The Pathologies Of Power (Hard Cover)

"Fettweis explores how fear, honor, glory, and hubris can lead to for eign policy disasters, such as the war in Iraq. Skillfully combining real ism and political psychology, this engaging book seeks to overthrow influential and enduring American beliefs and, just maybe, prevent future wars."
– Jon Mercer, University of Washington
The foreign policy of the United States is guided by deeply held beliefs, I few of which are recognized, much less subjected to rational analysis, Christopher J. Fettweis writes in this, his third book. He identifies the foundations of those beliefs - fear, honor, glory, and hubris - and explains how they have inspired poor strategic decisions in Washington. He then proceeds to discuss their origins. The author analyzes recent foreign policy mistakes, including the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Vietnam war, and the Iraq war, and he considers the decision-making process behind them, as well as the beliefs inspiring those decisions. The American government's strategic performance, Professor Fettweis argues, can be improved if these pathologi cal beliefs are acknowledged and eliminated.
Christopher J. Fettweis is an associate professor of political science at Tulane University. He is the author of Dangerous Times?: The International Politics of Great Power Peace (2010) and Losing Hurts Twice as Bad: The Four Stages to Moving Beyond Iraq (2008).

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS