“This book explores how George W. Bush’s election, and the fear and confusion of September 11, 2001, combined to allow a small group of radical intellectuals to seize the reins of U.S. national security policy. It shows how, at this “inflection point” in U.S. history, an inexperienced president was persuaded to abandon his campaign pledges and the successful consensus-driven, bipartisan diplomacy that managed the lethal Soviet threat over the past half-century and adopt a neo-conservative foreign policy emphasizing military confrontation and “nation building.” To date, the costs – in blood, money and credibility – have been great and the benefits few. Traditional conservatives deplore this approach. This book outlines the costs in terms of economic damage, distortion of priorities, rising anti-Americanism, and reduced security.