With each new American war comes a new rationale: communism, drug traffic, terrorism. But what if the truth of American war goes deeper? What if our soldiers are put in harm's way for the benefit of the manufacturers of guns, tanks, bullets and bombs? That's the case Eugene Jarecki builds in this provocative history of what Dwight D. Eisenhower, back in 1961, dubbed "the military-industrial complex." Jarecki reveals a disturbingly intimate bond between Congress, the Pentagon and military companies, arguing that weapon makers have become a fourth branch of government. As a result, American foreign policy has grown senselessly trigger-happy. Whether you believe America's occupation of Iraq is well justified, or you find Halliburton as guilty as Saddam, Why We Fight provides a troubling new perspective on the U.S. military machine. (JS)