SWJ Blog
04-01-2009, 11:20 AM
1 April SWJ Roundup (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2009/04/1-april-swj-roundup/)
Entry Excerpt:
The Accidental Guerrilla (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) arrives when everyone’s book shelves are straining under the load of a market chocked with new listings. Tom Ricks and Linda Robinson’s fine efforts come to mind. While these books should grace your shelves, only Kilcullen captures the scope of our present challenge holistically and pragmatically. This is the only way to come to grips with the dangerously complex and forbiddingly dynamic aspects of hybrid warfare.
--Frank Hoffman, Small Wars Journal (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2009/03/winning-todays-hybrid-warfare/)
PAKISTAN
Can Pakistan Be Governed? (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05zardari-t.html?_r=1&ref=asia) - James Traub, New York Times
Pakistan has made itself the supreme conundrum of American foreign policy. During the campaign, Obama often said that the heart of the terrorist threat was not Iraq but Afghanistan and Pakistan, and once in office he had senior policy makers undertake an array of reviews designed to coordinate policy in the region. They seem to have narrowed the target area even further, to the Pakistani frontier. “For the American people,” Obama announced on March 27, “this border region has become the most dangerous place in the world.” Some officials see Pakistan as a volcano that, should it blow, would send an inconceivable amount of poisonous ash raining down on the world around it. David Kilcullen, a key adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, the Centcom commander, recently asserted that “within one to six months we could see the collapse of the Pakistani state,” a calamity that, given the country’s size, strategic location and nuclear stockpile, would “dwarf” all other current crises.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05zardari-t.html?_r=1&ref=asia).
Pakistan's Taliban Leader Threatens Attacks in the US (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-threat1-2009apr01,0,1183316.story) - Zulfiqar Ali and Laura King, Los Angeles Times
Baitullah Mahsud, the leader of Pakistan's Taliban movement, threatened Tuesday to launch attacks in the United States in retaliation for missile strikes by American drones aimed at militant leaders sheltering in Pakistan's tribal areas.In an unusual step, the normally reclusive Mahsud personally made a round of telephone calls to news media representatives claiming responsibility for an audacious commando-style strike on a police training school near the eastern city of Lahore a day earlier. In those calls, he also threatened to widen his campaign of attacks.More at the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-threat1-2009apr01,0,1183316.story) and:
Taliban Chief Threatens US Mainland (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100333.html) - Washington Post
Pakistan Militant Threatens DC (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123847850370972947.html) - Wall Street Journal
Pakistani Taliban Claims Responsibility in Lahore Police Attack (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa57.cfm) - VOA
Pakistan Taliban Chief Brags of Attack on Police (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100333.html) - Washington Post
Pakistan Court Restores Opposition Gov't in Punjab (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100912.html) - Associated Press
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
IRAQ
Militants Show New Boldness in Cities of Iraq (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01insurgency.html?adxnnl=1&ref=world&adxnnlx=1238576599-qmpkH+n+EJb9hjUv5w04vA) - Alissa J. Rubin, New York Times
As the American military prepares to withdraw from Iraqi cities, Iraqi and American security officials say that jihadi and Baath militants are rejoining the fight in areas that are largely quiet now, regrouping as a smaller but still lethal insurgency.There is much debate as to whether any new insurgency, at a time of relative calm in most of Iraq, could ever produce the same levels of violence as existed at the height of the fighting here. A recent series of attacks, however, like bubbles that indicate fish beneath still water, suggest the potential danger, all the more perilous now because the American troops who helped to pacify Iraq are leaving.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01insurgency.html?adxnnl=1&ref=world&adxnnlx=1238576599-qmpkH+n+EJb9hjUv5w04vA).
In a Desolate Iraqi Village, War Is Far From Over (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01diyala.html?ref=world) - Marc Santora, New York Times
Around a mostly peaceful Iraq, Americans are withdrawing from the cities, doing less soldiering and more social welfare, like establishing factories and engaging in civics lessons.But this corner of Diyala Province, north of Baghdad and near the Iranian border, is one of those pockets across northern and eastern Iraq where the war is still being fought much as it was two years ago, when the “surge” of American troops began.Here violence remains high, the Sunni insurgency never defeated. As American troops withdraw, such strongholds could threaten the fragile gains in Iraq. And so the American military has mounted one of its few current combat missions to try to finally eradicate what it describes as toughened insurgents.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01diyala.html?ref=world).
