What Are You Currently Reading? 2011

**Granite_State** · 03-13-2011

The Junior Officer's Reading Club: Easily the best Iraq or Afghanistan memoir I've read (though I still have Kaboom to get to). The author, a Grenadier Guards lieutenant, had a desultory Iraq tour but then was in the thick of it on an OMLT in Afghanistan. He includes a long look at Sandhurst, and finishes with a final little tour to the Falklands. Visceral writing, but the author also has a great sense of humor. Highly recommended, particularly if you've spent much time with Brits.

Patriot Pirates: Picked this up after it was recommended by Van on this thread. The author claims Revolutionary War privateers were a "seaborne insurgency", and he's pretty persuasive. The book spends far more time on the logistics and financing of privateering than it does on sea battles, but it's still very readable.

The Big Short: A good introduction to the financial crisis and the subprime mortgage disaster. I tore through it in a weekend, fast for me. Michael Lewis is a great writer who makes finance accessible to folks like me with no background in the subject.

Flashman in the Great Game: Not quite as good as the previous one (Flashman at the Charge), but still a ton of fun.

**jcustis** · 03-20-2011

Originally Posted by carl

I think the book you are talking about is The First Team by Lundstrom. It is about the Navy fighter pilot community and how they evaluated the Wildcat vs. the Zero and came up with tactics and training to vitiate the Zero's performance superiority before the war started. It was one of the most insightful books on the subject I ever read. The sequel is called the The First Team & Guadalcanal Campaign.

You also might like The Jolly Rogers by Blackburn and Zemke's Wolfpack by Zemke. They are by a Navy squadron commander and USAAF group commander respectively. Both are extremely good works about leadership combined with the problems of flying and using groups of warplanes effectively.

A book that I thought was great about the Pacific war was The Japanese Merchant Marine in WW II by Parillo. It was a completely fascinating work about a seemingly dull subject and its' importance.

I am only two chapters into the book, but yes, this is precisely what I was looking for. It has reignited my interest in WWII naval history that I sort of drifted out of in my early college years. Despite having the detail of a doctorate thesis, it reads like a good novel.

**Spud** · 03-20-2011

Found Secret War Against Hanoi by Schultz in the 2nd Hand book store down the road. Got a bit repetitive in the middle but overall not a bad read. Highlights that frustrations we have today with POL-MIL and MIL-CIV interface are nothing new (in some respects they may even be as bade or worse).

Also cracked out My War by Brian Walpole. WW2 Aussie Commando and Z Special member behind the lines in PNG and Borneo. If only 10 per cent of this book is true it is still brilliant (although I know from the community it is well regarded). Really entertaining read with a strong message about the issues between mil and civ agencies conducting clandestine ops.

**jcustis** · 03-20-2011

Originally Posted by Spud

Found Secret War Against Hanoi by Schultz in the 2nd Hand book store down the road. Got a bit repetitive in the middle but overall not a bad read. Highlights that frustrations we have today with POL-MIL and MIL-CIV interface are nothing new (in some respects they may even be as bade or worse).

Also cracked out My War by Brian Walpole. WW2 Aussie Commando and Z Special member behind the lines in PNG and Borneo. If only 10 per cent of this book is true it is still brilliant (although I know from the community it is well regarded). Really entertaining read with a strong message about the issues between mil and civ agencies conducting clandestine ops.

You might enjoy Frank Snepp's Decent Interval, which highlights some of the back channel drama surrounding the final years in Vietnam.

**davidbfpo** · 03-20-2011

I would second Jon's recommendation, even though it was read many years ago and is still on the bookshelves. At times one had to stop reading, not because it was too grim - as in Alistair Horne's book on Verdun. No, you wondered what happened to those left behind and did not become 'Boat People'.

