| The American Trajectory: Divine or Demonic? Contributor(s): Griffin, David Ray (Author) |
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ISBN: 0998694797 ISBN-13: 9780998694795 Publisher: Clarity Press OUR PRICE: $26.96 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - 20th Century - Political Science | Imperialism - History | Military - General |
| Dewey: 973.9 |
| LCCN: 2018004815 |
| Physical Information: 1.2" H x 5.9" W x 8.9" (1.20 lbs) 409 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 20th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In The American Trajectory: Divine or Demonic? David Ray Griffin traces the trajectory of the American Empire from its founding through to the end of the 20th century. A prequel to Griffin's Bush and Cheney, this book demonstrates with many examples the falsity of the claim for American exceptionalism, a secular version of the old idea that America has been divinely founded and guided. The Introduction illustrates the claims for divine providence and American exceptionalism from George Washington to the book Exceptional by Dick and Liz Cheney. After pointing out that the idea that America is an empire is no longer controversial, it then contrasts those who consider it benign with those who consider it malign. The remainder of the book supports the latter point of view. The American Trajectory contains many episodes that many readers will find surprising: * The sinking of the Lusitania was anticipated, both by Churchill and Wilson, as a means of inducing America's entry into World War I; * The attack on Pearl Harbor was neither unprovoked nor a surprise; * During the "Good War" the US government plotted and played politics with a view to becoming the dominant empire; * There was no need to drop atomic bombs on Japan either to win the war or to save American lives; * US decisions were central to the inability of the League of Nations and the United Nations to prevent war; * The United States was more responsible than the Soviet Union for the Cold War; * The Vietnam War was far from the only US military adventure during the Cold War that killed great numbers of civilians; * The US government organized false flag attacks that deliberately killed Europeans; and * America's military interventions after the dissolution of the Soviet Union taught some conservatives (such as Andrew Bacevich and Chalmers Johnson) that the US interventions during the Cold War were not primarily defensive. The conclusion deals with the question of how knowledge by citizens of how the American Empire has behaved could make America better and how America, which had long thought of itself as the Redeemer Nation, might redeem itself. |
Contributor Bio(s): Griffin, David Ray: - David Ray Griffin is Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Theology, Emeritus, Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University (1973-2004); Co-Director, Center for Process Studies. He edited the SUNY Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought (1987-2004), which published 31 volumes. He has written 30 books, edited 13 books, and authored 250 articles and chapters. His most recent books are Bush and Cheney: How They Ruined America and the World and UNPRECEDENTED: Can Humanity Survive the CO2 Crisis? |