Lifting the Fog of Peace

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Author :
Publisher : University of Michigan Press
ISBN 13 : 0472034820
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (72 download)

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Book Synopsis Lifting the Fog of Peace by : Janine Davidson

Download or read book Lifting the Fog of Peace written by Janine Davidson and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2011-08-29 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How military organizations trained for conventional war adapt—or fail to adapt—to nontraditional missions

Lifting the Fog of Peace

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Author :
Publisher : University of Michigan Press
ISBN 13 : 0472022989
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (72 download)

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Book Synopsis Lifting the Fog of Peace by : Janine Davidson

Download or read book Lifting the Fog of Peace written by Janine Davidson and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2010-09-29 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Lifting the Fog of Peace is a captivating study of an agile and adaptive military evolving through the chaos of the post-9/11 world. In what is certain to be regarded as the definitive analysis of the reshaping of American combat power in the face of a complex and uncertain future, Dr. Janine Davidson firmly establishes herself as a rising intellectual star in government and politics. A thoroughly captivating study of organizational learning and adaptation—a 'must read' for leaders in every field." ---LTG William B. Caldwell, IV, Commanding General, NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan "In Lifting the Fog of Peace, Dr. Janine Davidson explains how the American military has adapted itself to succeed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that are the most likely future face of combat. The book is informed by her experience of these wars in the Department of Defense, where she now plays a critical role in continuing the process of learning that has so visibly marked the military's performance in today's wars. Highly recommended." ---John A. Nagl, President, Center for a New American Security "Janine Davidson’s Lifting the Fog of Peace is a superb, concise, and well-written book that makes important contributions in three areas. It advances our knowledge of organizational learning in the Armed Forces. It also accurately captures the rich post-Vietnam operational and doctrinal history of the Army and the Marine Corps. The simplistic cartoon of dim-witted generals fixated on the Fulda Gap is replaced here by a more accurate version, where engaged senior officers studied the security environment, absorbed important lessons, and began to improve the learning capacity of the military services. Finally, Lifting the Fog of Peace assesses the state of contemporary stability operations and what must be done to further prepare our Armed Forces for modern war on the low end of the spectrum of conflict. It will be a 'must read' on the E-Ring of the Pentagon and in security studies programs across the nation." ---Joseph J. Collins, Professor, National War College, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations Counterinsurgency and stability operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are only the most recent examples of the U.S. Armed Forces fighting insurgents, building infrastructure, enforcing laws, and governing cities. For more than two centuries, these assignments have been a regular part of the military's tasks; yet until recently the lessons learned from the experiences have seldom been formally incorporated into doctrine and training. As a result, each generation of soldiers has had to learn on the job. Janine Davidson traces the history of the U.S. military's involvement in these complex and frustrating missions. By comparing the historical record to the current era, Davidson assesses the relative influence of organizational culture and processes, institutional structures, military leadership, and political factors on the U.S. military's capacity to learn and to adapt. Pointing to the case of Iraq, she shows that commanders serving today have benefited at the tactical level from institutional changes following the Vietnam War and from the lessons of the 1990s. Davidson concludes by addressing the question of whether or not such military learning, in the absence of enhanced capabilities and capacity in other U.S. government agencies, will be sufficient to meet the complex challenges of the 21st century. Janine Davidson, a former Air Force pilot, is a professor of national security at George Mason University, currently serving in the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Plans. The views presented in this book are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or its Components.

Dirty Wars

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Publisher : The History Press
ISBN 13 : 0752479016
Total Pages : 568 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (524 download)

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Book Synopsis Dirty Wars by : Simon Robbins

Download or read book Dirty Wars written by Simon Robbins and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-10-06 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘Who is the enemy?’ This is the question most asked in modern warfare; gone are the set-piece conventional battles of the past. Once seen as secondary to more traditional conflicts, irregular warfare (as modified and refashioned since the 1990s) now presents a major challenge to the state and the bureaucratic institutions which have dominated the twentieth century, and to the politicians and civil servants who formulate policy.Twenty-first-century conflict is dominated by counterinsurgency operations, where the enemy is almost indistinguishable from innocent civilians. Battles are gunfights in jungles, deserts and streets; winning ‘hearts and minds’ is as important as holding territory. From struggles in South Africa, the Philippines and Ireland to operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya, this book covers the strategy and doctrine of counterinsurgency, and the factors which ensure whether such operations are successful or not. Recent ignorance of central principles and the emergence of social media, which has shifted the odds in favour of the insurgent, have too often resulted in failure, leaving governments and their security forces embedded in a hostile population, immersed in costly and dangerous nation-building.

