Customer Reviews

Superpower Syndrome: America's Apocalyptic Confrontation with the World

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Freud and Bertrand Russell have both examined the roots of popular religion in psychology. The purpose of religion, they observe, is to give the appearance of respectability to the passions of fear, conceit and hatred, provided they run through certain channels. (See Russell, "Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?") In his book, SUPERPOWER SYNDROME, National Book Award winner, Robert Jay Lifton, examines our country's popular religion and current politics in drawing similar conclusions about our "national mindset."

Lifton is a psychiatrist and renowned scholar on the subjects of thought control and mass violence. In SUPERPOWER SYNDROME, he examines the extreme and apocalyptic "mindset" that has been perpetuated by our country's leaders since September 11, 2001. Drawing parallels from the "destructive excesses" of Nazi genocide, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Chinese Communist "thought reform," the Vietnam war, and the apocalyptic actions of Aun Shinrikyo and other global terrorists of the late-twentieth century, Lifton provides his readers with a well-reasoned psychological profile of George Bush's mindset in polarizing the world into good and evil. While he does not claim the Bush administration is a mirror image of bin Ladin or Islamism, Lifton says that Bush's "crusade" to "rid the world of evil" (terminology connoting a Christian holy war) nevertheless suggests a harmful disorder and psychological and political abnormality (p. 187) shared by millions of Americans, including Christian evangelists like Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, and Pat Robertson.

The symptoms of the superpower psyche include unilateralism in all-important decisions, including those relating to war; the use of high technology to secure the ownership of death and of history; a sense of entitlement concerning the right to identify and destroy all those considered to be terrorists or friends of terrorists, while spreading virtues seen as preeminently ours throughout the world; the right to decide who may possess weapons of mass destruction and who may not; and a righteous vision of ridding the world of evil and purifying it spiritually and politically (p. 188). Before the Bush administration announced last week its plans to send a manned flight to Mars, Lifton noted in his insightful study that our present leaders believe American power extends not over the planet Earth, but through the militarization of space, and over the heavens as well (p. 175).

While Lifton's diagnosis is serious, he concludes his psychological and historical analysis "in a spirit of hope." "We can do better," he writes; "America is capable of wiser, more measured approaches, more humane applications of our considerable power and influence in the world" (p. 189). He encourages us to look to the words of Albert Camus in resetting our moral compass, and "to refuse to be a god," which means to reject omniscience and to instead embrace "thought which recognizes limits" (pp. 199-200). Though some readers may reject his diagnosis and opt for a second opinion, Lifton has nevertheless written one of the most important books of our time. Highly recommended.

G. Merritt

This concise book is undoubtedly one of the most important critiques of America's foreign policy along with Barber's, Rampton & Stauber's and Daalder & Lindsay's. The author recognizes, for example, the war on Iraq as a manifestation of America's apocalyptic face-off against Islamist forces. Nonetherless, at the heart of 'Superpower Syndrome,' the author argues, lies a powerful fear of vulnerability. This insight that the world only superpower suffers from such ambiguity is an extremely interesting point which only psychiatrists can explore. He also refers to other apocalyptic imaginations such as Islamist's and a Japanese cult called 'Aum.' I really enjoy reading this interesting work!

This book is truly amazing. By looking at the actions and motives of the Bush administration through Lifton's psychological perspective, so much of the insanity of our predicament suddenly comes into perspective. Without slandering the Bush administration, Lifton compares their motives and worldview to cults, terrorists, and other militant ideologues, the common thread being their apocalyptic mindset. Lifton reconciles the religious apocalyptic views of Bush with the more secular and political apocalyptic views of those in his administration...and you finally realize that, although they're all coming at it from different angles, they're all equally willing and eager to destroy the world for the sake of glory.

Some of the most interesting parts come when Lifton talks about the ideas of "controlling history" and therefore controlling life and death. This explains the apocalyptic mindset of those who don't hold religions as the catalyst. This book is a very interesting, and I think accurate, frame through which to view current events. Criticism of the Bush administration is often dismissed as liberal, Democrat slander. This book was not written from any certain political perspective; it was written from a very humane, psychological perspective. The final diagnosis is less of a critique and more of a warning about the imminent threat posed by the current political status quo.

