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Unintended Consequences: How War in Iraq Strengthened America's Enemies
Called by New York Times columnist David Brooks the "smartest and most devastating" critic of President George W. Bush's Iraq policies, Peter Galbraith was the earliest expert to describe Iraq's breakup into religious and ethnic entities, a reality now commonly accepted. The Iraq war was intended to make the United States more secure, bring democracy to the Middle East, intimidate Iran and Syria, help win the war on terror, consolidate American world leadership, and entrench the Republican Party for decades. Instead, - Bush handed Iran its greatest strategic triumph in four centuries
- U.S. troops now fight to support an Iraqi government led by religious parties intent on creating an Iranian-style Islamic republic
- As part of the surge, the United States created a Sunni militia led by the same Baathists the U.S. invaded Iraq to overthrow administration gave Iran and North Korea a free pass to advance their nuclear programs
- Obsessed with Iraq's nonexistent WMD, the Bush administration gave Iran and North Korea a free pass to advance their nuclear programs
- Turkey, a key NANATO ally long considered a model pro-Western Muslim democracy, became one of the most anti-American countries in the world
- U.S. prestige around the world reached an all-time low
Iraq: Galbraith challenges the assertion that the surge will lead to victory. By creating a Sunni army, the surge has, in fact, contributed to Iraq's breakup and set the stage for an intensified civil war between Sunnis and Shiites. If the United States wishes to escape the Iraq quagmire, it must face up to the reality that the country has broken up and cannot be put back together. Iran: Having helped Iran's allies take control in Baghdad, the Bush administration no longer has a viable military option to stop Iran's nuclear program. Galbraith discusses how a president more pragmatic than Bush might get Iran to freeze its nuclear program as part of a package deal to upgrade relations between two countries equally threatened by Sunni extremism. Turkey, Syria, and Israel: A war intended to make Israel more secure, undermine Syria's Assad regime, and strengthen ties with Turkey has had the opposite result. Nationalism: In the coming decades, other countries may follow Iraq's example in fragmenting along ethnic and religious lines. Galbraith draws on his considerable experience in Iraq and the former Yugoslavia to predict where and what the United States might do about it. The United States: George W. Bush substituted wishful thinking for strategy and as a result made America weaker. Galbraith provides some rules for a national strategy that will appeal equally to conservatives and liberals -- indeed, to anyone who believes the United States needs an effective national security strategy..
Price: $13.10
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Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies: And Other Pricing Puzzles
Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies, And Other Pricing Puzzles unravels the pricing mysteries we encounter every day. Have you ever wondered why all movies, whether blockbusters or duds, have the same ticket prices? Why sometimes there are free lunches? Why so many prices end with "9"? Why ink cartridges can cost as much as printers? Why merchants offer sales, coupons, and rebates? Why long lines are good for shoppers? Why men earn more than women, around the globe – and why they always will? Richard McKenzie goes on to show how the 9/11 terrorists still kill Americans every day, because their attack distorted the perceived risks and relative prices of air vs. automobile travel, and jacked up both security costs and flight delays. Professor McKenzie also explores the unintended consequences of well-meaning efforts to spur the use of environmentally friendly fuels: starvation among millions of people around the world, and the destruction of rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia. How can these things be? If you think you know the answers, think again. Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies, And Other Pricing Puzzles shows you that the real reasons are sophisticated and surprising – and in Professor McKenzie’s hands, both informative and entertaining. You won’t need a degree in economics to enjoy this fascinating book, just an armchair and an inquiring mind. .
