The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives
Encyclopedia
The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives is a book about the United States
military, written by journalist
Nick Turse
. It was published in 2008 in hardcover format by Metropolitan Books. The book describes the vast changes in the industrial complex of the U.S. military from the days of President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
to 2008, its affect on American society, and how the military and private business spheres interact with each other. The book received positive reviews in Mother Jones
and Inter Press Service
, and critical reviews by Jeffrey St. Clair of CounterPunch, and in Kirkus Reviews
.
from Columbia University
in Sociomedical Sciences. His Ph.D. dissertation is titled: " Kill Anything That Moves': United States War Crimes and Atrocites in Vietnam, 1965-1973 ", and it utilized the war-crime archive and historical texts to analyze the doctrine of atrocity. Turse is the research director of TomDispatch.com, a project of The Nation Institute. He is the recipient of a James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, and in 2009 received a Ridenhour Prize for Reportorial Distinction. The Complex is Turse's first book.
and Marvel Comics
. Turse describes how military tacticians and flyers were outfitted with Apple PowerBook
s. He illustrates how the military has attempted innovative methods to reach out to and recruit contemporary youth, including making "friends" on MySpace
. Turse notes that the research and development budget of the military, and its spending in the private sector, has increased dramatically over the last few years. The book posits that many changes have occurred since President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
's military-industrial complex, and relates the changes to the present day.
, where it was recommended: "For those who like their journalism fevered and their politics pat." Tom Engelhardt
of Mother Jones
magazine wrote, "It's an eye-opener on the degree to which we are, without realizing it, a militarized society." Engelhardt called The Complex a "superb book". Jeffrey St. Clair of CounterPunch was critical, and commented: "This is a Bush-bashing book that maliciously elides the uncomfortable fact that many of the contractor scandals that penetrated the mainstream press in Bush-time where [sic] actually set in motion in the 1990s." Chris Barsanti of PopMatters
gave the book a rating of 3 out of a possible 10, and wrote, "The Complex is an airless and rather pointless recitation of facts that feels cut-and-pasted rather than written."
Ali Gharib reviewed the book for Inter Press Service
, and noted: "Turse's book carefully tracks the Defense Department's money trail to everything from traditional defense contractors to a handful of Southern catfish restaurants to Dunkin' Donuts." Victoria Segal of The Guardian
reviewed the book and commented, "Much of Turse's research holds the Pentagon up to ridicule: their golf courses, the fast-food-addicted army that waddles rather than marches on its stomach. Yet the book turns sinister when it exposes desperate recruiters who allow white supremacists to join up, or defence department plans to develop 'weaponised' moths and sharks. References to The Matrix could make Turse seem a paranoid geek. Unfortunately, this is no sci-fi fantasy." David Swanson of Political Affairs Magazine
wrote, "Nick Turse has done something pretty amazing in producing an entertaining account of the almost limitless variety of ways in which our money is wasted by what he calls the military industrial technological entertainment academic media corporate matrix, or 'The Complex' for short".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military, written by journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Nick Turse
Nick Turse
Nick Turse is a journalist, historian and author. He wrote The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives and recevied a Ridenhour Prize in 2010 for his accounts of the Vietnam War...
. It was published in 2008 in hardcover format by Metropolitan Books. The book describes the vast changes in the industrial complex of the U.S. military from the days of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
to 2008, its affect on American society, and how the military and private business spheres interact with each other. The book received positive reviews in Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
and Inter Press Service
Inter Press Service
Inter Press Service is a global news agency. Its main focus is the production of independent news and analysis about events and processes affecting economic, social and political development....
, and critical reviews by Jeffrey St. Clair of CounterPunch, and in Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
.