**outletclock** · 03-20-2011

This is a nicely-done collection of oral histories from a wide-ranging number of people:

http://www.amazon.com/Tears-Before-R...0647320&sr=8-1

Harrowing, heartrending and bitter by turns, these recollections by 75 eyewitnesses form a tragic epic of a country in the throes of violent death. Soldiers and civilians, both American and South Vietnamese, tell what it was like in the spring of 1975 as Hanoi carried out its final, successful offensive against the Republic of Vietnam. Generals, ambassadors, CIA officials, pilots, Marines, politicians, doctors, seamen, flight attendants, journalists and ordinary citizens describe the growing chaos, demoralization and panic as the collapse gained momentum. Survivors recall the chilling helicopter airlift from the U.S. embassy roof in Saigon with raw emotions, the Americans still brooding painfully over the abandonment of their South Vietnamese allies. In an Aftermath section, several former boat people relate in hair-raising detail their encounters with Thai pirates. A moving collection of painful memories

**5th_Req** · 03-20-2011

I'm reading Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." I understand that this book does not at first glance seem in sync with the other books mentioned on this thread. It is.

Interacting with my in-laws, who are all Tennessee southeners, I think that there is much to learn about Afghan tribalism through the tribal culture of the US South. Some in-laws of mine trace their lineage back to Sam Houston, and everyone knows what's going on with their cousins, even the ones four or five times removed.

I've noticed eders are prevalent in many southern families, in a way they never were in my New Jersey family. They connect with other elders, they get elected to school boards, they know not only their cousins, but Joachim's cousins, and everyone listens to (and frequently follows) their "sage" advice, and metaphors, even if they don't agree.

Anyway, I figured Southern Gothic literature would not only provide insight into everyman, but would deliver some specific insight into the Afghan psyche. Not only theirs, but southern gothic literature frequently being about more violent, and relatively primitive times or scenarios, it might provide insight even into the average Joe of your average third world-likely-to-see-a-future-war-in country.

Naturally, I picked up Cormac McCarthy.

**carl** · 03-20-2011

Originally Posted by jcustis

I am only two chapters into the book, but yes, this is precisely what I was looking for. It has reignited my interest in WWII naval history that I sort of drifted out of in my early college years. Despite having the detail of a doctorate thesis, it reads like a good novel.

I think you would very much like then Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Parshall and Tully, and Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Airpower, 1909-1941 by Peattie. They are just as good but view things a little more from the Japanese point of view.

**Rachamim** · 03-20-2011

"The Struggle for National Democracy" Jose Maria Sison. The father of Maoism in the Philippines and founder of the CPP and by default the NPA and NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines, New People's Army and the National Democratic Front). It is a collection of his speeches from 1964 onward. Nothing new or exciting here but decent enough for mining background and nuance.

"Hypotheses Toward Theorizing the Concept of the Bangsamoro Nation's Struggle for Self Determination" (unpub. University of Conneticut manuscript from 1984) Erick San Juan . San Juan is now a freelance journalist based in Makati in Metro Manilam He is pretty much a Conspiracy Theorist with racist overtones BUT this manuscript is actually thought provoking and was written long before he went off the proverbial deep end.

"Caraga Antigua:1521-1910" Peter Schreurs (Cebu: San Carlos University) [1989]. Examining the history of Caraga in NE Mindanao, interesting mostly for its avoidance of Islamic, Spanish AND American dynamics.

"Sirat Rasul Allah" Abu Ishaq, via the Abu Hisham version . In Arabic, earliest extant bio of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. I am trying to catalogue differences between Hisham and Guillame's seminal English translation.

"The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967 -1977" Gershom Gorenberg (NY Times Books/Henry Holt) [2006]. Gorenberg is a Leftist writing a highly biased take on the Israeli "Settler Movement" in Gaza and the "West Bank."

**BushrangerCZ** · 03-21-2011

Just finished "19 with a bullet", superb... I ordered that Kindle thing from Amazon, so now I can start to get into dozens of free-to-download US field manuals I have in my computer. (Btw, so far I was able to compare US LRS ops manual with russian post-war equivalent, it´s very similar, even more than I anticipated).