Transforming US Intelligence for Irregular War

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Publisher : Georgetown University Press
ISBN 13 : 1626167656
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (261 download)

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Book Synopsis Transforming US Intelligence for Irregular War by : Richard H. ShultzJr.

Download or read book Transforming US Intelligence for Irregular War written by Richard H. ShultzJr. and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Joint Special Operations Command deployed Task Force 714 to Iraq in 2003, it faced an adversary unlike any it had previously encountered: al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). AQI’s organization into multiple, independent networks and its application of Information Age technologies allowed it to wage war across a vast landscape. To meet this unique threat, TF 714 developed the intelligence capacity to operate inside those networks, and in the words of commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, USA (Ret.) “claw the guts out of AQI.” In Transforming US Intelligence for Irregular War, Richard H. Shultz Jr. provides a broad discussion of the role of intelligence in combatting nonstate militants and revisits this moment of innovation during the Iraq War, showing how the defense and intelligence communities can adapt to new and evolving foes. Shultz tells the story of how TF 714 partnered with US intelligence agencies to dismantle AQI’s secret networks by eliminating many of its key leaders. He also reveals how TF 714 altered its methods and practices of intelligence collection, intelligence analysis, and covert paramilitary operations to suppress AQI’s growing insurgency and, ultimately, destroy its networked infrastructure. TF 714 remains an exemplar of successful organizational learning and adaptation in the midst of modern warfare. By examining its innovations, Shultz makes a compelling case for intelligence leading the way in future campaigns against nonstate armed groups.

Peace Works

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Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1538113015
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (381 download)

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Book Synopsis Peace Works by : Frederick D. Barton

Download or read book Peace Works written by Frederick D. Barton and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-04-20 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria - a quarter-century of stumbles in America’s pursuit of a more peaceful and just world. American military interventions have cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars, yet we rarely manage to enact positive and sustainable change. In Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World, ambassador and global conflict leader Rick Barton uses a mix of stories, history, and analysis for a transformative approach to foreign affairs and offers concrete and attainable solutions for the future. Drawing on his lifetime of experience as a diplomat, foreign policy expert, and State Department advisor, Rick Barton grapples with the fact that the U.S. is strategically positioned and morally obligated to defuse international conflicts, but often inadvertently escalates conflicts instead. Guided by the need to find solutions that will yield tangible results, Barton does a deep analysis of our last several interventions and discusses why they failed and how they could have succeeded. He outlines a few key directives in his foreign policy strategy: remain transparent with the American public, act as a catalyzing (not colonizing!) force, and engage local partners. But above all else, he insists that the U.S. must maintain a focus on people. Since a country’s greatest resource is often the ingenuity of its local citizens, it is counterproductive to ignore them while planning an intervention. By anchoring each chapter to a story from a specific conflict zone, Barton is able to discuss opportunities pursued and missed, areas for improvement, and policy recommendations. This balance between storytelling and concrete policy suggestions both humanizes distant stories of foreign crises, and provides going-forward solutions for desperate situations. The book begins and ends in Syria – the ultimate failure of our current approach to foreign policy, and with devastating consequences.