Price: $17.55
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Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences (Vintage)
In this perceptive and provocative look at everything from computer software that requires faster processors and more support staff to antibiotics that breed resistant strains of bacteria, Edward Tenner offers a virtual encyclopedia of what he calls "revenge effects"--the unintended consequences of the mechanical, chemical, biological, and medical forms of ingenuity that have been hallmarks of the progressive, improvement-obsessed modern age. Tenner shows why our confidence in technological solutions may be misplaced, and explores ways in which we can better survive in a world where despite technology's advances--and often because of them--"reality is always gaining on us." For anyone hoping to understand the ways in which society and technology interact, Why Things Bite Back is indispensable reading. "A bracing critique of technological determinism in both its utopian and dystopian forms...No one who wants to think clearly about our high-tech future can afford to ignore this book."--Jackson Lears, Wilson Quarterly.
Price: $6.35
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That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen: The Unintended Consequences of Government Spending
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Race, Redistricting, and Representation: The Unintended Consequences of Black Majority Districts (American Politics and Political Economy Series)
Since the creation of minority-dominated congressional districts eight years ago, the Supreme Court has condemned the move as akin to "political apartheid," while many African-American leaders argue that such districts are required for authentic representation. In the most comprehensive treatment of the subject to date, David Canon shows that the unintended consequences of black majority districts actually contradict the common wisdom that whites will not be adequately represented in these areas. Not only do black candidates need white votes to win, but this crucial "swing" vote often decides the race. And, once elected, even the black members who appeal primarily to black voters usually do a better job than white members of walking the racial tightrope, balancing the needs of their diverse constituents. Ultimately, Canon contends, minority districting is good for the country as a whole. These districts not only give African Americans a greater voice in the political process, they promote a politics of commonality—a biracial politics—rather than a politics of difference. .
Price: $20.00
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The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement
Organizations can waste much resource with: Strategy creation and execution: Organizations can spend much time with strategy creation, where often it is difficult interpret what should be done to address passed-down strategies. Also, the strategy creation process often does not systematically blend analytics with innovation to determine the best place to target strategy-improvement efforts. Scorecards: Red-yellow-green scorecards may seem to be a good management practice; however, these scorecards can lead to much firefighting. Also, traditional forced scorecard balanced using the balanced scorecard categories of financials, customer, internal business process, and learning & growth can lead to unfavorable behaviors. Scorecard balance is important (e.g., don't want to target on-time delivery while sacrificing quality); however, forced balance can be detrimental. Process improvement systems: Problem solving deployment systems such as Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, Lean Kaizen events, and Total Quality Management (TQM) typically have a push-for-project creation system (e.g., let's brainstorm for what projects to work on next). These systems often lead silo-improvements that can sound good but do not have much, if any, impact on the big picture. A business system is needed has 30,000-foot-level operational metrics improvement needs pulling for targeted-improvement-projects, which benefit the whole enterprise. Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) introduces a new organizational governance system that integrates analytics with innovation. The IEE system shows business leaders what to measure and report; when and how to report it; how to interpret and use the results to establish goals; how to orchestrate work activities; and how to develop strategies that is consistent with established goals. These strategies ultimately lead to specific projects that enhance organizational focus and success. This book discusses how the application of IEE methods, tools, and techniques can overcome the enterprise management challenges of the twenty-first century and the limitations of traditional business measurement systems..
Price: $10.22
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Learning to Avoid Unintended Consequences
If something you thought to be true, wasn't true, when would you want to know about it? In your financial world, that defining moment occurs by understanding the Efficiency of Money. Learning to avoid the unintended consequences of transferring your wealth to others unknowingly and unnecessarily, should be everyone's goal. This book will show you how to recognize and overcome these transfers. It will identify those who create the transfers and how they do it. They are destroying our personal wealth by creating situations, controlling the outcomes, and profiting from it. Truth and knowledge will reduce or eliminate these transfers..
Price: $14.49
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Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5: Unintended Consequences
Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, and the estranged love-of-his-life, Mary Jane, continue to deal with the aftermath of the decision that changes their relationship forever. As Peter deals with matters of the heart, his web-swinging alter ego faces dangers lurking behind every corner, and calls upon all his astonishing abilities to make it out alive!.
Price: $0.50
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