Arcadia Public Library

"For most of its history, the United States avoided making political and military commitments that would entangle it in European-style power politics. Then, suddenly, it conceived a new role for itself as the world's armed superpower-and never looked back. In Tomorrow, the World, Stephen Wertheim traces America's transformation to the crucible of World War II, especially in the months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. As the Nazis conquered France,...

"Since the end of the Cold War, the global perception of the United States has progressively morphed from dominant international leader to disorganized entity, seemingly unwilling to accept the mantle of leadership or unable to govern itself effectively. Robert Gates argues that this transformation is the result of the failure of political leaders to understand the complexity of American power, its expansiveness, and its limitations. He makes clear...

The page-turning, inside account of how two kids from Florida became big-time weapons traders--and how the US government turned on them. In January of 2007, two young stoners from Miami Beach--one a ninth grade dropout, the other a licensed masseur--won a $300 million Department of Defense contract to supply ammunition to the Afghanistan military. Incredibly, instead of fulfilling the order with high-quality arms, Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz--the...

In the spring of 2017, the U.S. economy is rebounding under President Stacy Anne Barbeau, the country's first female president. But her leadership is about to be severely tested: Russian president Gennadiy Gryzlov has sent Special Troops, disguised as pro-Russian activists, into Ukraine and Moldova. Though NATO is outraged, its response is tepid. Refusing to let Russian aggression go unpunished, former U.S. president Kevin Martindale approaches Polish...

A scholar of international relations outlines compelling arguments in favor of America's enduring relevance and why an active military presence is essential to preserving and enforcing the nation's foreign policies.

Describes how Franklin D. Roosevelt quietly used his power and all the tools he had to assist Winston Churchill in fighting the Axis long before the United States' official entry into World War II. --

In this important, powerful, and timely lecture, Amy Goodman - independent journalist and host of the popular radio show Democracy Now! - speaks about the corporate media's coverage of the 2003 Iraq War. She discusses the way that the U.S. media downplayed civilian causalities and glorified military combat, and she asks her audience to consider the costs of coverage that is both sanitized and sensationalized. At the core of her lecture is a deep commitment...

CIA torture, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and other examples of U.S. military abuse, have a history. A key part of it is revealed in Father Roy: Inside the School of Assassins. Through his extraordinary life and daring actions we learn about Fr. Roy Bourgeois and his struggle to find and reveal the truth about the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA), and growing efforts by grassroots activists and Congress to shut it down. PBS "Global Voices"...