Short Synopsis
From the acclaimed creator of the award-winning documentary Why We Fight comes a deeply thought-provoking and revelatory examination of the deepest roots of American war-making and its troubling implications for the fate of American democracy.

Full Synopsis
In his famous farewell address in 1961, President Eisenhower urgently warned Americans to guard against the "disastrous rise of misplaced power" in the leviathan he dubbed the military-industrial complex. As Eugene Jarecki powerfully portrays in this piercing and necessary book, Eisenhower's worst fears have been realized. The complex has grown so large and powerful, with tendrils reaching so wide and deep into our political system, economy, and culture, that it is dramatically undermining our democracy, fueling an excessive militarism and an imperialist impulse that has propelled the United States into a series of horribly misguided military actions—culminating in the Iraq debacle.

Based on extensive interviews with a who's who of high-level insiders from the Beltway, the Pentagon, and the defense sector, as well as in-depth historical research, Jarecki traces the troubling story of the evolution of the complex and how it so forcefully exerts its corrupting influence. Vital listening at this crucial juncture as the nation grapples with the profound challenge of Iraq, Jarecki's penetrating examination is sure to generate wide acclaim and lively debate.

"As timely as today's headlines.... [Jarecki] knows how to ask the important questions, and he keeps asking until he gets the answers." ---Senator Patrick Leahy

"This is what you get when you ask a great film director to write a book. It captures your attention, is engaging, filled with conflict, and brings out your emotions." ---Colonel Michael Meese, United States Military Academy at West Point