**Bob's World** · 04-04-2011

I find myself back with my books written by Guerrillas. Far too much of our COIN doctrine and current operational design draws from what former counterinsurgents, or more accurately "counter Guerrilla" fighters believed to be important as they battled to maintain their contested colonies among resistant populaces. It is always good to spend some time with the Guerrilla as well. Learn to play on both sides of the ball.

http://www.marines.mil/news/publicat...%20Warfare.pdf

On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung is worth a PhD in COIN simply in the reading of Captain (1940) and Brigadier General retired (1961) Samuel B. Griffith's outstanding introductions.

So many passages from both his lengthy introduction and Mao's base work jumped out at me with special meaning for today.

Regarding the dichotomy I see in the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, that I have frequently described as having two tiers, an upper tier revolutionary movement among the leadership taking sanctuary in Pakistan, and a lower tier resistance movement among the rank and file fighters in Afghanistan:

"THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE between patriotic
partisan resistance and revolutionary guerrilla
movements is that the first usually lacks the ideological
content that always distinguishes the second.
A resistance is characterized by the quality of spontaneity;
it begins and then is organized. A revolutionary
guerrilla movement is organized and then begins.
A resistance is rarely liquidated and terminates when
the invader is ejected; a revolutionary movement terminates
only when it has succeeded in displacing the incumbent
government or is liquidated.
Historical experience suggests that there is very little
hope of destroying a revolutionary guerrilla movement
after it has survived the first phase and has acquired the
sympathetic support of a significant segment of the population.
The size of this "significant segment" will vary; a
decisive figure might range from 15 to 25 per cent.
in addition to an appealing program and popular support,
such factors as terrain; communications; the quality
of the opposing leadership; the presence or absence of
material help, technical aid, advisers, or "volunteers" from
outside sources; the availability of a sanctuary; the relative
military efficiency and the political flexibility of the incumbent
government are naturally relevant to the ability of a
movement to survive and expand."

Or from Mao himself, some insights for those in the media who I hear agonizing daily over their concerns about Libya, and "who are we supporting" or "We know there are AQ ties and LIFG" among them. Mao is pragmatic and clear on this point:

"Unorganized guerrilla warfare cannot contribute to victory
and those who attack the movement as a combination
of banditry and anarchism do not understand the nature
of guerrilla action. They say: "This movement is a haven
for disappointed militarists, vagabonds and bandits" (Jen
Ch'i Shan), hoping thus to bring the movement into disrepute.
We do not deny that there are corrupt guerrillas,
nor that there are people who under the guise of guerrilla
indulge in unlawful activities. Neither do we deny that
the movement has at the present time symptoms of a lack
of organization, symptoms that might indeed be serious
were we to judge guerrilla warfare solely by the corrupt
and temporary phenomena we have mentioned. We should
study the corrupt phenomena and attempt to eradicate
them in order to encourage guerrilla warfare, and to increase
its military efficiency. "This is hard work, there is
no help for it, and the problem cannot be solved immedi-
ately. The whole people must try to reform themselves
during the course of the war. We must educate them and
reform them in the light of past experience. Evil does not
exist in guerrilla warfare but only in the unorganized and
undisciplined activities that are anarchism," said Lenin, in
On Guerrilla War fare."

Also from Mao, insights for those who are quick to label the problems in Mexico, where drug Cartels challenge the government in the pursuit of the profits of their illicit trade. I argue that this is not insurgency even though the government is attacked, as it lacks the political purpose and the support of the populace that defines such movements. Mao agrees:

"What is the relationship of guerrilla warfare to the people?
Without a political goal, guerrilla warfare must fail,
as it must if its political objectives do not coincide with the
aspirations of the people and their sympathy, cooperation,
and assistance cannot be gained. The essence of guerrilla
warfare is thus revolutionary in character"

Who among us believe that the people of Mexico aspire to live in a state run by drug cartels? This is not revolution, it flies in the face of the people and is driven by local greed, bad laws that create such a powerful illegal market, and the demand of the US populace for this illegal product.

I am also re-familiarizing myself with the similarly titled "Guerrilla Warfare" by Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

We ignore the insights of former revolutionaries to our peril. Revolution is sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East today. Given the political conditions of that region and the state of the affected populaces such a rash of revolution is not only normal, but long overdue. For those looking for understanding, these two quick reads provide a great deal.

