The field of civil-military relations theory and scholarship is currently experiencing a revival, both in the aftermath of 9/11 and, most recently, over the past eight years. One of the most recent books on the market is also one of the most impactful and accessible. Dr. Michael Robinson's book, Dangerous Instrument, provides meticulously researched work and findings that are imperative to understanding why and how the military's politicization must be addressed...Robinson explains clearly how the current U.S. political environment threatens the viability of our institutions of government, particularly the military...Military professionals need to read this book.

Col. Todd A. Schmidt, Director of Army University Press and Editor-in-Chief of Military Review

In Dangerous Instrument, Robinson (independent scholar) examines the increasingly volatile issue of the place of the US military in an increasingly polarized domestic political environment...Highly recommended. Undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers.

Choice

This book is an excellent contribution to the literature on US civil-military relations. It expertly weaves together insights from American politics and civil-military relations and uses advanced experimental and text analysis techniques and analyses of survey and media evidence... Given the clarity and thoughtfulness of Robinson's text, people on both sides of the civil-military relationship, as well as scholars interested in the health of American democracy, should read this book.

Robert Ralston, Perspectives on Politics