IRAN
Senior US, Iranian Officials Meet at Afghanistan Conference (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123852188758874429.html) - Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration held its first high-level contact with Iran's government here, marking what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said could become closer cooperation between Washington and Tehran on Afghanistan and other global hot spots.The brief meeting, on the sidelines of a United Nations-sponsored conference on Afghanistan, involved Richard Holbrooke, the State Department's special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Medhi Akhundzadeh, Iran's deputy foreign minister.Mrs. Clinton called the encounter "cordial" and said the two diplomats agreed to "stay in touch" regarding possible future meetings.When Mrs. Clinton first proposed the conference in early March she pointed out that Iran would likely be invited, creating expectations for such a meeting with Iranian officials.More at The Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123852188758874429.html) and:
Clinton Calls US-Iranian Meeting 'Promising' (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa45.cfm) - Voice of America
First Face-to-Face Contact With Iran (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01diplo.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US Extends a Hand to Iran (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100809.html) - Washington Post
US, Iran Officials Meet at Conference (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-conference1-2009apr01,0,4157599.story) - Los Angeles Times
Iran Hits Out at Troop Surge in Afghanistan (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6009880.ece) - The Times
MORE NEWS AND OPINION
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
President’s Plan Signals U.S. Commitment to Bolster Afghan Security (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53721) - AFPS
Mullen Cites High Priority of Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategy (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53723) - AFPS
US Moves to Secure Key Afghanistan Route (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6011860.ece) - The Times
Indian PM to Discuss Taliban with Obama (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa36.cfm) - Voice of America
Empowerment Program Helps to Educate Afghans (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53712) - AFPS
Afghan Police, Coalition Forces Kill 31 Militants (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123857274486477621.html) - Associated Press
US Missile Said to Kill Militants in Pakistan (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/01/world/AP-AS-Pakistan.html?ref=world) - Associated Press
Iraq
Pentagon Report Cites Gains in Iraq, Despite Rifts (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53719) - AFPS
British Troops End Mission in Basra, Hand Over to US (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa41.cfm) - Voice of America
British Hand Basra Base Over to US Military (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033102403.html) - Washington Post
British Forces Hand Over Control of Basra (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0331/p06s21-wome.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Riding the Overnight Train in Iraq (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/03/31/GA2009033103825.html) - Washington Post
The Long War
Judge Orders Release of Guantanamo Detainee (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103102.html) - Washington Post
Chinese Inmates at Guantánamo Pose a Dilemma (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/us/politics/01gitmo.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US Department of Defense
Petraeus Emphasizes Shared Goals at Defense Chiefs Conference (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53717) - AFPS
United Nations
US to Seek Seat on UN Human Rights Council (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033104115.html) - Washington Post
US Seeks Election to UN Human Rights Council (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/01nations.html?ref=world) - New York Times
G20
Obama Calls for Strong Message of Unity Ahead of G20 Summit (http://www.voanews.com/english/portal.cfm) - VOA
Slate of G-20 Rivals Waits in the Wings (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123853919759075449.html) - Wall Street Journal
Obama, in Europe, Faces Big Challenges to Agenda (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/world/europe/02prexy.html?ref=world) - New York Times
G-20 Could Help US, Russia 'Reset' Ties (http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/03/31/g-20-could-help-us-russia-reset-ties/) - Christian Science Monitor
Prioritizing World Growth at the G-20 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103200.html) - Washington Post opinion
United States
