The War at Home: The Domestic Costs of Bush's Militarism

A look at the hidden cost of the Iraq war by the preeminent social scientist.

The release of The War at Home helped turn the spotlight back to the home front, focusing attention on the domestic causes and consequences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The subject of much attention upon its initial release, this sharp, incisive volume reveals the extent to which ordinary Americans, as well as Iraqis and Afghanis, are the victims of the Bush administration's warmongering.

Frances Fox Piven, one of the country's most celebrated political thinkers, explores the internal fallout of America's most recent military conflicts. Her trenchant exploration puts America's latest military involvement in historical context, revealing the way in which the current wars violate the lessons of history. While previous conflicts have led governments to compensate citizens for costly sacrifices in blood and money with progressive social programs at home, the Bush administration has rolled back democratic rights and slashed taxes for the rich, even reducing some veterans' benefits.

With an analysis of the way in which war has propped up American rulers, The War at Home makes sense of the Bush administration's military adventures abroad in the context of current domestic policy.