Losing hurts twice as bad : the four stages to moving beyond Iraq

Introduction : Sparky's wisdom -- On losing -- The Iraq syndrome : disaster and the home front -- A republic, if they can keep it : consequences for Iraq and the Middle East -- Iraq and the "long war" -- The ghosts of Iraqs yet to come : a grand strategy for the twenty-first century -- Conclusion : to end a war. Amid all the gloom surrounding the debacle in Iraq, finally here is a highly instructive four-stage plan that will help us move forward. Now longer than the Civil War, America's conflict in Iraq seems to have no end in sight. A malaise, perhaps greater than that engendered by Vietnam, threatens to undo our national moorings. Christopher J. Fettweis, a military strategy expert, burst onto the national scene with an editorial and NPR interviews that provided an illuminating historical perspective on the ramifications of any great power's defeat. Fettweis contends that Iraq has thrown America into an unprecedented downward spiral, yet he provides a context for America's loss that few political pundits have recognized. With abundant historical comparisons drawn from the American Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, among others, Fettweis charts a natural course of defeat (denial, shock, anger, depression, and acceptance). He offers a prescriptive "grand strategy" that will help us forge a new approach to American foreign policy. This is a book no lover of history can ignore, for there may be a silver lining few have yet realized. "Christopher J. Fettweis, a noted professor of security studies and strategy, offers us a surprisingly positive plan for how America can overcome the national malaise that has gripped the country since our lengthy involvement in Iraq. In anticipating the return of American troops, Fettweis, drawing on rich examples from world history, informs us that America needs to prepare itself for an acrimonious period as our nation comes to terms with the larger implications of our withdrawal from Iraq. Believing that we risk a downward spiral of accusations and recriminations such as we have not seen since Vietnam, Fettweis reminds us that defeat for a great power hurts twice as much as "winning feels good.""--Jacket.