Lawmakers Push to Escalate Cybersecurity (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103684.html) - Washington Post
Obama's Foreign-policy Credo (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0331/p08s01-comv.html) - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Africa
Obama Urges Sudan to Allow Aid Groups to Return (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa51.cfm) - Voice of America
Arab League: In Defense of Genocide (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103148.html) - Washington Post editorial
Film Reveals 'Living Hell' of Zimbabwe Prisons (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6011758.ece) - The Times
Southern Africa Floods Affect Hundreds of Thousands (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa35.cfm) - Voice of America
Guinea Politicians Welcome Election Date (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa46.cfm) - Voice of America
Americas
Ban on Travel to Cuba May be Lifted (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cuba-travel1-2009apr01,0,4526770.story) - Los Angeles Times
Asia Pacific
Analyst: Spy Agencies Believe North Korea Has Nuclear Warheads (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa22.cfm) - VOA
North Korea Warns U.S. Over Spy Planes (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123856988318877553.html) - Associated Press
North Korea’s Test (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/opinion/01wed1.html?ref=opinion) - New York Times editorial
Khmer Rouge Torture Chief Apologizes During Trial (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa44.cfm) - Voice of America
Khmer Rouge Figure Accepts Responsibility for Executions (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100780.html) - Washington Post
Khmer Rouge Prison Chief Confesses (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-cambodia-genocide1-2009apr01,0,473787.story) - Los Angeles Times
Philippines Officials Plead With Rebels on Captives (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/asia/01phil.html?ref=world) - New York Times
China Denies Any Role in 'GhostNet' Computer Hacking (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa12.cfm) - Voice of America
Europe
Medvedev Outlines Path to Better US-Russian Ties (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa18.cfm) - Voice of America
Obama and Medvedev to Announce Broad Agreement (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103873.html) - Washington Post
US and Russia in Talks for New Treaty (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/washington/01arms.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US, Russia's Key Topic: New Arms Talks (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103779.html) - Washington Post
US, Georgia to Continue Strategic Partnership (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53711) - AFPS
Athens Struck by Firebomb Attacks (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/europe/01greece.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Middle East
Israel Prepares to Swear In Netanyahu as Prime Minister (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa15.cfm) - Voice of America
Israeli Parliament Approves Netanyahu as Prime Minister (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033101185.html) - Washington Post
Netanyahu and Super-sized Cabinet Sworn In (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-netanyahu1-2009apr01,0,929140.story) - Los Angeles Times
Netanyahu Offers Conciliation, But Not Concessions (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01mideast.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Netanyahu: Israel is Serious About Peace (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0331/p06s10-wome.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Israel's Election System Is No Good (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123854102203575623.html) - Wall Street Journal opinion
South Asia
Outcome of Sri Lanka’s War May Hang on Fate of Insurgent Leader (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/asia/01lanka.html?ref=world) - NY Times
BOOK REVIEWS
Soldiers of Misfortune (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/books/review/Glanz-t.html?ref=world) - James Glanz, New York Times book review of Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) by Donovan Campbell.
A Counterinsurgency Primer (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123714994416834083.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) - Max Boot, Wall Street Journal book review of The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
Reluctant Warriors (http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13272076) - The Economist book review of both The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) by Thomas Ricks and The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
BOOKS
Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) - Donovan Campbell.
