Welcome to my blog concerning Trapped in the War on Terror. As I analyze it, the War on Terror is a kind of perpetual motion machine fueled by self-interested agendas recast as patriotic duty and national security imperative.
Invented by the cabal that brought us into Iraq, the War on Terror has taken on a life of its own that is dragging America toward a trillion dollars worth of irrationality, while warping our political life, preventing sensible debate about real security threats, and endangering our civil liberties.
The operation and growth of the War on Terror is sustained by fundamental irrationalities and bizarre but false beliefs that prevent it from being effectively criticized. The press and the universities, themselves benefiting immensely from opportunities for sensationalist coverage and counterterrorism funding, have largely failed in their duty to ask if this particular emperor is wearing any clothes.
But if readers of my book respond to my argument and the evidence I present by asking pointed questions about the War on Terror, about whether it is required or even useful, and if the press and politicians begin to have to answer those questions, then perhaps we can escape from its clutches.
I therefore look forward eagerly to reading and responding to reader comments and ideas. I also encourage readers to use the blog-spot on this site to post examples they have noticed of how the War on Terror encourages counter-terrorist "bridges to nowhere"--projects and funding requests or justifications for political support based on spinning self-interest into activities advanced as "crucial in the War on Terror."
Ian Lustick
