Monsters to Destroy: The Neoconservative War on Terror and Sin by Ira Chernus, ISBN 9781594512766

Publisher Description:
This title offers a compelling explanation of the foreign policy choices made by neoconservatives. It looks at the cultural attitudes - fear of change, simplistic notions of 'good' and 'evil' - that are at the root of 'the war on terror'. It shows how the US demonises its opponents - and how this leads to failure at home and abroad. It is essential for politics student who want a sharp cultural analysis. In his new book, "Monsters to Destroy: The Neoconservative War on Terror and Sin", Ira Chernus tackles the question of why U.S. foreign policy, aimed at building national security, has the paradoxical effect of making the country less safe and secure. His answer: The "war on terror" is based not on realistic appraisals of the causes of conflict, but rather on "stories" that neoconservative policy makers tell about human nature and a world divided between absolute good and absolute evil. The root of the stories is these policy makers' terror of the social and cultural changes that swept through U.S. society in the 1960s. George W. Bush and the neoconservatives cast the agents of change not simply as political opponents, but as enemies or sinners acting with evil intent to destroy U.S.values and morals-that is, as "monsters" rather than human beings. The war on terror transfers that plot from a domestic to a foreign stage, making it more appealing even to those who reject the neoconservative agenda at home. Because it does not deal with the real causes of global conflict, it harms rather than helps the goal of greater national security.