Donovan Campbell, first as a Marine and then as a writer, shows us that the dominant emotion in war isn’t hatred or anger or fear. It’s love. His story stands as a poignant tribute to his men–their courage, their dedication, their skill, and their love for one another, even unto death.The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403971749?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1403971749) - Anthony Zinni and Tony Koltz
The intellectual complement to Zinni and Clancy's bestselling Battle Ready (2004), a narrative memoir salted with specific policy recommendations, this volume provides the former US Central Command chief's analysis of America's current global position. Zinni begins by asserting that America's status as "the most powerful nation in the history of the planet" has created a de facto empire. The US has no choice: if it fails to take the lead, nothing significant happens. At the same time, Americans must recognize that, in a global age, there can be no zero-sum games.The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594202028?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594202028) - Craig Mullaney
The Unforgiving Minute is the ultimate's soldier's book - universal in its raw emotion and its understanding of the larger issues of life and death. Mullaney, a master storyteller, plunges the depths of self-doubt, endurance, and courage. The result: a riveting, suspenseful human story, beautifully told. This is a book written under fire - a lyrical, spellbinding tale of war, love, and courage. The Unforgiving Minute is the Three Cups of Tea of soldiering.Great Powers: America and the World after Bush (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399155376?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0399155376) - Thomas P.M. Barnett
In civilian and military circles alike, The Pentagon’s New Map became one of the most talked about books of 2004. “A combination of Tom Friedman on globalization and Carl von Clausewitz on war, the red-hot book among the nation’s admirals and generals,” wrote David Ignatius in [I]The Washington Post. Barnett’s second book, Blueprint for Action, demonstrated how to put the first book’s principles to work. Now, in Great Powers, Barnett delivers his most sweeping - and important - book of all.The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) - David Kilcullen
A remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror. Kilcullen takes us "on the ground" to uncover the face of modern warfare, illuminating both the big global war (the "War on Terrorism") and its relation to the associated "small wars" across the globe: Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Chechnya, Pakistan and North Africa.The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) - Thomas Ricks
Thomas E. Ricks uses hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with top officers in Iraq and extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to document the inside story of the Iraq War since late 2005 as only he can, examining the events that took place as the military was forced to reckon with itself, the surge was launched, and a very different war began.Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591146747?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1591146747) - Rufus Phillips
Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that our failure to understand the Communists, our South Vietnamese allies, or even ourselves took us down the wrong road. In summing up US errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the US approach. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this trenchant account.Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030014069X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=030014069X) - Peter Mansoor
This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a US brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless - and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with command memoirs. Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences.The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067014/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067014) - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around - and the choice now facing America. We interpret reality through the clouded prism of our own experience, so it is unsurprising that Bing West sees Iraq through the lens of Vietnam. He served as a Marine officer there, and he thinks politicians and the media caused the American public to turn against a war that could have been won. Now a correspondent for the Atlantic, West has made 15 reporting trips to Iraq over the last six years and is almost as personally invested in the current conflict as he was in Vietnam; this book, his third on Iraq, is his attempt to ensure that the "endgame" in Iraq turns out better than in his last war.Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586485288/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1586485288) - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war. Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war. Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president.The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416558977/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1416558977) - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 US troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the US military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the US government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061147761/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0061147761) - Harold Moore and Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results. It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir. But they come close in this sterling sequel, which tells the backstory of two of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battles (in which Moore participated as a lieutenant colonel), their first book and a 1993 ABC-TV documentary that brought them back to the battlefield. Moore's strong first-person voice reviews the basics of the November 1965 battles, part of the 34-day Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Among other things, Moore and Galloway (who covered the battle for UPI) offer portraits of two former enemy commanders, generals Nguyen Huu An and Chu Huy Man, whom the authors met - and bonded with - nearly three decades after the battle. This book proves again that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he served.In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point' Class of 2002 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080508679X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=080508679X) - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic. Most come from career military families and hold conservative opinions. Murphy describes their four years at West Point with respect even when discussing their love lives and marriages. All yearn for battle, and most get their wish. The book's best passages describe the confusion of moving to Iraq or Afghanistan and fighting insurgents, for which they lack both training and equipment. All feel something is not right but concentrate on the job at hand; some inevitably die or are grievously wounded.Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597971960/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1597971960) - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America’s role in the world, Dr. Metz’s important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.EVENTS
The US Army / US Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp) announces the next COIN Leadership Workshop.
From 27 April - 1 May 2009, the United States Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center will present its next Counterinsurgency Leader Workshop at the Lewis and Clark Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This event is a five-day program focused on understanding the fundamentals of insurgency and counterinsurgency. This is a version of the same extremely popular workshop offered to hundreds of military and civilian attendees over the past two years.
This workshop will feature presentations from prominent general officers and guest speakers from the interagency community on the COIN environment in addition to the instructional material.
We have expanded the number of slots available to compensate for the high demand of previous sessions. The proceedings are UNCLASSIFED and registration is open to all interested US government and allied personnel.
The COIN Leader Workshop Site is open for registration. Please head to the COIN Center website (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp), click on "Events" and then click on the "27 April - 1 May 2009 COIN Leader Workshop" to view more detailed information and register.
