Dana Priest Boeken

After 9/11, the United States government embarked on an unprecedented effort to protect America. The result has been calamitous: after ten years of unparalleled spending and growth, the result is that a system put in place to keep America safe may in fact be putting us in even greater danger-but we don't know because it's all Top Secret. In TOP SECRET AMERICA, award-winning journalists Dana Priest and William M. Arkin lift the curtain on this clandestine universe. From the companies and agencies keeping track of American citizens and the military commanders building America's first "top secret city" to a hidden army within the U.S. military more secret than the CIA, this new national security octopus has become a self-sustaining "Fourth Branch" of government. A tour de force of investigative journalism, TOP SECRET AMERICA presents a fascinating and disturbing account of government run amok and a war on terrorism gone wrong in a post-9/11.

The narrative explores the complex roles of military leaders and soldiers in both wartime and peacetime scenarios. It highlights the contrast between four-star generals acting as proconsuls and Green Berets engaging with authoritarian regimes, as well as the unexpected responsibilities of young soldiers who find themselves navigating civilian roles like mayors and social workers while attempting to rebuild war-torn nations. The book delves into the challenges and ironies of military involvement in nation-building efforts.