Suggested reading for graduate seminar at Columbia on US Role in World Affairs

[AmericanPride]

Wyatt,

I agree with you regarding the hyperbole, which I found suffocating at points.

I would like to stress to the original poster that there is continuity between "US power being exerted through SOF and other "black ops" around the world" pre- and post-9/11, which is a meta-narrative not often captured in many works. I think a strong argument could be made that how the key players in the Bush administration, Cold Warriors themselves, responded to 9/11 was not necessarily derived from an objective analysis on how to conduct a "war on terrorism".

[Bill Moore]

I must of had a senior moment, I can't believe I forgot one of the better books on modern covert operations (and their draw backs):

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

Another one I enjoyed for its insights, though a bit dated is:

The Fourth World War: Diplomacy and Espionage in the Age of Terrorism Hardcover, by Count De Marenches

[davidbfpo]

If patrick Porter, an Australian in the UK, recommends a 2010 book I'll pass it on and it fits here: 'Between Threats and War: U.S. Discrete Military Operations in the Post-Cold War World' by Micah Zenko (A Council on Foreign Relations) Paperback.

Link:http://www.amazon.com/dp/080477191X/...YKsb0HYJ3BV91K