Monsters to Destroy: The Neoconservative War on Terror and Sin

by Chernus,Ira

• ISBN13: 9781594512766
• ISBN10: 1594512760
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2006-09-15
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

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 'œwar on terror' is based not on realistic appraisals of the causes of conflict, but rather on 'œstories' that neoconservative policymakers tell about human nature and a world divided between absolute good and absolute evil. The root of the stories is these policymakers' 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 'œmonsters' 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.

Author Biography

Ira Chernus is Professor of Religous Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he also served as Codirector of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Conservative Moralist Stories
Neoconservative Stories: The '60s and the Cold War	p. 17
Neoconservative Stories: After the Cold War	p. 39
George W. Bush: The Character Story	p. 61
George W. Bush: The Faith Story	p. 69
George W. Bush: The Culture Story	p. 85
Conservative Moralism: The Quest for Certainty	p. 95
The War on Terrorism Stories
The Neoconservative Response to 9/11	p. 115
George W. Bush's War on Terrorism Story	p. 121
The Neoconservative War on Terrorism Story	p. 143
The "Axis of Evil" and the Will of God	p. 151
The Freedom Story and the National Security Strategy of the United States	p. 163
The Public Response
Evangelical Christians and the Election of 2004	p. 185
The Liberal Internationalists	p. 195
The Public and the War on Terrorism	p. 205
Conclusion: A Different Story	p. 217
Bibliography	p. 227
Index	p. 239
About the Author	p. 245
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