Plot

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

He may have been the ultimate icon of 1950s conformity and postwar complacency, but Dwight D. Eisenhower was an iconoclast, visionary, and the Cassandra of the New World Order. Upon departing his presidency, Eisenhower issued a stern, cogent warning about the burgeoning "military industrial complex," foretelling with ominous clarity the state of the world in 2004 with its incestuous entanglement of political, corporate, and Defense Department interests.—Ørnås

A documentary that examines America's policies regarding making war, most recently the Iraq war and what is termed "the Bush doctrine" that includes pre-emptive strikes. The author suggests that this policy has been in the works for many years, reviewing past wars in the 20th century. A variety of individuals are asked "Why We Fight?" with, predictably, a variety of answers. This is followed by a look at today's U.S. military/industrial complex via interviews with individuals involved with it.