Drift
by Rachel Maddow
View on GoodreadsMaddow's first book, arguing that the United States has gradually decoupled the use of military force from democratic deliberation — making war easier to start and harder to stop, with weaker political costs than the framers intended.
Core ideas
- The all-volunteer force, the privatization of military functions, and the rise of standing covert/special-ops capabilities together remove the political friction that used to constrain war-making.
- Reagan-era escalations (Grenada, the contras) and post-9/11 normalization of indefinite operations are treated as continuous, not partisan.
- The fix isn't pacifism — it's restoring the constitutional friction (declarations, taxes, draft, congressional oversight) that makes wars genuinely public decisions.
Published2012
Pages288
ISBN9780307970381
ReadFeb 2023
