Read Online Clear and Present Safety The World Has Never Been Better and Why That Matters to Americans Michael A Cohen Micah Zenko 9780300222555 Books

Product details Hardcover 272 pages Publisher Yale University Press (March 26, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 0300222556

Clear and Present Safety The World Has Never Been Better and Why That Matters to Americans Michael A Cohen Micah Zenko 9780300222555 Books Reviews

• This book forced me to think about the world, the media and DC politicians in a completely different way. The history it provides of foreign policy fearmongering--from the Cold War until today--is persuasive and stunning to read. The costly follow-on policies that have flowed from threat inflation are astounding. So, too, are the examples of simple interventions we could make to policies here at home to greatly improve the lives (and life-spans) of Americans. I read it over a long weekend and couldn't put it down. Read and pass to a friend.
• Clear and Present Safety provides a necessary antidote to the fearmongering we see every day and should be widely read. Lucid and persuasive, Cohen and Zenko marshal impressive data that demonstrate the world has never been better and we've never been safer. Of course, there are still problems that the US and other states must address, and Cohen and Zenko provide a guide on how to think about modern security and the real threats we face in the US, along with sensible ideas about solutions to these problems. Even if you disagree with the book's recommendations, it will force a critical examination of how we should think about threat conception and security.
• This is a deeply-researched book that authoritatively addresses a big and important question why are the lives of people around the world improving, while things are stagnating or declining for many Americans? The authors argue that America’s leaders have made a “strategic misdiagnosis” about the threats and harms facing its citizens. Those threats are overwhelmingly domestic (guns, drugs, obesity, inequality, environment), but politicians still over-focus fighting comparatively minor threats abroad. The alternative post-9/11 chapter was especially impactful. It documents how the trillions spent overseas could have made a much greater difference at home. Overall, this is an insightful, well-researched, and thoughtful book that sparks interesting conversation.