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Entry Excerpt:
The Accidental Guerrilla (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) arrives when everyone’s book shelves are straining under the load of a market chocked with new listings. Tom Ricks and Linda Robinson’s fine efforts come to mind. While these books should grace your shelves, only Kilcullen captures the scope of our present challenge holistically and pragmatically. This is the only way to come to grips with the dangerously complex and forbiddingly dynamic aspects of hybrid warfare.
--Frank Hoffman, Small Wars Journal (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2009/03/winning-todays-hybrid-warfare/)
PAKISTAN
Can Pakistan Be Governed? (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05zardari-t.html?_r=1&ref=asia) - James Traub, New York Times
Pakistan has made itself the supreme conundrum of American foreign policy. During the campaign, Obama often said that the heart of the terrorist threat was not Iraq but Afghanistan and Pakistan, and once in office he had senior policy makers undertake an array of reviews designed to coordinate policy in the region. They seem to have narrowed the target area even further, to the Pakistani frontier. “For the American people,” Obama announced on March 27, “this border region has become the most dangerous place in the world.” Some officials see Pakistan as a volcano that, should it blow, would send an inconceivable amount of poisonous ash raining down on the world around it. David Kilcullen, a key adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, the Centcom commander, recently asserted that “within one to six months we could see the collapse of the Pakistani state,” a calamity that, given the country’s size, strategic location and nuclear stockpile, would “dwarf” all other current crises.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05zardari-t.html?_r=1&ref=asia).
Pakistan's Taliban Leader Threatens Attacks in the US (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-threat1-2009apr01,0,1183316.story) - Zulfiqar Ali and Laura King, Los Angeles Times
Baitullah Mahsud, the leader of Pakistan's Taliban movement, threatened Tuesday to launch attacks in the United States in retaliation for missile strikes by American drones aimed at militant leaders sheltering in Pakistan's tribal areas.In an unusual step, the normally reclusive Mahsud personally made a round of telephone calls to news media representatives claiming responsibility for an audacious commando-style strike on a police training school near the eastern city of Lahore a day earlier. In those calls, he also threatened to widen his campaign of attacks.More at the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-threat1-2009apr01,0,1183316.story) and:
Taliban Chief Threatens US Mainland (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100333.html) - Washington Post
Pakistan Militant Threatens DC (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123847850370972947.html) - Wall Street Journal
Pakistani Taliban Claims Responsibility in Lahore Police Attack (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa57.cfm) - VOA
Pakistan Taliban Chief Brags of Attack on Police (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100333.html) - Washington Post
Pakistan Court Restores Opposition Gov't in Punjab (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100912.html) - Associated Press
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
IRAQ
Militants Show New Boldness in Cities of Iraq (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01insurgency.html?adxnnl=1&ref=world&adxnnlx=1238576599-qmpkH+n+EJb9hjUv5w04vA) - Alissa J. Rubin, New York Times
As the American military prepares to withdraw from Iraqi cities, Iraqi and American security officials say that jihadi and Baath militants are rejoining the fight in areas that are largely quiet now, regrouping as a smaller but still lethal insurgency.There is much debate as to whether any new insurgency, at a time of relative calm in most of Iraq, could ever produce the same levels of violence as existed at the height of the fighting here. A recent series of attacks, however, like bubbles that indicate fish beneath still water, suggest the potential danger, all the more perilous now because the American troops who helped to pacify Iraq are leaving.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01insurgency.html?adxnnl=1&ref=world&adxnnlx=1238576599-qmpkH+n+EJb9hjUv5w04vA).
In a Desolate Iraqi Village, War Is Far From Over (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01diyala.html?ref=world) - Marc Santora, New York Times
Around a mostly peaceful Iraq, Americans are withdrawing from the cities, doing less soldiering and more social welfare, like establishing factories and engaging in civics lessons.But this corner of Diyala Province, north of Baghdad and near the Iranian border, is one of those pockets across northern and eastern Iraq where the war is still being fought much as it was two years ago, when the “surge” of American troops began.Here violence remains high, the Sunni insurgency never defeated. As American troops withdraw, such strongholds could threaten the fragile gains in Iraq. And so the American military has mounted one of its few current combat missions to try to finally eradicate what it describes as toughened insurgents.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01diyala.html?ref=world).