I was telling my sister about this book, and what I thought of it, and she said: "Isn't there a part of you that doesn't want to know these things?" It's an odd question, but understandable. This book is frightening. It forces the reader to consider that we may be in the grips of an apocalyptic cult which, beneath the public-friendly rhetoric about peace and freedom, is motivated by a need to destroy all evil, and all of the world, if necessary.

The man who wrote the terrifying book The Nazi Doctors puts the Bush and his adminstration on the couch! A startling and elegant book that analyses America's new apocalyptic mindset, in the context of 9-11, Bush's war on terror and the invasion of Iraq. It also complements Lifton's lifelong work on cults and extreme violence. This is a disturbing and provocative book. not quite the comfort food that many liberals and progressives seem to dine on these days; but this marvellous book also has hope in its heart.

from a different angle. In essence what Dr. Lifton does is to put the Bush administration on the psychiatrist's couch and probe into the psyche of Bush, his cronies, and like-minded ideological extremists. One conclusion that can be readily drawn is that psychologically there is minimal distinction between Bush and his neo-con and Christian extremist cronies and those extremists from other religious and ethnic groups (say, such as the Likudites and Osama bin Ladin & Al Qaida). Lifton does a decent job not only of describing in layman's terms the psychological underpinnings of these extremists, but goes on to show the destructive dynamic that often exists between competing groups of extremists. A must read.

Dr. Lifton puts George W. Bush, his advisors and foreign policy on the psychoanalyst's couch, and what emerges is an unflattering, dangerous portrait. The combination of evangelical, fundamentalist Christianity and military action is hypocritical; I cannot understand bloodthirsty, xenophobic, war mongering, cutthroat capitalists who pray and sing the praises of Christ their saviour. Bush, Dr. Lifton states, is the first president who would not hesitate to employ nuclear strikes.

The author, a Harvard psychiatrist, envisions the U.S. as a beacon of peace, wisdom and dignity, and decries "bull in a china shop" diplomacy that only serves to exacerbate resentment. Bush has been a brilliant advocate for violence, somehow operating under the premise there is a finite number of terrorists - "evildoers". His consolidation of power in all three branches of government (legistative, executive, judiciary) is frightening, and diametrically opposed to how the Founding Fathers designed the Constitution. The latter recognized the potential for good and evil lies within the human psyche, not without: to Bush, "we are good, they are bad". Simplistic and Machiavellian; the end justifies the means. The us against them, black and white thinking prevalent has resulted in the horror (yes, civil war) that is Iraq today. The Middle East has been destabilized, and will likely further deteriorate; there is a history here, of which too many Americans (particularly those in power) are ignorant. It fascinates me that some Americans still believe Iraq was directly responsible for 9/11, that weapons of mass destruction are waiting to be discovered, and that Saddam Hussein harboured Al Qaeda terrorists.

Any extremism, whether Oriental or Occidental, must not be tolerated. Someone must step out of the vicious cycle of violence, rather than perpetuate. "A plague on both you houses" I often muse.

Dr. Lifton advocates the U.S., with her considerable resources, must exercise wisdom over folly, become more humane, respectful of other cultures (ie, not shove democracy down Arab throats at gunpoint - the antithesis of how American democracy evolved) and recognize the complexity of Middle Eastern history, culture, tradition and politics. To me, Dr. Lifton is less concerned with politics than ethics - what is right, what will serve U.S. and world interests in the long run, rather than operating on a one sided, perhaps personally motivated, agenda. I am haunted by the fear Bush bases foreign policy decisions on Revelations, obsessed with provoking an apocalyptic battle to prepare for the second coming of Christ. Am I the only one who remembers a smiling Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein over the sale of weapons during the Iran-Iraq war? Political expediency is a fascinating phenomenon, and fickle as weather.

The book, despite a dour tone, ends on a note of hope: America has the means, potential, of elevating humanity to a new level of peace, consciousness and prosperity. As a historian, I am not quite so optimistic. America is still an infant in world history and has much to learn regarding the global community; the old chestnut about not understanding history and being doomed to repeat its mistakes is tragically true in this instance. The U.S., motivated by self interest, has too often interfered with the internal affairs of sovereign nations. Personally, I admire New Zealand: socially progressive, environmentally conscious, with proportional representation, and carefully considered foreign policy.