Bob

**Commando Spirit** · 04-04-2011

I'm only a few chapters in but I am constantly amazed at the number of coincidences involved as well as the personalities involved! 3 x novelists, a whole raft of the close to unbelievable... the founder of the International Table Tennis Federation, you just couldn't make it up!

Do we still have such people in the service of the government I wonder? I hope, for romantic ideals alone, that we still do! I suspect though, that these types of minds are employed in the geeky world of Internet Intelligence and, dare I say, espionage????

**jmm99** · 04-05-2011

On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung - and Sam Griffith's introductions are worth the price of admission (Griffith being of the "Never Again, but ..." school of thought

). "Guerrilla Warfare" by Ernesto "Che" Guevara is a bit of a ho-hum in comparison.

For Mao, go to Works of Mao Zedong by Date. To realize he was not always a communist revolutionary, go to ...

A Study of Physical Education (April 1917) - our nation must be strong physically.

but soon, we have ....

To the Glory of the Hans (July & August 1919):

….. What is the greatest question in the world? The greatest question is that of getting food to eat. What is the greatest force? The greatest force is that of the union of the popular masses. What should we not fear? We should not fear heaven. We should not fear ghosts. We should not fear the dead. We should not fear the bureaucrats. We should not fear the militarists. We should not fear the capitalists....

The time has come! The great tide in the world is rolling ever more impetuously! .... He who conforms to it shall survive, he who resists it shall perish...

As a result of the world war and the bitterness of their lives, the popular masses in many countries have suddenly undertaken all sorts of action. In Russia, they have overthrown the aristocrats and driven out the rich... The army of the red flag swarms over the East and the West, sweeping away numerous enemies... The whole world has been shaken by it.... Within the area enclosed by the Great Wall and the China Sea, the May 4th Movement has arisen. Its banner has advanced southward, across the Yellow River to the Yangtze. From Canton to Hankow, many real-life dramas have been performed; from Lake Tungt'ing to the Min River the tide is rising. Heaven and earth are aroused, the traitors and the wicked are put to flight. Ha! We know it! We are awakened! The world is ours, the nation is ours, society is ours. If we do not speak, who will speak? If we do not act, who will act? If we do not rise up and fight, who will rise up and fight? . . . .

It is not that basically we have no strength; the source of our impotence lies in our lack of practice. For thousands of years the Chinese people of several hundred millions have all led a life of slaves. Only one person — the 'emperor'— was not a slave, or rather one could say that even he was the slave of 'heaven'. When the emperor was in control of everything, we were given no opportunity for practice.

We must act energetically to carry out the great union of the popular masses, which will not brook a moment's delay. . . our Chinese people possesses great intrinsic energy. The more profound the oppression, the greater its resistance; that which has accumulated for a long time will surely burst forth quickly. The great union of the Chinese people must be achieved Gentlemen! We must all exert ourselves, we must all advance with the utmost strength. Our golden age, our age of brightness and splendour lies ahead !

and the rest, as they say, is history - or, His Story (the 1920s through the 1970s).

Regards

Mike

PS: A bonus bibliography of the Vietnamese Guerrillas, Writings by and about Important Communist Leaders - many online and well worth the downloading and reading.

And, if you want the Vietnam War in many of the contemporary documents, go to Vietnam War Bibliography (Ed Moise's great work).

**carl** · 04-05-2011

Bullets and Bolos: Fifteen Years in the Philippine Islands by John R. White

Mr. White was an American officer in the Philippine Constabulary in the first years of the 20th century. The book is extremely interesting and I found myself nodding my head over and over again and saying to myself "gee, the basics don't seem to change." One of the things he did was lead Moro (Muslim) constables who sometimes would turn on the officers.

A thing he emphasized was keeping experienced people in their jobs for long periods of time so they could learn and then use what they learned.

It is quite the adventure story as well.

**LawVol** · 04-22-2011

Originally Posted by 5th_Req

I'm reading Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." I understand that this book does not at first glance seem in sync with the other books mentioned on this thread. It is.

