Anatomy of a Habit: America's Unnecessary Wars

摘要

The manner in which and the reasons for which the United States went to war against Iraq in 2003 do not represent a radical departure from the past. American history shows that the United States has had a strong propensity to become involved in unnecessary wars. These wars share some common characteristics: they were justified in the name of America's presumed historical mission; they were entered into on the basis of false premises; a relatively small 'war party' was indispensable to the decision to go to war; the two-party democratic competition frequently acted as a stimulus to military action; and the wars exhibit a kind of 'law of unintended consequences'.