Surprise, Security, and the American Experience

This book places the Bush administration's reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the context of prior threats to national security in American history, comparing and contrasting American responses to security threats of the past with current policy.  Gaddis argues that current Federal strategy reverts to the American 19th century tradition of unilateralism, preemption, and hegemony, and addresses the potential success or failure of this strategy in the future.