In this episode of the Scrum, Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis speak with Boston University Professor Emeritus Andrew Bacevich—a keen analyst of American foreign policy and relations between civilians and the armed forces—about the strikingly militaristic nature of president-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Remember: Trump denigrated the military’s leaders during the campaign. Thus far, though, he's tapped four generals for key roles, a number that’s without precedent in recent American history. Bacevich believes this is a deeply troubling development—but he also sees at least one significant glimmer of hope in Trump’s approach to international relations.
Andrew Bacevich's books include The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War; The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism; and most recently, America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History. His insights pack an extra punch because Bacevich is a former military man himself: he rose to the rank of Colonel in the US Army before retiring and becoming an academic.
Take a listen—and as always, we'd love to know what you think. You can reach us on Twitter at @reillyadam and @kadzis or by email at scrum@wgbhnews.org.