Masters of Illusion: American Leadership in the Media Age

by Steven Rosefielde , D. Quinn Mills

• ISBN13: 9780521857444
• ISBN10: 0521857449
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-12-26
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The United States will confront a series of fundamental challenges through the middle of the twenty-first century. Using a theory of economic systems to gauge present and future global conflicts, Steven Rosefielde and D. Quinn Mills see the challenges as posed sequentially by terrorism, Russia, China, and the European Union. In the cases of terrorism, Russia, and China, Western leaders appreciate aspects of these perils, but they are crafting unduly soft policies to deal with the challenges. The authors believe that 'globalists' notwithstanding, such views are myopic in an era where nuclear proliferation has invalidated the concept of mutually assured destruction. What America requires is a new security concept that the authors call 'strategic independence' to enable keeping the peace in dangerous times and foster new generations of leaders capable of acting sanely despite a current public culture addicted to wishful thinking.

Table of Contents

Part I. National Security in the New Age: 1. A world wounded

2. Long-term economic realism

Part II. American Public Culture and the World: 3. 'Smooth comforts false' - the illusions that confuse us

4. Towers of illusion: dysfunctional behaviors

5. Mythomaniacs: the sources of our illusions

Part III. American Public Culture and Ourselves: 6. Champions of freedom or imperialists: how we're perceived

7. We're different now

Part IV. The Reconfiguration of National Wealth and Power: 8. The economic roots of American power

9. Economic disparities amongst nations

10. Geopolitical aspirations of the nations

Part V. Vortexes of Danger: 11. A Witch's brew of troubles: the next big wars

12. The Middle East

Part VI. The American Response: 13. Strategic independence: an ounce of prevention

14. America as mature superpower

Part VII. Leading Toward Peace: 15. The dangers of overreach

16. The transatlantic trap

17. The middle course

Part VIII. American Presidential Leadership: 18. How public culture inhibits presidential leadership

19. Choosing a great president

20. Masters of illusions

Endnotes.