Interacting with my in-laws, who are all Tennessee southeners, I think that there is much to learn about Afghan tribalism through the tribal culture of the US South. Some in-laws of mine trace their lineage back to Sam Houston, and everyone knows what's going on with their cousins, even the ones four or five times removed.

I've noticed eders are prevalent in many southern families, in a way they never were in my New Jersey family. They connect with other elders, they get elected to school boards, they know not only their cousins, but Joachim's cousins, and everyone listens to (and frequently follows) their "sage" advice, and metaphors, even if they don't agree.

Anyway, I figured Southern Gothic literature would not only provide insight into everyman, but would deliver some specific insight into the Afghan psyche. Not only theirs, but southern gothic literature frequently being about more violent, and relatively primitive times or scenarios, it might provide insight even into the average Joe of your average third world-likely-to-see-a-future-war-in country.

Naturally, I picked up Cormac McCarthy.

I'm not sure about the book you're reading, but I think you're on target with your observation on the similarities between Afghan culture and the culture of the American South. You've noted a similarity, but it goes deeper. Both have an inherent distrust of central government, a martial background, complex ideals of patriotism, respect for elders, politeness toward guests, and a deep sense of religiosity. All of these things determine who a people are. Understanding this can help us achieve our objectives. I look up the book you recommended.

**davidbfpo** · 04-22-2011

On a beautiful English Spring day, with the sun shining, I read Wilf's book 'Blackfoot is Missing: In a Secret War There Are No Rules', pub. Arrow Books 2004 (paperback). A good read and a period I've not read about before: cross-border recce Laos and Cambodia in early 1970.

To compliment his fictional account I've read a couple of books on the NVA-VC, albeit not by themselves, but currently lost on bookshelves.

**davidbfpo** · 04-22-2011

A more difficult read was the excellent 'Talking To The Enemy; Violent Extremism, Sacred Values and what it Means to be Human' by Scott Atran (Pub. 2010).

I say difficult as it is wide ranging, sociology, politics, anthropology and philosophy - the structure eluded understanding until each chapter was finished.

The chapters on the Madrid Bombings are excellent, greatly assisted by his travels to their home towns in Morocco and the scathing criticism of Spanish LE pre-2004 is a reminder what can happen. In particular the use of informants, which is painful to read now and goodness knows what the Spanish LE staff felt after the bombings.

This was a key lesson learnt:

Concentrating only on the perpetrators teaches you very little about the processes and paths of radicalisation to extreme violence.

There are numerous other key points - from a local and global perspective.

Bourbon linked this review by Jason Burke in October 2010:http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010...e-enemy-review

**Backwards Observer** · 05-06-2011

Just picked up Warrior of Zen: The Diamond-hard Wisdom Mind of Suzuki Shosan by Arthur Braverman. Shosan features prominently in Thomas Cleary's, The Japanese Art of War, which was a pretty good read.

Warrior of Zen - Amazon

The Japanese Art of War - Amazon

Life of Suzuki Shosan (short) - Cal State Chico

**davidbfpo** · 06-15-2011

Not in order of priority.

'The Watchers: The Rise of America's Surveillance State' by Shane Harris, Pub. Penguin Press 2010. A surprisingly good read, aided clearly by getting insiders to talk, notably John Poindexter in particular and Jeff Jonas.

'Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics: The British Experience' by Tahir Abbas, Pub. Routledge 2011. The first two chapters From the historical to the contemporary and Islamic political radicalisation: origins and destinations provide an excellent, thorough guide to the issues globally.

'Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman, Lover, Betrayer, Hero, Spy' by Ben Macintyre. An amazing true story of Eddie Chapman, a British petty criminal who became an double-agent for both England and Germany in WW2 and so full of adventure, puzzles and more it is as if it's a novel.

Started and a rare venture for me into the 'big' Vietnam War: 'Grab Their Belts: The Viet Cong's Big Unit War Against the US 1965-1966' by Warren Wilkins. Pub. NIP 2011. So far impressive, particularly the explanation of how the VC and NVA became so skilled.

Pending, again different as I keep away from economists: 'Radical, Religious and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism' by Eli Berman, Pub. MIT Press 2009. Update when read.