Synopses & Reviews
With the costs of war dominating our economic news and discussions, Paul Poasts new text is a needed, relevant and thought-provoking new offering. Written in an extremely accessible manner, the book is an interesting addition to a course at any level. The books low price makes it a perfect complement to a Principles text, a Social Issues book, or any upper-level course on war or international security into which an instructor would like to add some economic data or theory.
Table of Contents
UNIT I: The Economic Impact of WarChapter 1: The War Economy in Theory1.1 Introduction1.2 The Iron Law of War1.3 Four Point Scheme for Evaluating the Economic Effects of War1.4 Key PointsChapter 2: The War Economy in Reality: Case Studies of Major Wars2.1 Introduction2.2 Cases That Support the Iron Law of War (World War I, World War Ii, and Korea)2.3 Cases That Do Not Support the Iron Law of War (Vietnam, 1991 Persian Gulf, and Iraq)2.4 Key PointsUNIT II: Modern Military EconomicsChapter 3: Defense Spending and the Economy3.1 Introduction3.2 U.S. Military Expenditures3.3 U.S. Military Expenditures and Macroeconomic Performance3.4 Global Military Expenditures3.5 Exploring the Causes of Militarization3.6 Key PointsChapter 4: Military Labor4.1 Introduction4.2 Comparing Military Manpower4.3 All Volunteer Force (AVF) v. Conscription4.4 Case Study: The Vietnam Transition from Conscription to an AVF4.5 U.S. Military Compensation: Is It Enough?4.6 Private Military Forces/Companies (PMF/PMC)4.7 Key PointsChapter 5: Weapons Procurement5.1 Introduction5.2 Overview of the Arms Market5.3 The Domestic Weapons Market5.4 The Global Weapons Market5.5 Case Study: The Joint Strike Fighter5.6 Key PointsUNIT III: The Economics of Modern Security ThreatsChapter 6: Civil Conflicts in the Developing World6.1 Introduction6.2 Economic Consequences of Civil Wars6.3 Economic Causes of Civil Wars6.4 Case Studies of Conflict And Underdevelopment in Africa6.5 Peace Operations: An Economically Inefficient Response?6.6 Key PointsChapter 7: Terrorism7.1 Introduction7.2 Definition of Terrorism7.3 Incidents and Trends in International Terrorism7.4 Is Terrorism Rational?7.5 Terrorist Financing7.6 Economic Impact of Terrorism7.7 Key PointsChapter 8: Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation8.1 Introduction8.2 Overview of Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear Weapons8.3 Basics of Constructing Nuclear Weapons Material8.4 Demand for Nuclear Weapons8.5 Supply of Nuclear Weapons8.6 Treaties: An Effective Response?8.7 Key Points