Counterinsurgency

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199746257
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis Counterinsurgency by : David Kilcullen

Download or read book Counterinsurgency written by David Kilcullen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-19 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Kilcullen is one of the world's most influential experts on counterinsurgency and modern warfare, a ground-breaking theorist whose ideas "are revolutionizing military thinking throughout the west" (Washington Post). Indeed, his vision of modern warfare powerfully influenced the United States' decision to rethink its military strategy in Iraq and implement "the Surge," now recognized as a dramatic success. In Counterinsurgency, Kilcullen brings together his most salient writings on this vitally important topic. Here is a picture of modern warfare by someone who has had his boots on the ground in some of today's worst trouble spots-including Iraq and Afghanistan-and who has been studying counterinsurgency since 1985. Filled with down-to-earth, common-sense insights, this book is the definitive account of counterinsurgency, indispensable for all those interested in making sense of our world in an age of terror.

Other People's Wars

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Publisher : Georgetown University Press
ISBN 13 : 1647120616
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (471 download)

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Book Synopsis Other People's Wars by : Brent L. Sterling

Download or read book Other People's Wars written by Brent L. Sterling and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2021-03-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Case studies explore how to improve military adaptation and preparedness in peacetime by investigating foreign wars Preparing for the next war at an unknown date against an undetermined opponent is a difficult undertaking with extremely high stakes. Even the most detailed exercises and wargames do not truly simulate combat and the fog of war. Thus, outside of their own combat, militaries have studied foreign wars as a valuable source of battlefield information. The effectiveness of this learning process, however, has rarely been evaluated across different periods and contexts. Through a series of in-depth case studies of the US Army, Navy, and Air Force, Brent L. Sterling creates a better understanding of the dynamics of learning from “other people’s wars,” determining what types of knowledge can be gained from foreign wars, identifying common pitfalls, and proposing solutions to maximize the benefits for doctrine, organization, training, and equipment. Other People’s Wars explores major US efforts involving direct observation missions and post-conflict investigations at key junctures for the US armed forces: the Crimean War (1854–56), Russo-Japanese War (1904–5), Spanish Civil War (1936–39), and Yom Kippur War (1973), which preceded the US Civil War, First and Second World Wars, and major army and air force reforms of the 1970s, respectively. The case studies identify learning pitfalls but also show that initiatives to learn from other nations’ wars can yield significant benefits if the right conditions are met. Sterling puts forth a process that emphasizes comprehensive qualitative learning to foster better military preparedness and adaptability.

Dying to Learn

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Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 1501758470
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Dying to Learn by : Michael A. Hunzeker

Download or read book Dying to Learn written by Michael A. Hunzeker and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2021-07-15 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Dying to Learn, Michael Hunzeker develops a novel theory to explain how wartime militaries learn. He focuses on the Western Front, which witnessed three great-power armies struggle to cope with deadlock throughout the First World War, as the British, French, and German armies all pursued the same solutions-assault tactics, combined arms, and elastic defense in depth. By the end of the war, only the German army managed to develop and implement a set of revolutionary offensive, defensive, and combined arms doctrines that in hindsight represented the best way to fight. Hunzeker identifies three organizational variables that determine how fighting militaries generate new ideas, distinguish good ones from bad ones, and implement the best of them across the entire organization. These factors are: the degree to which leadership delegates authority on the battlefield; how effectively the organization retains control over soldier and officer training; and whether or not the military possesses an independent doctrinal assessment mechanism. Through careful study of the British, French, and German experiences in the First World War, Dying to Learn provides a model that shows how a resolute focus on analysis, command, and training can help prepare modern militaries for adapting amidst high-intensity warfare in an age of revolutionary technological change.

Lifting the Fog of War

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Author :
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 9780801868412
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (684 download)

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Book Synopsis Lifting the Fog of War by : William A. Owens

Download or read book Lifting the Fog of War written by William A. Owens and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2001-12-18 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the paperback edition, the author has written a new preface about the Bush administration's attitudes toward military reform.

