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The US, Barry R. Posen argues in Restraint, has grown incapable of moderating its ambitions in international politics. Since the collapse of Soviet power, it has pursued a grand strategy that he calls "liberal hegemony", one that Posen sees as unnecessary, counterproductive, costly, and wasteful. Written for policymakers and observers alike, Restraint explains precisely why this grand strategy works poorly and then provides a carefully designed alternative grand strategy and an associated military strategy and force structure.
In chronicling the adventurous life of legendary CIA operative Edward Lansdale, The Road Not Taken definitively reframes our understanding of the Vietnam War. In this epic biography of Edward Lansdale (1908-1987) best-selling historian Max Boot demonstrates how Lansdale pioneered a "hearts and mind" diplomacy, first in the Philippines, then in Vietnam. It was a visionary policy that, as Boot reveals, was ultimately crushed by America's giant military bureaucracy.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick", Theodore Roosevelt famously said in 1901 when the United States was emerging as a great power. It was the right sentiment, perhaps, in an age of imperial rivalry. But today many Americans doubt the utility of their global military presence, thinking it outdated, unnecessary, or even dangerous. In The Big Stick, Eliot A. Cohen - a scholar and practitioner of international relations - disagrees.
David Kilcullen was one of the architects of America's strategy in the late phases of the second Gulf War, and also spent time in Afghanistan and other hotspots. In Blood Year, he provides a view of the current situation in the Middle East and analyzes how America and the West ended up in such dire circumstances. This is an essential book for anyone interested in understanding not only why the region has collapsed into utter chaos, but also what the US can do to alleviate the grim situation.
For over 20 years, a select group of Yale undergraduates has been admitted into the year-long "Grand Strategy" seminar team-taught by John Lewis Gaddis and Paul Kennedy. Its purpose: to provide a grounding in strategic decision-making in the face of crisis to prepare future American leaders for important work. Now, John Lewis Gaddis has transposed the experience of that course into a wonderfully succinct, lucid and inspirational book, a view from the commanding heights of statesmanship across the landscape of world history from the ancient Greeks to Lincoln, and beyond.
The year is 2026. China has taken over as the world's largest economy, while the United States, mired in an oil shortage, struggles to adjust to its diminished role. Then, a surprise attack throws the US into a chaos unseen since Pearl Harbor. As the enemy takes control, the survival of the nation will depend upon the most unlikely forces: the Navy's antiquated Ghost Fleet and a cadre of homegrown terrorists.
The US, Barry R. Posen argues in Restraint, has grown incapable of moderating its ambitions in international politics. Since the collapse of Soviet power, it has pursued a grand strategy that he calls "liberal hegemony", one that Posen sees as unnecessary, counterproductive, costly, and wasteful. Written for policymakers and observers alike, Restraint explains precisely why this grand strategy works poorly and then provides a carefully designed alternative grand strategy and an associated military strategy and force structure.
In chronicling the adventurous life of legendary CIA operative Edward Lansdale, The Road Not Taken definitively reframes our understanding of the Vietnam War. In this epic biography of Edward Lansdale (1908-1987) best-selling historian Max Boot demonstrates how Lansdale pioneered a "hearts and mind" diplomacy, first in the Philippines, then in Vietnam. It was a visionary policy that, as Boot reveals, was ultimately crushed by America's giant military bureaucracy.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick", Theodore Roosevelt famously said in 1901 when the United States was emerging as a great power. It was the right sentiment, perhaps, in an age of imperial rivalry. But today many Americans doubt the utility of their global military presence, thinking it outdated, unnecessary, or even dangerous. In The Big Stick, Eliot A. Cohen - a scholar and practitioner of international relations - disagrees.
David Kilcullen was one of the architects of America's strategy in the late phases of the second Gulf War, and also spent time in Afghanistan and other hotspots. In Blood Year, he provides a view of the current situation in the Middle East and analyzes how America and the West ended up in such dire circumstances. This is an essential book for anyone interested in understanding not only why the region has collapsed into utter chaos, but also what the US can do to alleviate the grim situation.
For over 20 years, a select group of Yale undergraduates has been admitted into the year-long "Grand Strategy" seminar team-taught by John Lewis Gaddis and Paul Kennedy. Its purpose: to provide a grounding in strategic decision-making in the face of crisis to prepare future American leaders for important work. Now, John Lewis Gaddis has transposed the experience of that course into a wonderfully succinct, lucid and inspirational book, a view from the commanding heights of statesmanship across the landscape of world history from the ancient Greeks to Lincoln, and beyond.