IRAN
Senior US, Iranian Officials Meet at Afghanistan Conference (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123852188758874429.html) - Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration held its first high-level contact with Iran's government here, marking what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said could become closer cooperation between Washington and Tehran on Afghanistan and other global hot spots.The brief meeting, on the sidelines of a United Nations-sponsored conference on Afghanistan, involved Richard Holbrooke, the State Department's special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Medhi Akhundzadeh, Iran's deputy foreign minister.Mrs. Clinton called the encounter "cordial" and said the two diplomats agreed to "stay in touch" regarding possible future meetings.When Mrs. Clinton first proposed the conference in early March she pointed out that Iran would likely be invited, creating expectations for such a meeting with Iranian officials.More at The Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123852188758874429.html) and:
Clinton Calls US-Iranian Meeting 'Promising' (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa45.cfm) - Voice of America
First Face-to-Face Contact With Iran (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01diplo.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US Extends a Hand to Iran (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100809.html) - Washington Post
US, Iran Officials Meet at Conference (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-conference1-2009apr01,0,4157599.story) - Los Angeles Times
Iran Hits Out at Troop Surge in Afghanistan (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6009880.ece) - The Times
MORE NEWS AND OPINION
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
President’s Plan Signals U.S. Commitment to Bolster Afghan Security (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53721) - AFPS
Mullen Cites High Priority of Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategy (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53723) - AFPS
US Moves to Secure Key Afghanistan Route (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6011860.ece) - The Times
Indian PM to Discuss Taliban with Obama (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa36.cfm) - Voice of America
Empowerment Program Helps to Educate Afghans (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53712) - AFPS
Afghan Police, Coalition Forces Kill 31 Militants (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123857274486477621.html) - Associated Press
US Missile Said to Kill Militants in Pakistan (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/01/world/AP-AS-Pakistan.html?ref=world) - Associated Press
Iraq
Pentagon Report Cites Gains in Iraq, Despite Rifts (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53719) - AFPS
British Troops End Mission in Basra, Hand Over to US (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa41.cfm) - Voice of America
British Hand Basra Base Over to US Military (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033102403.html) - Washington Post
British Forces Hand Over Control of Basra (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0331/p06s21-wome.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Riding the Overnight Train in Iraq (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/03/31/GA2009033103825.html) - Washington Post
The Long War
Judge Orders Release of Guantanamo Detainee (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103102.html) - Washington Post
Chinese Inmates at Guantánamo Pose a Dilemma (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/us/politics/01gitmo.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US Department of Defense
Petraeus Emphasizes Shared Goals at Defense Chiefs Conference (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53717) - AFPS
United Nations
US to Seek Seat on UN Human Rights Council (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033104115.html) - Washington Post
US Seeks Election to UN Human Rights Council (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/01nations.html?ref=world) - New York Times
G20
Obama Calls for Strong Message of Unity Ahead of G20 Summit (http://www.voanews.com/english/portal.cfm) - VOA
Slate of G-20 Rivals Waits in the Wings (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123853919759075449.html) - Wall Street Journal
Obama, in Europe, Faces Big Challenges to Agenda (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/world/europe/02prexy.html?ref=world) - New York Times
G-20 Could Help US, Russia 'Reset' Ties (http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/03/31/g-20-could-help-us-russia-reset-ties/) - Christian Science Monitor
Prioritizing World Growth at the G-20 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103200.html) - Washington Post opinion
United States
