Masters of Illusion
American Leadership in the Media Age

Assesses the forces that will buffet the United States and the global order through 2050.

Steven Rosefielde (Author), D. Quinn Mills (Author)

9780521857444, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 December 2006

568 pages
23.8 x 16.1 x 3.7 cm, 0.895 kg

"Coming from outside the mainstream of conventional political-science discussions, Rosefielde and Mills offer what might be called a post-neoconservative book: Rejecting both the Bush Administration’s neoconservative foreign and defense policies and the liberal alternatives, the authors advocate a strategic posture which they argue is ’best in future prospect for ourselves and the world.’"
J. Peter Pham, director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University, The National Interest

The United States will confront a series of fundamental challenges through the middle of the twenty-first century. Using a theory of economic systems to gauge present and future global conflicts, Steven Rosefielde and D. Quinn Mills see the challenges as posed sequentially by terrorism, Russia, China, and the European Union. In the cases of terrorism, Russia, and China, Western leaders appreciate aspects of these perils, but they are crafting unduly soft policies to deal with the challenges. The authors believe that 'globalists' notwithstanding, such views are myopic in an era where nuclear proliferation has invalidated the concept of mutually assured destruction. What America requires is a new security concept that the authors call 'strategic independence' to enable keeping the peace in dangerous times and foster new generations of leaders capable of acting sanely despite a current public culture addicted to wishful thinking.

Part I. National Security in the New Age: 1. A world wounded
2. Long-term economic realism
Part II. American Public Culture and the World: 3. 'Smooth comforts false' - the illusions that confuse us
4. Towers of illusion: dysfunctional behaviors
5. Mythomaniacs: the sources of our illusions
Part III. American Public Culture and Ourselves: 6. Champions of freedom or imperialists: how we're perceived
7. We're different now
Part IV. The Reconfiguration of National Wealth and Power: 8. The economic roots of American power
9. Economic disparities amongst nations
10. Geopolitical aspirations of the nations
Part V. Vortexes of Danger: 11. A Witch's brew of troubles: the next big wars
12. The Middle East
Part VI. The American Response: 13. Strategic independence: an ounce of prevention
14. America as mature superpower
Part VII. Leading Toward Peace: 15. The dangers of overreach
16. The transatlantic trap
17. The middle course
Part VIII. American Presidential Leadership: 18. How public culture inhibits presidential leadership
19. Choosing a great president
20. Masters of illusions
Endnotes.

Subject Areas: Economic systems & structures [KCS], Political leaders & leadership [JPHL], Politics & government [JP], Regional studies [GTB]