Reconsidering the American Way of War: US Military Practice from the Revolution to Afghanistan

Echevarria II, Antulio J.

ISBN 10: 1626160678 / ISBN 13: 9781626160675

Published by Georgetown University Press, Washington, D. C., 2014

About this Item

A nice, bright copy. ; 5.88 X 0.42 X 9.03 inches; 219 pages.

Seller Inventory # 320766

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Reconsidering the American Way of War: US Military Practice from the Revolution to Afghanistan
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press, Washington, D. C.
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1626160678
• ISBN 13: 9781626160675
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine

About this title

Synopsis

This book 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.

About the Author

Antulio J. Echevarria II is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and is currently the editor of the US Army War College Quarterly, Parameters. He is the author of several books, including Clausewitz and Contemporary War.