wolfowitz over the course of seven presidencies. And it reveals the role of the mysterious Pentagon official Fritz Kraemer, a monocle-wearing German expatriate whose unshakable faith in military power, distrust of diplomacy, moralistic faith in American goodness, and warnings against "provocative weakness" made him the hidden geopolitical godfather of the neocon movement. The authors' insights into Kraemer's influence on protÉgÉs such as Kissinger and Haig—and later on Rumsfeld and the neocons—will change the public understanding of the conduct of government in our time.

Both a work of courageous journalistic investigation and a revisionist history of U.S. foreign policy, The Forty Years War is a must-read for anyone interested in America's standing in the world—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, The United States Of America, Conspiracy Theories, United States

512 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2009

Reviews

[Baxter Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can basically skip the quarter of the book where the author talks about watergate

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

A ton of names and events get thrown at you (a full third of the book about Nixon and Watergate) in order to prove a point about Fritz Kramer and the neocon agenda. The same point could have been made with less detail and more analysis.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forty Years war covers the rise of the Neocons that came about under Nixon and rose to prominence under Bush 43 with Cheney and Rumsfeld. As with every great story in history this one needs a villain and the villain here is Fritz Kramer the mastermind of neoconservative thought. His believe that preemptive action (so long as moral high ground was not sacrificed) was a way of battle and his tutelage of everyone from Kissinger to Haig to Schlesinger helped foment this policy in the hearts and minds of the neocons. With the opening of China and détente with Russia the neocon movement was born and Nixon’s failure at Watergate gave the opening needed to launch the wing of the party that would come to rise under Reagan and into full power with Bush 43. Len Colodny and Tom Schacthman provide a thorough analysis of how neocon beliefs were formed and how their rise and eventual decline happened. It starts to explain how the Republican party got to where it is today from the militarist perspective although it does not cover the rise of the religious right focusing primarily on the neocon movement. There is little out there on the subject and this does the best job of clearly defining and explaining how the neocons came to power. It is an essential piece of the puzzle if you want to understand how the Republican Party got to where it is today.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding books. Almost reads like a conspiracy theory book in the way it links together events in history that you didn't not know were linked. Authors are legit though and the subject matter is pretty important for understanding our current political climate.

[John Burnett]

Danger Room guy's dad.

[Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and detailed examination of the past forty years of the neocons and the abuse of power that occurred during most every administration starting.

[Bobbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written and tremendously informative.

[Ann Cardwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting behind the scenes look at the rise of the neocons. Most informative.................and a bit scary.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of the Neo-Con movement in foreign policy.

[Sharon Beers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting overview of the backgrounds and ideology of the most prominent neocons.

[Terry]

Excellent