Pierce, Charles P. Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free

Idiot America is a book that discusses the attitude of Americans and what events shaped it. In his book, Pierce points out the stupidity of some of America's actions and American's actions. He dwells especially on the Iraq war and the later reconstruction. He claims that there were untold billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on people who didn't want us to be there in the first place (Pierce 118). He also discusses what led up to the Iraq war and the attitude of America in general... stupid.

14.

Cronin, Bruce. "Be careful what you wish for: War aims and the construction of postwar political orders." Journal of Peace Research 47.6 (2010): 791-801. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.

Cronin talks about the goals of war and how the winning side doesn't always win. In this day and age, due to advances in communication and information sharing, true martial victory is very difficult to achieve. He argues that nations have "war aims" which include reconstruction and that it takes a certain amount of playing nice to ensure that the winner will get what they want (Cronin 794). They must secure public security and to do that means making promises to state officials, they those promises become official policy.

15.

Keller, G. Blake. "REBUILDING a BROKEN LAND." Mechanical Engineering 132.6 (2010): 40-43. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.

The article focuses on the reconstruction of the civil and industrial institutions in Bab al-Sham near Baghdad, Iraq. It cites the role of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (ePRT), composed of civil and military engineers and operate under the U.S. State Department, in increasing the capacity of the rule of law, economics, and agriculture, and governance in Iraq (Keller 41). It examines the conditions and concerns in Bab al-Sham, Iraq's industrial center, which include inadequate electrical power, competition with imported products, and loan capitals. It states the strategies and approaches applied by the ePRT to rebuild and address issues in Bab al-Sham such as the imposition of regulations and training.

16.

Healey, Timothy. "Will Clayton, Negotiating the Marshall Plan, and European Economic Integration." Diplomatic History 35.2 (2011): 229-256. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.

Will Clayton, a principal architect of the United States' post-1945 plans, was committed to trade liberalization as a path to economic recovery. This article examines Clayton's efforts to secure early commitment from Western European nations to economic integration, as he negotiated details of the United States' offer of Marshall Plan aid to Europe in 1947. It focuses on his attempts to persuade an unwilling Britain to assume leadership of this cause. It examines the contradictions between the practicalities of achieving closer European economic integration and the non-discrimination provisions of the proposed International Trade Organization. Tensions are examined between Clayton and his colleagues over the priority to be accorded to closer European economic integration. It concludes that, although Clayton was not successful in obtaining a clear commitment from the Europeans to economic integration, he did much to further the intellectual arguments and establish the climate where this became a reality within ten years (Healy 230).

17.

Garces-Ozanne, Arlene L. "THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: DOES AID HELP?." Journal of Developing Areas 44.2 (2011): 27-39. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.

Although poverty-eradication has always been a priority in many governments' agenda, one in four people in the developing world still live in poverty. This study examines how foreign aid, human capital and economic policies, among others, affect real GDP growth and other dimensions of poverty, measured in terms of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Our empirical results suggest that while aid appears to be a significant, albeit negative indicator of real GDP per capita growth, it is a positive determinant of other MDG outcomes. Human capital and good economic policies do not appear to have unique and significant effects on the MDG outcomes, but allowing for interactions with aid, these become more robust indicators of the effectiveness of aid in achieving the MDG (Garces-Ozanne 29).

18.

Engler, Mark. "Taboo economics." New Internationalist 441 (2011): 53. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.

The author comments on the economic conditions in the U.S., makes a series of proposals for changes to the economic situation, and discusses taboo economics. He suggests that, in order to fund his other proposals, U.S. military spending should be reduced by 10%. Public opinion in the U.S. about federal spending and the budget is considered, particularly how much Americans believe is spent on foreign aid and military spending.

19.

McArthur, Shirl. "Congressional Conservatives Launch Effort To Cut Spending, Including Foreign Aid." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 30.3 (2011): 34-36. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.

As reported in the March issue of the Washington Report, House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) has said on several occasions that her mission is to cut the State Department and foreign aid budgets (McArthur 34). She has been joined in this effort

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