The Test of Terrorism

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317653378
Total Pages : 103 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (176 download)

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Book Synopsis The Test of Terrorism by : Alastair Finlan

Download or read book The Test of Terrorism written by Alastair Finlan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-01-13 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a timely and critical reflection on how states have responded to the test of terrorism in the long shadow of 9/11. Terrorism has become the hallmark of international relations in the early twenty-first century. This book provides a policy-focused analysis of how certain states have responded to its test by employing a range of viewpoints that encompass state level responses down to a close interrogation of the nebulous non-state actors who have orchestrated spectacular political violence in contemporary times. It engages with the challenges of terrorism from a variety of perspectives that include philosophical discourses, the perils of counterterrorism encapsulated in the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, learning in counterinsurgency, the effectiveness of counterterrorism spending, Al Qaeda’s modus operandi and the threat posed by Boko Haram to Nigeria. This eclectic collection of chapters is an important contribution to the wide-ranging and contested debate about terrorism that has dominated the political discourse in the West since 2001. This book was published as a special issue of Defense and Security Analysis.

The Marines Take Anbar

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Publisher : Naval Institute Press
ISBN 13 : 1612511414
Total Pages : 314 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (125 download)

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Book Synopsis The Marines Take Anbar by : Robert Shultz

Download or read book The Marines Take Anbar written by Robert Shultz and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2013-03-15 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Marine Corps’ four-year campaign against al Qaeda in Anbar is a fight certain to take its place next to such legendary clashes as Belleau Wood, Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Chosin, and Khe Sanh. Its success, the author contends, constituted a major turning point in the Iraq War and helped alter the course of events and set the stage for the Surge in Baghdad a year later. This book brings to light all the decisive details of how the Marines, between 2004 and 2008, adapted and improvised as they applied the hard lessons of past mistakes. In March 2004, when part of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) was deployed to Anbar Province in the heart of the Sunni triangle, the Marines quickly found themselves locked in a bloody test of wills with al Qaeda, and a burgeoning violent insurgency. By the spring of 2006, according to all accounts, enemy violence was skyrocketing, while predictions for any U.S. success were plummeting. But at that same time new counterinsurgency initiatives were put in place when I MEF returned for its second tour in Anbar, and the Marines began to gain control. By September 2008 the fight was over. Richard Shultz, a well-known author and international security studies expert, has thoroughly researched this subject. His book effectively argues the case for the Marines changing the course of the war at Anbar, which is contrary to the conventional wisdom that the Surge was the turning point."

War and Peace

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Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307806588
Total Pages : 1298 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (78 download)

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Book Synopsis War and Peace by : Leo Tolstoy

Download or read book War and Peace written by Leo Tolstoy and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-10-05 with total page 1298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction by A. N. Wilson • Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Often called the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is at once an epic of the Napoleonic Wars, a philosophical study, and a celebration of the Russian spirit. Tolstoy’s genius is seen clearly in the multitude of characters in this massive chronicle—all of them fully realized and equally memorable. Out of this complex narrative emerges a profound examination of the individual’s place in the historical process, one that makes it clear why Thomas Mann praised Tolstoy for his Homeric powers and placed War and Peace in the same category as the Iliad: “To read him . . . is to find one’ s way home . . . to everything within us that is fundamental and sane.”

UN Peacekeeping Doctrine in a New Era

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1315396920
Total Pages : 323 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (153 download)

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Book Synopsis UN Peacekeeping Doctrine in a New Era by : Cedric de Coning

Download or read book UN Peacekeeping Doctrine in a New Era written by Cedric de Coning and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-02-20 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume offers a thorough review of peacekeeping theory and reality in contemporary contexts, and aligns the two to help inform practice. Recent UN peacekeeping operations have challenged the traditional peacekeeping principles of consent, impartiality and the minimum use of force. The pace and scope of these changes have now reached a tipping point, as the new mandates are fundamentally challenging the continued validity of the UN peacekeeping’s core principles and identity. In response the volume analyses the growing gap between these actual practices and existing UN peacekeeping doctrine, exploring how it undermines the effectiveness of UN operations, and endangers lives, arguing that a common doctrine is a critical starting point for effective multi-national operations. In order to determine the degree to which this general principle applies to the current state of UN peacekeeping, this book: Provides a review of conceptual and doctrinal developments in UN peacekeeping operations through a historical perspective Examines the debate related to peace operations doctrine and concepts among key Member States Focuses on the actual practice of peacekeeping by conducting case studies of several UN peacekeeping missions in order to identify gaps between practice and doctrine Critically analyses gaps between emerging peacekeeping practice and existing doctrine Recommends that the UN moves beyond the peacekeeping principles and doctrine of the past Combining empirical case-based studies on UN peace operations, with studies on the views and policies of key UN Security Council members that generate these mandates, and views of key contributors of UN peacekeepers, this volume will be of great use to policy-makers; UN officials and peace operations practitioners; and academics working on peace and conflict/security studies, international organizations and conflict management.