Author
Nick Turse received a Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in Sociomedical Sciences. His Ph.D. dissertation is titled: " Kill Anything That Moves': United States War Crimes and Atrocites in Vietnam, 1965-1973 ", and it utilized the war-crime archive and historical texts to analyze the doctrine of atrocity. Turse is the research director of TomDispatch.com, a project of The Nation Institute. He is the recipient of a James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, and in 2009 received a Ridenhour Prize for Reportorial Distinction. The Complex is Turse's first book.
Synopsis
Nick Turse explores how the industrial complex of the United States military has pervaded the everyday lives of Americans. Turse investigates the relationship between the Pentagon and the Hollywood entertainment industry, military actions in the civilian sphere, and joint projects between the U.S. military and companies including NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
and Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Turse describes how military tacticians and flyers were outfitted with Apple PowerBook
PowerBook
The PowerBook was a line of Macintosh laptop computers that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1991 to 2006. During its lifetime, the PowerBook went through several major revisions and redesigns, often being the first to incorporate features that would later become...
s. He illustrates how the military has attempted innovative methods to reach out to and recruit contemporary youth, including making "friends" on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Turse notes that the research and development budget of the military, and its spending in the private sector, has increased dramatically over the last few years. The book posits that many changes have occurred since President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
's military-industrial complex, and relates the changes to the present day.
Reception
The book was reviewed in Kirkus ReviewsKirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
, where it was recommended: "For those who like their journalism fevered and their politics pat." Tom Engelhardt
Tom Engelhardt
Tom Engelhardt is the creator of the Nation Institute's tomdispatch.com, an online blog. He is also the co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of the 1998 book, The End of Victory Culture: Cold War America and the Disillusioning of a Generation.Engelhardt graduated from Yale...
of Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
magazine wrote, "It's an eye-opener on the degree to which we are, without realizing it, a militarized society." Engelhardt called The Complex a "superb book". Jeffrey St. Clair of CounterPunch was critical, and commented: "This is a Bush-bashing book that maliciously elides the uncomfortable fact that many of the contractor scandals that penetrated the mainstream press in Bush-time where [sic] actually set in motion in the 1990s." Chris Barsanti of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
gave the book a rating of 3 out of a possible 10, and wrote, "The Complex is an airless and rather pointless recitation of facts that feels cut-and-pasted rather than written."
Ali Gharib reviewed the book for Inter Press Service
Inter Press Service
Inter Press Service is a global news agency. Its main focus is the production of independent news and analysis about events and processes affecting economic, social and political development....
, and noted: "Turse's book carefully tracks the Defense Department's money trail to everything from traditional defense contractors to a handful of Southern catfish restaurants to Dunkin' Donuts." Victoria Segal of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reviewed the book and commented, "Much of Turse's research holds the Pentagon up to ridicule: their golf courses, the fast-food-addicted army that waddles rather than marches on its stomach. Yet the book turns sinister when it exposes desperate recruiters who allow white supremacists to join up, or defence department plans to develop 'weaponised' moths and sharks. References to The Matrix could make Turse seem a paranoid geek. Unfortunately, this is no sci-fi fantasy." David Swanson of Political Affairs Magazine
Political Affairs Magazine
Political Affairs Magazine is a monthly, online Marxist publication. It aims to provide an analysis of events from a working class point of view. Political Affairs Magazine is a publication of the Communist Party USA. It was founded in 1944 upon the closure of its predecessor, The Communist, which...
wrote, "Nick Turse has done something pretty amazing in producing an entertaining account of the almost limitless variety of ways in which our money is wasted by what he calls the military industrial technological entertainment academic media corporate matrix, or 'The Complex' for short".
See also
- Investigative journalismInvestigative journalismInvestigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
- Military-industrial complexMilitary-industrial complexMilitary–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
- Vietnam War Crimes Working Group FilesVietnam War Crimes Working Group FilesThe Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files is a collection of documents compiled by Pentagon in the early 1970s during Army investigations into atrocities by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. They detail 320 alleged incidents that were substantiated by United States Army investigators — not...
External links
- The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives, website of author