Lawmakers Push to Escalate Cybersecurity (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103684.html) - Washington Post
Obama's Foreign-policy Credo (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0331/p08s01-comv.html) - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Africa
Obama Urges Sudan to Allow Aid Groups to Return (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa51.cfm) - Voice of America
Arab League: In Defense of Genocide (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103148.html) - Washington Post editorial
Film Reveals 'Living Hell' of Zimbabwe Prisons (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6011758.ece) - The Times
Southern Africa Floods Affect Hundreds of Thousands (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa35.cfm) - Voice of America
Guinea Politicians Welcome Election Date (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa46.cfm) - Voice of America
Americas
Ban on Travel to Cuba May be Lifted (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cuba-travel1-2009apr01,0,4526770.story) - Los Angeles Times
Asia Pacific
Analyst: Spy Agencies Believe North Korea Has Nuclear Warheads (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa22.cfm) - VOA
North Korea Warns U.S. Over Spy Planes (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123856988318877553.html) - Associated Press
North Korea’s Test (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/opinion/01wed1.html?ref=opinion) - New York Times editorial
Khmer Rouge Torture Chief Apologizes During Trial (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa44.cfm) - Voice of America
Khmer Rouge Figure Accepts Responsibility for Executions (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033100780.html) - Washington Post
Khmer Rouge Prison Chief Confesses (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-cambodia-genocide1-2009apr01,0,473787.story) - Los Angeles Times
Philippines Officials Plead With Rebels on Captives (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/asia/01phil.html?ref=world) - New York Times
China Denies Any Role in 'GhostNet' Computer Hacking (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa12.cfm) - Voice of America
Europe
Medvedev Outlines Path to Better US-Russian Ties (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa18.cfm) - Voice of America
Obama and Medvedev to Announce Broad Agreement (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103873.html) - Washington Post
US and Russia in Talks for New Treaty (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/washington/01arms.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US, Russia's Key Topic: New Arms Talks (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103779.html) - Washington Post
US, Georgia to Continue Strategic Partnership (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53711) - AFPS
Athens Struck by Firebomb Attacks (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/europe/01greece.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Middle East
Israel Prepares to Swear In Netanyahu as Prime Minister (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-31-voa15.cfm) - Voice of America
Israeli Parliament Approves Netanyahu as Prime Minister (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033101185.html) - Washington Post
Netanyahu and Super-sized Cabinet Sworn In (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-netanyahu1-2009apr01,0,929140.story) - Los Angeles Times
Netanyahu Offers Conciliation, But Not Concessions (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/01mideast.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Netanyahu: Israel is Serious About Peace (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0331/p06s10-wome.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Israel's Election System Is No Good (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123854102203575623.html) - Wall Street Journal opinion
South Asia
Outcome of Sri Lanka’s War May Hang on Fate of Insurgent Leader (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/asia/01lanka.html?ref=world) - NY Times
BOOK REVIEWS
Soldiers of Misfortune (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/books/review/Glanz-t.html?ref=world) - James Glanz, New York Times book review of Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) by Donovan Campbell.
A Counterinsurgency Primer (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123714994416834083.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) - Max Boot, Wall Street Journal book review of The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
Reluctant Warriors (http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13272076) - The Economist book review of both The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) by Thomas Ricks and The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
BOOKS
Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) - Donovan Campbell.