The Army Lawyer

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 60 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (3 download)

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Book Synopsis The Army Lawyer by :

Download or read book The Army Lawyer written by and published by . This book was released on 2011-03 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Securing the Peace

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400831997
Total Pages : 245 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Securing the Peace by : Monica Duffy Toft

Download or read book Securing the Peace written by Monica Duffy Toft and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-10-26 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Timely and pathbreaking, Securing the Peace is the first book to explore the complete spectrum of civil war terminations, including negotiated settlements, military victories by governments and rebels, and stalemates and ceasefires. Examining the outcomes of all civil war terminations since 1940, Monica Toft develops a general theory of postwar stability, showing how third-party guarantees may not be the best option. She demonstrates that thorough security-sector reform plays a critical role in establishing peace over the long term. Much of the thinking in this area has centered on third parties presiding over the maintenance of negotiated settlements, but the problem with this focus is that fewer than a quarter of recent civil wars have ended this way. Furthermore, these settlements have been precarious, often resulting in a recurrence of war. Toft finds that military victory, especially victory by rebels, lends itself to a more durable peace. She argues for the importance of the security sector--the police and military--and explains that victories are more stable when governments can maintain order. Toft presents statistical evaluations and in-depth case studies that include El Salvador, Sudan, and Uganda to reveal that where the security sector remains robust, stability and democracy are likely to follow. An original and thoughtful reassessment of civil war terminations, Securing the Peace will interest all those concerned about resolving our world's most pressing conflicts.

The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America's Military

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Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393344592
Total Pages : 427 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (933 download)

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Book Synopsis The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America's Military by : Dana Priest

Download or read book The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America's Military written by Dana Priest and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2004-03-17 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Walk with America's generals, grunts, and Green Berets through the maze of unconventional wars and unsettled peace. Four-star generals who lead the military during wartime reign like proconsuls abroad in peacetime. Secretive Green Berets trained to hunt down terrorists are assigned to seduce ruthless authoritarian regimes. Pimply young soldiers taught to seize airstrips instead play mayor, detective, and social worker in a gung-ho but ill-fated attempt to rebuild a nation after the fighting stops. The Mission is a boots-on-the-ground account of America's growing dependence on our military to manage world affairs, describing a clash of culture and purpose through the eyes of soldiers and officers themselves. With unparalleled access to all levels of the military, Dana Priest traveled to eighteen countries—including Uzbekistan, Colombia, Kosovo, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Afghanistan—talking to generals, admirals, Special Forces A-teams, and infantry troops. Blending Ernie Pyle's worm's-eye view with David Halberstam's altitude, this book documents an historic and thought-provoking trend, one even more significant in the aftermath of September 11 as the country turns to its warriors to solve the complex international challenges ahead.

War in a Time of Peace

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Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1501141503
Total Pages : 870 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis War in a Time of Peace by : David Halberstam

Download or read book War in a Time of Peace written by David Halberstam and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-11-17 with total page 870 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pulitzer Prize­-winning journalist David Halberstam chronicles Washington politics and foreign policy in post­ Cold War America. Evoking the internal conflicts, unchecked egos, and power struggles within the White House, the State Department, and the military, Halberstam shows how the decisions of men who served in the Vietnam War, and those who did not, have shaped America's role in global events. He provides fascinating portraits of those in power—Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Kissinger, James Baker, Dick Cheney, Madeleine Albright, and others—to reveal a stunning view of modern political America.