Many have interpreted this book by Robert Jay Lifton as a not-so-veiled attack on the current Bush administration, and they would probably not be wrong. However, this is not just an attack on the current administration - I can envision Lifton's words being leveled in much the same way against almost any administration in the White House at the present time. While Lifton has specific points of contention with the current administration, he also has more general concerns about the way in which the United States conducts itself in a world in which it is the sole remaining superpower, and in which there is little to no accountability in any direct or official way for American actions abroad.

There is an apocalyptic idea that persists as an undercurrent in American society. The nineteenth century saw several major apocalyptic sects flourish - some still exist in new form from their beginnings back in the early days of American nationhood. Since the close of World War II, with the advent of nuclear weapons as a means of worldwide destruction, the idea of an apocalypse went from being a religious/theological possibility to a geopolitical/military strategy - Mutually Assured Destruction was for a time the game of brinksmanship the superpowers played.

Apocalypticism also took the form in popular imagination the end of the world according to a specialised set of interpretations of the Bible, especially certain sects of evangelicals and fundamentalists who subscribed to a more direct interpretation of 'signs of the end times'. Hal Lindsey is but the most famous of these interpreters; the recasting of prophetic interpretations in light of the fact that the world did not end within 40 years of the re-establishment of Israel continues to take place in popular religious press and other media.

There are many in the current administration, reflecting the attitudes of many in the country at large, who see their role as agents of this kind of apocalyptic age. There is a persistent attitude (which exists regardless of the political complexion of the administration) that Christendom is still something that exists and needs to be preserved, that the United States is the leader of Christendom, and that other religions may be permitted to be tolerated, but never dominant. This is particularly true in the Middle East, where the combination of religious differences (including different kinds of religious zeal on all sides) and valuable resources make for an explosive situation.

Lifton looks at all of these issues and more in a psychological context, arguing for greater understanding on the part of all, but particularly for those in power (which is never a bad idea, for those in power and authority bear a greater moral responsibility for understanding and reflection). Lifton's words, however, are not likely to be heeded as readily as they might have been given that his tendency toward the political polemic is likely to render those on the political right to dismiss him entirely, and those on the left to embrace him with little qualification (until such time as he turns his gaze on them, whenever they return to power).

This book is one that can be quickly read - it has some interesting ideas, and some new interpretations of history given his psychological framework. Lifton writes in a very accessible style. However, ultimately Lifton is likely to fall into the same class as those who have been predicting the apocalypse for half the life of this nation; his worst fears are unlikely to be realised (I remember the serious emotion of those afraid that Reagan was determined to cause a nuclear war so as to force the end of the world and the return of Christ), and the world will go on in its history for some time to come.

"The idea of apocalyptic martyrdom intensifies the ordeal of the killer as well as his claim to spiritual renewal." page 29.
"There has been some dispute about how significantly Arab fighters, as opposed to native Afghan warriors, contributed to the Soviet debacle, but there is no doubt that the victory was an intoxicating one for Islamists. Their miraculous success against a superpower---followed by the collapse of that superpower---could only mean that God had made them invincible. The considerable quantities of military equipment and financial support made available by the United states were dismissed in the exultant claim of (in Faraj's words) "jihad for the cause of god." More than any event, victory in Afghanistan contributed to an apocalyptic confidence on the part of Islamists: the existing world could be overturned and pure Islamist rule established."page 80
Remember this book was written and published in 2003. We are now in 2010, and the collapse of a second Super Power is perhaps imminent. If the United States continues its collapse which it will, it will set up the Psychic in America similar to the Psychic of Germany after World War I, and the Islamic People will feel even more invincible and that God is on their side. They will then begin their conquest and then as in a chess game the west will capture their king.

...but none of it is fiction!

The author explores the mind that believes that might makes right is king and describes in frightening detail historic events which help the reader understand such a mind.

It reads like a super-thriller novel...evil-filled and gripping and all so actual.

Robert Jay Lifton was given the opportunity to "explain" his book recently on television. Here is how I viewed it:

He came across as a very polished speaker with a message to deliver. He analyzed world problems like a psychiatrist(freudian) views a patient. He feels that some conservative religious leaders(and our current President) may have a sort of unconscious "death wish" in fulfilling certain destructive prophesies set forth by literal interpretations of such works as the Book of Revelations.
He then goes on to site that the nuclear age has provided a means to carry this out.
By competing for dominance, "human intrepretation of religious truths" stoke the furnance of our potential destruction.
How we choose to respond to these political(or psychological) events could result in either survival or oblivion.
Which course will we choose?