The Project for a New American Democracy
© 2016 Brian M Downing
Genre
Political thriller/social commentary (85,000 words)
Tagline
Seven Days in May, again.
Synopsis
A Washington think tank, The Project for a New American Democracy, plans to turn the crisis-ridden country around by supporting an outspoken, recently-retired general in a presidential bid. His election will be a precursor to a military takeover and aggressive undertakings in the world.
Summary
Barrett Parker, an off-beat and off-putting military analyst from rural New Mexico, comes to Washington for a conference on the Middle East. He and former girlfriend Leela Khamseh, retired special forces officer Anthony Sabatini, and Israeli military attaché Aaron Palashet discover what’s behind a think tank’s support for presidential candidate General Hillock.
The think tank and General Hillock believe that America is paralyzed by partisan politics and moral decay, and in need of “decisive action” to settle domestic problems and act forcefully in the world. They plan to push congress aside and govern in conjunction with the military and like-minded groups. Hillock will then forcibly reduce national debt, embark on an aggressive policy against Russia, and encourage uprisings in Iran – Leela’s home country.
Figures in other parts of the world follow the campaign with great interest. Russian president Putin learns about Hillock’s plans after his military hacks into NSA servers. ISIL and al Qaeda groups in Syria, Chechen nationalists, and mutinous Saudi troops interpret the coming election of the general in apocalyptic terms, and act accordingly.
Barrett, Leela, Anthony, and a handful of active-duty military officers struggle to stop an earlier than expected move by General Hillock, triggered by protracted recounts in two states during the bitterly contested presidential election.
The Project is set amid familiar events in America and the Middle East. With both keen insight and occasional dark humor, the author takes readers into the worlds of Washington think tanks, the media, a millenarian sect, the NSA’s surveillance network, Ft Bragg paratroopers, al Qaeda bands, and even the office of the Russian president.
Audience
The Project aims at young, middle-aged, and older people who are interested in political intrigue, the military, current events, and world affairs. It will also resonate with active duty personnel who polling data indicate are increasingly unsupportive of high-ranking officers. Though comparison with Tom Clancy’s novels might occur, The Project does not share Clancy’s fascination with national security institutions or the infallibility he attaches to them.
This book expresses ambivalence toward the military brass – as found in many of the author’s veteran friends. It sees parts of it as hostile to American democracy, parts of it as democracy’s staunchest defenders. That, in a sense – and as revealed in the end – is the new American democracy. One comes away with deeper respect for a new generation of soldiers who face the consequences of ill-crafted national policies.