The year is 2026. China has taken over as the world's largest economy, while the United States, mired in an oil shortage, struggles to adjust to its diminished role. Then, a surprise attack throws the US into a chaos unseen since Pearl Harbor. As the enemy takes control, the survival of the nation will depend upon the most unlikely forces: the Navy's antiquated Ghost Fleet and a cadre of homegrown terrorists.
Featuring a foreword by Dr. Jerrry Pournelle, A History of Strategy: From Sun Tzu to William S. Lind begins with the Chinese military literature, then reviews the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine works before proceeding to the Middle Ages. From Machiavelli and Montecuccoli to Guibert and Frederick the Great, van Creveld chronicles the gradual transition from medieval to Napoleonic warfare and onward into the nuclear age and the rise of ISIS.
This Kind of War is a monumental study of the conflict that began in June 1950. Successive generations of U.S. military officers have considered this book an indispensable part of their education. T. R. Fehrenbach's narrative brings to life the harrowing and bloody battles that were fought up and down the Korean Peninsula.
In Just War Reconsidered: Strategy, Ethics, and Theory, James M. Dubik draws on years of research as well as his own experiences as a soldier and teacher to fill the gaps left by other theorists. He applies moral philosophy, political philosophy, and strategic studies to historical and contemporary case studies to reveal the inaccuracies and moral bankruptcy that inform some of the literature on military ethics.
War with China is much more likely than anyone thinks. When Athens went to war with Sparta some 2,500 years ago, the Greek historian Thucydides identified one simple cause: A rising power threatened to displace a ruling one. As the eminent Harvard scholar Graham Allison explains, in the past 500 years, great powers have found themselves in "Thucydides's Trap" 16 times. In 12 of the 16, the results have been catastrophic.
In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives.
A sweeping narrative history of the events leading to 9/11, a groundbreaking look at the people and ideas, the terrorist plans and the Western intelligence failures that culminated in the assault on America. Lawrence Wright's remarkable book is based on five years of research and hundreds of interviews that he conducted in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, England, France, Germany, Spain, and the United States.
Military history often highlights successes and suggests a sense of inevitability about victory, but there is so much that can be gleaned from considering failures. Study these crucibles of history to gain a better understanding of why a civilization took - or didn't take - a particular path.
Andrew Roberts' Napoleon is the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon's thirty-three thousand letters, which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation. At last we see him as he was: protean multitasker, decisive, surprisingly willing to forgive his enemies and his errant wife Josephine.
Across the realms of civic and private enterprise alike, bureaucracies vitally impact our security, freedoms, and everyday life. With so much at stake, competence, efficiency, and fiscal prudence are essential, yet Americans know these institutions fall short. Many despair that they are too big and too hard to reform.
The theories and observations in this abridged version of Prussian soldier Carl von Clausewitz's magnum opus have been heeded by military strategists for nearly 200 years. Most have considered this to be the "Bible" of military strategy and tactics.
A widening gulf between performance and accountability has caused history to be kinder to the American generals of World War II than to those of later wars. In The Generals we meet leaders from World War II to the present who rose to the occasion - and those who failed.
From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vivid account of serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When Robert M. Gates received a call from the White House, he thought he'd long left Washington politics behind: After working for six presidents in both the CIA and the National Security Council, he was happily serving as president of Texas A&M University. But when he was asked to help a nation mired in two wars and to aid the troops doing the fighting, he answered what he felt was the call of duty.
This audiobook challenges several longstanding notions about the American way of war. It examines US military practice (strategic and operational) from the War of Independence to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan to determine what patterns, if any, existed in the way Americans have used military force. Echevarria surveys all major US wars and most every small conflict in the country's military history. He argues that the popular notion that the American way of war is astrategic, apolitical, and obsessed with using overwhelming force is wrong. Rather, America's decisions to go to war and strategies in war have throughout history been shaped by political considerations, with both negative and positive results, and the amount of force employed was rarely overwhelming or decisive. Echevarria closes the gap between histories of strategic theory and the popular battle and campaign narratives that comprise the bulk of US military history. This book hopes to force a reexmination of the true characteristics of the American way of war with an eye toward implications for the future.
If you could sum up Reconsidering the American Way of War in three words, what would they be?
That is really impossible..complex stuff cannot be summed up in three words.
What did you like best about this story?
Great a great overall view of the topic with many specific examples.
Which scene was your favorite?
