CIAO DATE: 10/2013
Volume: 128, Issue: 3
Fall 2013
The Islamist Moment: From Islamic State to Civil Islam? (PDF)
Fawaz A. Gerges
FAWAZ A. GERGES discusses the rise to power of Islamist parties in the Middle East after the Arab Spring. He argues that the political future of Islamists will depend on whether they meet the rising expectations of the Arab public. He concludes that if the Islamists fail to deliver local public goods, the voters and society will turn against them.
Elusive Victories: The American Presidency at War, Andrew Polsky (PDF)
William G. Howell
American wars waged by American presidents have come at such great cost. Repeatedly, our commanders‐in‐chief have failed to deliver on their inflated promises when deploying troops abroad. The events of war regularly have overtaken even the most‐meticulous planning, hemming in the military and frustrating civilian commanders. When choosing and then conducting wars, presidents have either ignored or misinterpreted historical precedents. Fixated on the prerequisites of victory, meanwhile, presidents have not planned ade- quately for the peace, and have then watched the unraveling of their wartime accomplishments acquired with so much blood and treasure.
David K. Ryden
American conservatism has long been challenged by the simmering tensions between its libertarian and socioreligious wings. In Faith Based, Jason Hackworth examines the merging of these two strands of conservatism into what he calls religious neoliberalism, and the consequent policy impact on American social welfare provision. His central thesis is that neoliberalism— with its “overwhelming emphasis on the individual,” a quasi‐religious belief in the market, and the conviction that the state will only impede both—has limited appeal as a stand‐alone ideology, and can only affect policy when attached to other movements that legitimize it and amplify its influence. Since the Reagan era, one such vehicle has been American evangelicalism. Hackworth weaves together a variety of methods—a reading of National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) policy resolutions, content analysis of Christianity Today, and select case studies of faith‐based welfare provision—to demonstrate how religious rhetoric and theology have been employed to soften the hard‐edged anti‐statism of neoliberalism, thus sanctifying neoliberal attacks on our social welfare system. Hackworth’s ultimate conclusions are nuanced. While neoliberalism and evangelicalism have been mutually reinforcing, Hackworth finds both to be “partial,” and suggests that inherent contradictions will test their long‐term compatibility and limit the future reach of religious neoliberalism.
Michael C. Herron
Every four years, the country is treated to a spectacle wherein presidential candidates engage in year‐long efforts to convince voters of their suitability to occupy the White House. Even though many voters may find presidential campaigns to be excessive, regarding both length and the expenses that they regularly entail, these campaigns provide opportunities for voters to see candidates in varied situations. During campaigns, presidential candidates are regularly on the stump; they confront their competitors directly in debates and indirectly through the media; and they are forced to display management skills as heads of complicated and costly operations.