The Baroque Arsenal
"Modern military technology is not advanced," Mary Kaldor writes on the first page; "it is decadent." This theme pervades a book which sees weapons, rather than their users or the incentives for acquisition, as the culprit. Today's overly sophisticated arms are viewed as remote from military and economic reality: they are often incapable of achieving even limited military objectives, and they erode the economies of the United States and other nations-both arms producers and buyers. Many will find this perspective overly simple and apolitical, but the author's intellectual verve and courage are to be admired.
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