{"product":{"product_id":"0307460991","title":"Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power","price":"14.71","image_url":"https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Fa45VMbyL._SL500_.jpg","url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307460991"},"comments":[{"body":"It is, and that’s because the only people telling the stories are people like me who bought into the deal at 18 and became disillusioned, or the people people who bought into the war and became even more gung ho.\r\n\r\nGenerally speaking, there just aren’t any Tolkiens or Protest Music from these wars because the writers, artists, and musicians who would normally inspire anti war movements with their experiences because they never had to go in. They’ve all been outsiders looking in.  Shit, most civilians would be hard pressed to identify a combat veteran that they are even friends with.\r\n\r\nI don’t typically like Maddow (really any news “analyst” for that matter), but she does have a great book on the subject \r\n\r\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307460991/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_HK48XB0R41QEYB0JTQ5M","subreddit_name":"antiwork","author":"phenerganandpoprocks"},{"body":"Frankly as far as I can tell there are several arguments being used.\r\n\r\n(1) Our withdrawal from Syria is premature and does not support our long-term geopolitical aims in the Middle East.\r\n\r\n(2) By withdrawing we effectively toss the Kurds under the bus. Of course one could argue this is something they're used to since administrations of both political parties seem to have a habit of tossing them under the bus. \r\n\r\n(3) By withdrawing we are signaling to parties in the Middle East who have used chaos to gain power that they now have a freer hand to operate.\r\n\r\nOf course there are arguments for withdrawing:\r\n\r\n(1) Our presence in the Middle East is antagonizing other foreign powers, and those foreign powers should be the ones who step in to clean up the mess. (\\*cough\\* Saudi Arabia \\*cough\\*)\r\n\r\n(2) Our presence in Syria, specifically, is insensitive to Russia's own ties to Syria. (Keep in mind that at some level, Syria is to Russia what Israel is to the United States.) And that creates a lot of opportunities to turn Syria into a proxy war between the United States and Russia.\r\n\r\n(3) Our principle stated geopolitical goal for being in Syria was to destroy ISIS and other terrorist groups operating from there--and if their functionality has indeed been reduced, we have no reason to be there. (And it's not like we can't go back if they resume operations.)\r\n\r\n----\r\n\r\nAll of these reasons (and I'm sure there are others) seem valid to me regardless of which administration is in the White House. And you see both sides of the aisle making both sets of arguments, with Democrats praising the withdrawal and Republicans being outraged by it.\r\n\r\nThe problem, however, is that we're seeing a new reason which is causing a lot of folks to speak up in ways that just hurt my brain:\r\n\r\n\u0026gt; \"Orange Man Bad.\"\r\n\r\nAnd I don't use that phrase lightly. \r\n\r\nThere have been a lot of folks in the media who have come out against Trump's withdrawing troops from Syria--who have been screaming for the US to withdraw our troops *exactly as Trump is doing.*\r\n\r\nI mean, Rachel Maddow [wrote an entire book on the subject,](https://www.amazon.com/Drift-Unmooring-American-Military-Power/dp/0307460991) whose thesis is that America has become quite comfortable in a state of perpetual war, and whose recommendation is for us to start withdrawing from overseas involvements.\r\n\r\nAnd yet what does she tweet when the current White House occupant starts withdrawing troops?\r\n\r\n[That it is wrong, because it plays into the hands of the Russians.](https://www.politicususa.com/2018/12/20/maddow-trump-putin-run-foreign-policy.html)\r\n\r\nUh, WTF???","subreddit_name":"AskAnAmerican","author":"w3woody"},{"body":"https://www.amazon.com/Drift-Unmooring-American-Military-Power/dp/0307460991#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1466976202009\r\n\r\nCan't recommend this one enough.","subreddit_name":"navy","author":"DisgruntledDiggit"},{"body":"I'd suggest [Drift](http://www.amazon.com/Drift-Unmooring-American-Military-Power/dp/0307460991) for general discussion of the military and society. [Plan of Attack](http://www.amazon.com/Plan-Attack-Definitive-Account-Decision/dp/0743255488) provides pretty phenomenal inside reporting on the decision to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. ","subreddit_name":"suggestmeabook","author":"TheDasein"},{"body":"If you found this article interesting, the book *Drift* by Rachel Maddow (the MSNBC host) is a really good piece of writing on the issue.\r\n\r\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Drift-Unmooring-American-Military-Power/dp/0307460991\r\n","subreddit_name":"Military","author":"wiseass781"},{"body":"The only devastation being wrought by Maddow is her endless pontificating--aluminum porn, anyone? And her, \"I have Trump's tax return--more when we come back\".\r\n\r\nThat said, [her book](https://www.amazon.com/Drift-Unmooring-American-Military-Power/dp/0307460991) was excellent.","subreddit_name":"BlueMidterm2018","author":"Quantum_Telegraph"},{"body":"Maddow wrote an [amazing book about the military](https://www.amazon.com/Drift-Unmooring-American-Military-Power/dp/0307460991), but I tell you, I cannot stand her show. She once showed like a minute's worth of chrome porn (shots of chrome ore, processed chrome, etc) when talking about something before she got to the point.\r\n\r\nBut check out the book. Fantastic read.","subreddit_name":"PoliticalHumor","author":"Quantum_Telegraph"},{"body":"This. I highly recommend Rachel Maddow's book [\"Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\"](https://www.amazon.com/Drift-Unmooring-American-Military-Power/dp/0307460991).","subreddit_name":"Liberal","author":"GeminiVI"}]}