No "scenes" in this non-fiction work.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Noo....Has to be taken in small doses. There is a lot to digest.
Any additional comments?
Reader did a good job on what must have been a very difficult task. For military officers, this is a must read...or listen.. so that past mistakes are not made all over again.
73 of 74 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of Reconsidering the American Way of War to be better than the print version?
Much easier to understand. I had to read this for a class on military history and found it rough going. It's very dense and the sentence structure seems awkward at times...at least for me. I found listening to it a little at a time - 30 minutes or so, to be much easier since the reader did much of the work of "pharsing" the text and it actually became pretty clear what the author was talking about.
What other book might you compare Reconsidering the American Way of War to and why?
The Art of War but, of course, much more modern.
What does James Killavey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Already said it...did a great job of making a complex book easier to understand.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Not really.
Any additional comments?
Thank you, Audible. One of the side benefits of listening is that, during class discussions, I was one of the few who pronounced the many difficult names correctly. The professor was very impressed and my classmates a bit envious. I wish all my required readings were in Audiobook form.
47 of 48 people found this review helpful
Would you listen to Reconsidering the American Way of War again? Why?
Yes...very "dense" book with complex ideas. I've already listened twice and plan to do it at least one more time.
What did you like best about this story?
Many people, including many in the military, think there is and always has been an American "Way of War," that emphasizes overwhelming and crushing victories no matter what the strategic goals are. The author's thorough survey of American military history points out enormous variety in military practice, and that far more attention to political control was given than is usually recognized. The ideas in this book have huge implications for any future conflicts and should be read ( or heard ) but anyone in the military involved in strategic planning.
Have you listened to any of James Killavey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes, I have. He is one of my favorite narrators and did his usual good job.
Any additional comments?
This is an important book and, in my opinion, should be required reading by all U.S. military officers or officers-to-be and by all politicians involved with military decision making.
46 of 47 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of Reconsidering the American Way of War to be better than the print version?
Yes....easier to understand. I have the print version but had to keep backing up in order to have some parts make sense. I did not have to do that when listening.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Reconsidering the American Way of War?
Whole section about Vietnam.
Which character – as performed by James Killavey – was your favorite?
No characters but I must say the reader did a great job. There were many difficult names and places to pronounce and the syntax was often complex. Must have taken a lot of preparation.
Any additional comments?
Audio version made a book full of complex ideas much easier to understand.
46 of 47 people found this review helpful
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Actually I got this book for my son who is attending the War College. This was a required reading and he was having trouble getting though it.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
I listened to it as well and found it fascinating.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Nope..too long and too dense.
Any additional comments?
My son told me listening to it was much easier since the writing style was convoluted at times. Also told me he got "points" in class for correctly pronouncing some of the names that were mentioned in the book. We both thought the reader did an excellent job.
44 of 45 people found this review helpful
If you could sum up Reconsidering the American Way of War in three words, what would they be?
astute looking back
What about James Killavey’s performance did you like?
Very good job with a very difficult read.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No..too dense
Any additional comments?
As others have say, military men and politicians should read this to avoid repeating mistakes of the past.
32 of 33 people found this review helpful
This is a good analysis of American military practice but is a little dry at times. The narration is functional rather than impressive, but with content like this it's hard to add life to it.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Would you listen to Reconsidering the American Way of War again? Why?
Yes. This is a rather "dense" book. I intend to listen to it at least once more.
Have you listened to any of James Killavey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have. He does his usual excellent job.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
This is not the kind of book that could be made into a film.
Any additional comments?
As other reviewers have said...this should be required reading for anyone involved at high levels of the military and for all politicians. We should not keep making the same mistakes over and over.
40 of 42 people found this review helpful
The book is well-thought out and research. I do not argue with the premise that politics shape the decision to go to war and war-waging. I argue with the premise that there is an assumption that we have these decisions and tactics are apolitical. I do not think any country or group takes arms without a political input; it is a matter of degree that politics shape war at the strategic, operational, and tactical level. I guess there is a school of scholars who have been saying war making is apolitical.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
If you enjoy being read to by a robot, this is for you.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Couldn't make it through.
What didn’t you like about James Killavey’s performance?
I constantly had to remind myself that this was a human an not a text-to-speech engine. The only reason I didn't give i one star is that if it were text-to-speech, it would be a pretty good engine. Almost human-like.
Any additional comments?
I was ready to throw myself into the minutiae of the topic but the narration was unbearable.
5 of 28 people found this review helpful