Another One For The Shelf
This book has already been widely praised and for good reason. It came out before the invasion of Iraq but contains many lessons that are very relevant today. For example Boot shows that is possible to defeat an insurgency and in fact the United States has done so a number of times in the past. But it requires a commitment in terms of time (years) and a willingness to work with the people down to the village level. With all the talk about the need for more troops in Iraq going on it is also interesting to note that the successful counterinsurgency campaigns conducted previously by the US did not involve large number of soldiers but rather the right type of troops. The Marines in particular have a rather distinguished history in this area. Boot also examines how the war in Vietnam was conducted and theorizes that if the military had fought a "small war" rather than attempting a "large war" it might have been possible to keep South Vietnam free. It is a "must read" book and deserves a place of honor on the shelves of The Fraters Library.
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