Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam

Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam PDF Author: Lloyd C. Gardner
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1595587373
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 479

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Book Description
Essays by Christian G. Appy, Andrew J. Bacevich, John Prados, and others offer “history at its best, meaning, at its most useful.” —Howard Zinn From the launch of the “Shock and Awe” invasion in March 2003 through President George W. Bush’s declaration of “Mission Accomplished” two months later, the war in Iraq was meant to demonstrate definitively that the United States had learned the lessons of Vietnam. This new book makes clear that something closer to the opposite is true—that US foreign policy makers have learned little from the past, even as they have been obsessed with the “Vietnam Syndrome.” Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam brings together the country’s leading historians of the Vietnam experience. Examining the profound changes that have occurred in the country and the military since the Vietnam War, this book assembles a distinguished group to consider how America found itself once again in the midst of a quagmire—and the continuing debate about the purpose and exercise of American power. Also includes contributions from: Alex Danchev * David Elliott * Elizabeth L. Hillman * Gabriel Kolko * Walter LaFeber * Wilfried Mausbach * Alfred W. McCoy * Gareth Porter “Essential.” —Bill Moyers

Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam

Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam PDF Author: Lloyd C. Gardner
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1595587373
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 479

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Book Description
Essays by Christian G. Appy, Andrew J. Bacevich, John Prados, and others offer “history at its best, meaning, at its most useful.” —Howard Zinn From the launch of the “Shock and Awe” invasion in March 2003 through President George W. Bush’s declaration of “Mission Accomplished” two months later, the war in Iraq was meant to demonstrate definitively that the United States had learned the lessons of Vietnam. This new book makes clear that something closer to the opposite is true—that US foreign policy makers have learned little from the past, even as they have been obsessed with the “Vietnam Syndrome.” Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam brings together the country’s leading historians of the Vietnam experience. Examining the profound changes that have occurred in the country and the military since the Vietnam War, this book assembles a distinguished group to consider how America found itself once again in the midst of a quagmire—and the continuing debate about the purpose and exercise of American power. Also includes contributions from: Alex Danchev * David Elliott * Elizabeth L. Hillman * Gabriel Kolko * Walter LaFeber * Wilfried Mausbach * Alfred W. McCoy * Gareth Porter “Essential.” —Bill Moyers

Harsh Lessons

Harsh Lessons PDF Author: Ben Barry
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429628366
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
The recent Afghanistan and Iraq wars were very controversial. The conflicts’ casualties, intractability and the apparent failure of the US and its allies to achieve their objectives mean that many see the wars as failures. This resulted in a loss of confidence in the West of the utility of force as an instrument of state power. Both wars have been well described by journalists. There is no shortage of memoirs. But there is little discussion of how the conduct of these wars and capabilities of the forces involved changed and evolved, and of the implications of these developments for future warfare. This book gives readers a clear understanding of the military character dynamics of both wars and how these changed between 2001 and 2014. This includes the strategy, operations, tactics and technology of the forces of the US and its allies, Afghan and Iraqi government forces as well as insurgents and militias, showing how they evolved over time. Many of these developments have wider relevance to future conflicts. The book identifies those that are of potential wider application to US, NATO and other western forces, to insurgents, as well as to forces of states that might choose to confront the west militarily.

Hard Lessons

Hard Lessons PDF Author:
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780160808173
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
Presents a comprehensive history of the U.S. program, chiefly derived from SIGIR's body of extensive oversight work in Iraq, hundreds of interviews with key figures involved with the reconstruction program, and thousands of documents. The report examines the pre-war planning for reconstruction, the shift from a large infrastructure program to a more community-based one, and the success of the Surge in 2007 and beyond. The report provides thirteen lessons applicable to contingency relief and reconstruction operations, which should create a basis for reviewing and reforming the U.S. approach to these activities.

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned PDF Author: Stephen C. Pelletiere
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description


Lessons Encountered

Lessons Encountered PDF Author: Richard D. Hooker (Jr.)
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780160937033
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
It then moves on to an analysis of the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq from their initiation to the onset of the U.S. Surges. The study then turns to the Surgers themselves as tests of assessment and adaptation. The next part focuses on decisionmaking, implementation, and unity of effort. The volume then turns to the all-important issue of raising and mentoring indigenous security forces, the basis for the U.S. exit strategy in both campaigns. Capping the study is a chapter on legal issues that range from detention to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The final chapter analyzes costs and benefits, disects decisionmaking in both campaigns, and summarizes the lessons encountered. Supporting the volume are three annexes: one on the human and financial costs of the Long War and two detailed timelines for histories of Afghanistan and Iraq and the U.S. campaigns in those countries.

Learning from Iraq .

Learning from Iraq . PDF Author: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781722253455
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
Learning from Iraq .

Learning the Lessons of Modern War

Learning the Lessons of Modern War PDF Author: Thomas G. Mahnken
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 1503612511
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
Learning the Lessons of Modern War uses the study of the recent past to illuminate the future. More specifically, it examines the lessons of recent wars as a way of understanding continuity and change in the character and conduct of war. The volume brings together contributions from a group of well-known scholars and practitioners from across the world to examine the conduct of recent wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. The book's first section consists of chapters that explore the value of a contemporary approach to history and reflect on the value of learning lessons from the past. Its second section focuses on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Chapters on Iraq discuss the lessons of the Iraq War, the British perspective on the conflict, and the war as seen through the lens of Saddam Hussein's military. Chapters on Afghanistan discuss counterinsurgency operations during the war, Britain's experience in Afghanistan, raising and training Afghan forces, and U.S. interagency performance. The book's third section examines the lessons of wars involving Russia, Israel, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Georgia, and Colombia. It concludes by exploring overarching themes associated with the conduct of recent wars. Containing a foreword by former National Security Advisor Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, Learning the Lessons of Modern War is an indispensable resource for international relations and security studies scholars, policymakers, and military professionals.

The Iraq Study Group Report

The Iraq Study Group Report PDF Author: Iraq Study Group (U.S.)
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
Presents the findings of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which was formed in 2006 to examine the situation in Iraq and offer suggestions for the American military's future involvement in the region.

Learning from Iraq

Learning from Iraq PDF Author: Stuart W. Bowen, Jr.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781457844850
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
This report culminates the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction’s (SIGIR's) nine-year mission overseeing Iraq's reconstruction. It recapitulates what the reconstruction program accomplished and what SIGIR found in the interstices, and also captures the effects of the rebuilding program as derived from 44 interviews with the recipients (the Iraqi leadership), the executors (U.S. senior leaders), and the providers (congressional members). These interviews provide a picture of the largest stabilization and reconstruction operation ever undertaken by the U.S. (until recently overtaken by Afghanistan). The report reveals countless details about the use of more than $60 billion in taxpayer dollars to support programs and projects in Iraq. It articulates numerous lessons derived from SIGIR's 220 audits and 170 inspections and lists the varying consequences meted out from the 82 convictions achieved through SIGIR’s investigations. The report concludes that not enough was accomplished in Iraq for the amount of funds spent. Figures and tables.

Learning from Iraq

Learning from Iraq PDF Author: Steven Metz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Counterinsurgency
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
While the involvement of the United States in counterinsurgency has a long history, it had faded in importance in the years following the end of the Cold War. When American forces first confronted it in Iraq, they were not fully prepared. Since then, the U.S. military and other government agencies have expended much effort to refine their counterinsurgency capabilities. But have they done enough?