Donovan Campbell, first as a Marine and then as a writer, shows us that the dominant emotion in war isn’t hatred or anger or fear. It’s love. His story stands as a poignant tribute to his men–their courage, their dedication, their skill, and their love for one another, even unto death.The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403971749?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1403971749) - Anthony Zinni and Tony Koltz
The intellectual complement to Zinni and Clancy's bestselling Battle Ready (2004), a narrative memoir salted with specific policy recommendations, this volume provides the former US Central Command chief's analysis of America's current global position. Zinni begins by asserting that America's status as "the most powerful nation in the history of the planet" has created a de facto empire. The US has no choice: if it fails to take the lead, nothing significant happens. At the same time, Americans must recognize that, in a global age, there can be no zero-sum games.The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594202028?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594202028) - Craig Mullaney
The Unforgiving Minute is the ultimate's soldier's book - universal in its raw emotion and its understanding of the larger issues of life and death. Mullaney, a master storyteller, plunges the depths of self-doubt, endurance, and courage. The result: a riveting, suspenseful human story, beautifully told. This is a book written under fire - a lyrical, spellbinding tale of war, love, and courage. The Unforgiving Minute is the Three Cups of Tea of soldiering.Great Powers: America and the World after Bush (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399155376?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0399155376) - Thomas P.M. Barnett
In civilian and military circles alike, The Pentagon’s New Map became one of the most talked about books of 2004. “A combination of Tom Friedman on globalization and Carl von Clausewitz on war, the red-hot book among the nation’s admirals and generals,” wrote David Ignatius in [I]The Washington Post. Barnett’s second book, Blueprint for Action, demonstrated how to put the first book’s principles to work. Now, in Great Powers, Barnett delivers his most sweeping - and important - book of all.The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) - David Kilcullen
A remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror. Kilcullen takes us "on the ground" to uncover the face of modern warfare, illuminating both the big global war (the "War on Terrorism") and its relation to the associated "small wars" across the globe: Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Chechnya, Pakistan and North Africa.The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) - Thomas Ricks
Thomas E. Ricks uses hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with top officers in Iraq and extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to document the inside story of the Iraq War since late 2005 as only he can, examining the events that took place as the military was forced to reckon with itself, the surge was launched, and a very different war began.Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591146747?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1591146747) - Rufus Phillips
Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that our failure to understand the Communists, our South Vietnamese allies, or even ourselves took us down the wrong road. In summing up US errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the US approach. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this trenchant account.Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030014069X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=030014069X) - Peter Mansoor
This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a US brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless - and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with command memoirs. Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences.The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067014/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067014) - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around - and the choice now facing America. We interpret reality through the clouded prism of our own experience, so it is unsurprising that Bing West sees Iraq through the lens of Vietnam. He served as a Marine officer there, and he thinks politicians and the media caused the American public to turn against a war that could have been won. Now a correspondent for the Atlantic, West has made 15 reporting trips to Iraq over the last six years and is almost as personally invested in the current conflict as he was in Vietnam; this book, his third on Iraq, is his attempt to ensure that the "endgame" in Iraq turns out better than in his last war.Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586485288/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1586485288) - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war. Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war. Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president.The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416558977/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1416558977) - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 US troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the US military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the US government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061147761/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0061147761) - Harold Moore and Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results. It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir. But they come close in this sterling sequel, which tells the backstory of two of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battles (in which Moore participated as a lieutenant colonel), their first book and a 1993 ABC-TV documentary that brought them back to the battlefield. Moore's strong first-person voice reviews the basics of the November 1965 battles, part of the 34-day Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Among other things, Moore and Galloway (who covered the battle for UPI) offer portraits of two former enemy commanders, generals Nguyen Huu An and Chu Huy Man, whom the authors met - and bonded with - nearly three decades after the battle. This book proves again that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he served.In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point' Class of 2002 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080508679X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=080508679X) - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic. Most come from career military families and hold conservative opinions. Murphy describes their four years at West Point with respect even when discussing their love lives and marriages. All yearn for battle, and most get their wish. The book's best passages describe the confusion of moving to Iraq or Afghanistan and fighting insurgents, for which they lack both training and equipment. All feel something is not right but concentrate on the job at hand; some inevitably die or are grievously wounded.Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597971960/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1597971960) - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America’s role in the world, Dr. Metz’s important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.EVENTS
The US Army / US Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp) announces the next COIN Leadership Workshop.
From 27 April - 1 May 2009, the United States Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center will present its next Counterinsurgency Leader Workshop at the Lewis and Clark Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This event is a five-day program focused on understanding the fundamentals of insurgency and counterinsurgency. This is a version of the same extremely popular workshop offered to hundreds of military and civilian attendees over the past two years.
This workshop will feature presentations from prominent general officers and guest speakers from the interagency community on the COIN environment in addition to the instructional material.
We have expanded the number of slots available to compensate for the high demand of previous sessions. The proceedings are UNCLASSIFED and registration is open to all interested US government and allied personnel.
The COIN Leader Workshop Site is open for registration. Please head to the COIN Center website (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp), click on "Events" and then click on the "27 April - 1 May 2009 COIN Leader Workshop" to view more detailed information and register.
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