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The Council Announces the Publication of "Preventive War and American Democracy" by Scott A. Silverstone

March 8, 2007

Preventive War And American Democracy

How did the once unassailable U.S. norm against preventive war become powerless by 2003? In this valuable new book, Dr. Silverstone explores the changing attitudes towards preventive war in American strategic policy.

Preventive War And American Democracy begins with the crises of the Cold War period, when despite the nuclear threat, preventive war was considered "contrary to the American character and its traditions of foreign policy." It concludes with an analysis of the Iraq War of 2003, the first preventive war in United States history.

"Simply put, this is the best-grounded study we have of the American consideration of preventive war," says Robert Jervis of Columbia University. "With excellent case studies and theoretical sophistication, Silverstone's book helps us understand where we have been, are now, and should be on this crucial topic."

Scott A. Silverstone is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the United States Military Academy, West Point, and former Carnegie Council Fellow.

"A fellowship with the Carnegie Council in 2003-2004 produced a burst of momentum behind this project that helped sustain my work until the book's completion," says Silverstone in the book's preface.

"The Carnegie Council is delighted to have played a role in supporting Scott and his work." says Joel Rosenthal, Carnegie Council President, who invited Dr. Silverstone to be a Fellow. "His command of history, public opinion, and the moral aspects of the American military tradition make this book a landmark contribution to perhaps the most pressing issue of our time."

You can read Silverstone's Fellowship paper, "The Ethical Limits to Preventive War" on the Carnegie Council website, along with a short biography and other articles.