How America Got It Right: The U.S. March to Military and Political Supremacy

While some of the media reviews of this book paint it to be "one-sided" or "biased" we have to remember that Bevin Alexander is simply bringing to light the facts that are so often miscontrued or outright ignored in other history books about America...first of them the now predominant "textbook" for history, Howard Zinn's People's History. I suppose you could put Zinn and Alexander together and find a common ground...but of course in Zinn's book, there is not a single source. So it is somewhat ironic that while Zinn's book is praised and adopted for the classroom use by professors, it is little more than a book of opinions and speculation whereas Alexander atleast backs up his opinions with sources and facts. Alexander does believe in America and it is this belief which is sorely lacking in academia these days. We are hyper-critical of our nation almost to a self-destructive level and what Alexander does is to show that America is not some imperial power like Zinn or Chomsky would have you believe. We've made our share of mistakes but also have attempted to correct those mistakes and to prevent them from happening again. The book itself is easy to read and it is neatly divided up into chapters, each dealing with a specific point in American history. It is not intended to paint America as perfect. Indeed, Bevin Alexander is harsh on our decisions, specifically regarding Vietnam and slavery. But the intent of the book is not to be a textbook but is instead intended to show that America has gotten it right more often than not. If you are a student or a parent of a student who has been forced to read the works of Zinn or Chomsky as your textbooks, get this book to act as a much needed counterbalance.

For people who have never read a book from Brevin Alexander this would be a good place to start and from there one should explore the author's other excellecent books. This books enters us onto the American experience into world politics and domination. How it got their and why it will remain their for a long time to come. Let's not make illusions because with great power comes great responsibility and this books shows us what is the US's responsibility and what may happen if this country does not step up to this role. If you seek peace, prepare for war. Some people may be offended by that but it is what this book tells us must be the path taken by this nation in order to survive. The author tells us the risks, why we can't count on the Europeans, why if a party gets weak on defense in this country than the worst can happen. It is understandful that those are his opinions and he could be wrong in them, once one reads the entire book though one will come out with a better idea as to why America is the only world leader left. The book is much more than the last paragraph though, it is a consice History of the United States. From the revolution, Mexican-American War, Vietnam War, every aspect is covered in a good flowing manner. The author also lets us know of some mistakes taken by the U.S and why they must not be repeated again. Overall and excellent examination into U.S politics and world Politics concerting U.S interest.

This is an unabashedly unapologetic review of America's political and military rise to the foremost prominence in the world. That being said, Alexander is more than willing to acknowledge America's faults, both great and small, like slavery and Korean war. However, he doesn't dwell on them but sees America's history as an overall steady progress in the right direction. Many of the historical facts in the book will be familiar to anyone who studied American history, but Alexander manages to bring some fresh insights. Thanks to this, the book reads like a novel, and several chapters are veritable page turners. It's a history book that is a great entertaining read as well. I highly recommend it.

This book offers some really interesting and accurate theories of how America, the world's whipping boy, has done all it can to save and maintain stability on our planet. Great strength comes with great responsibilities, and the US has certainly done so. We are the most powerful nation on the planet, we give more money away than anybody else, we are willing to sacrifice our young men for other people's problems, and not only that, but we are the only ones who can do it because of our democratic ideas and freedom. Just like the author describes in this book, America has had two main interests since it birth, to create the greatest democracy in the world and to protect itself from foreign interventions. This country has been through many crises, but has always bounced back. WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, 9/11 and now Iraq. Having lived in Europe for 16 years, I truly believe that we are the envy of the world. The left always complains that our country acts like an imperial power, but let's not forget that if it looks that way, it is because we need to protect our interests in order to survive. Also, the Iraq war, well here again, the killers and terrorists have decided to take us on within our own borders by killing in a matter of 30 minutes 3,850 of our fellow citizens. We did not ask for this war, they brought it to us. I say this book is great for four reasons, 1) it is a great history tool, 2) it allows the reader to really understand why this country has been so successful,3) why it is crucial for America to be the protector of democracy in order to help others defeat communism and tyranny 4)and why the USA is the most compassionate country on the face of the earth. And this coming from a Frenchman !!. As the author states, "You have heard all the lies now hear the truth". So true and so well said!! Great book, well written and very enjoyable. Highly recommended

This book is a tour de force examination of U.S. foreign policy as seen through the eyes of an esteemed military historian. Bevin Alexander argues persuasively that the U.S.'s bold initiatives in Iraq, Afghanistan and other theaters of the War on Terror are deeply rooted in the American experience. As it did in WW II, Alexander says, America is proving that it will go anywhere to defeat evil. Bush's assertion that the U.S. will never seek an international "permission slip" to defend our interests has its antecedents in the Senate's rejection of Wilson's League of Nations, which, Alexander says, represented a dangerous ceding of American sovereignty. This is not a partisan tract; it's a history with practical application for today' situation. Alexander criticizes American administrations past and present for mistakes or indecision. But, he points out, on the overarching issues of foreign and military policy the U.S. has been right more often than not.