Norman Cousins was a Unitarian Universalist. More about the author: quoting from the book's dust jacket, "After leaving the 'Saturday Review' in 1978, Norman Cousins accepted a post on the faculty of the School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, where he is adjunct professor of Medical Humanities and lectures on philosophy and literature to medical students. He is also engaged in research on the biochemistry of the emotions. . .He is the author of 17 books. . .[and] is the recipient of the United Nations Peace Medal and the Commonwealth Award." About the book: quoting from the book's dust jacket, "In this timely volume, Norman Cousins traces the way national power becomes enlarged and institutionalized, especially as the result of external dangers, real or contrived. The prime tendency of that power is to spill over into the general operations and habits of government, of which the surreptitious sale of arms to Iran, and the funneling of funds to the Nicaraguan Contras, is an example (sic)." This work includes a postscript, chapter notes, a bibliography and is well indexed.