The Spoils of War

Praise

“Nothing I have read for years has so reoriented, even revolutionized, my thinking about the corporate/political forces that underly our constructing and ‘modernizing’ a doomsday machine, the subject of my own life’s work I am urging everyone to read this book.”
—Daniel Ellsberg, author of The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner

“[Cockburn] possesses a uniquely detailed knowledge of the arcane, lucrative machinations of this world, as well as a deep historical understanding of the forces that built it. And while the specifics change, the stories he tells all have the same shocking moral.”
—Jon Schwarz, The Intercept

“This is robust, old-fashioned progressive, polemical journalism … Cockburn describes some shocking practices, and provides valuable critiques—for example, of the over-reliance on sanctions as a coercive instrument.”
—Lawrence Freedman, New Statesman

“A devastatingly convincing account of the runaway nature of a powerful grouping of interests—the defence, intelligence and financial sectors in the US.”
—Mary Kaldor, openDemocracy

“An accessible yet forensic account of not only why runaway military spending is wrong, but how.”
—Ed O’Loughlin, Irish Times

“A withering exposé reveals the insatiable and squalid profit motive that drives the US military apparatus—the largest in modern history.”
—Morning Star

“Corruption is the recurring theme that runs through the US journalist Andrew Cockburn’s brilliant journalism collected in The Spoils of War.”
—Richard Norton-Taylor, Declassified UK

“Painfully and presciently relevant to today’s issues … In another time, the kind of work that Cockburn has done for Spoils of War would gather nominations for prizes and placement on bestseller lists.”
—Winslow T. Wheeler, Real Clear Defense

“Informative and entertaining.”
—Mike Phipps, Labour Hub

“Cockburn presents a damning account of America’s military-industrial complex, culled from his best work over a decade on the paradoxical nature of American military power … Spoils of War is a meticulously researched book that presents a critical perspective on the ‘American War Machine.’”
—Marc Martorell Junyent, Responsible Statecraft