October 30, 2008 7:31PM 

# The American Way of War 

By [Benjamin H. Friedman](https://www.cato.org/people/benjamin-friedman) 

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On [TPM Cafe](http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/), a part of the Talking Points Memo media empire, I’m in a week-long discussion of a new book, [*The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men and a Republic in Peril*](http://www.amazon.com/American-Way-War-Missiles-Misguided/dp/1416544569), which oddly takes the title of the Russell Weigley [classic](http://www.amazon.com/American-Way-War-Military-Strategy/dp/025328029X) without acknowledgement.

The other participants are the author, Eugene Jarecki, who directed [*Why We Fight*](http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/), Greg Mitchell, editor of *Editor &amp; Publisher*, Andrew Bacevich, the Boston University professor, Joe Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, and Naomi Wolf. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, is supposed to show up, but hasn’t yet.

I can’t recommend that you read the book, but I do recommend the [discussion](http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/tpmcafe-book-club/), especially if you’re interested in military-industrial complexes.

##### Related Tags 

[Defense and Foreign Policy](https://www.cato.org/defense-foreign-policy) 

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