Thinking Beyond War : Civil-military Relations and Why America Fails to Win the Peace

Why was there a deliberate plan to fight the war in Iraq but none to win the peace? This question, which has caused such confusion and consternation among the American public and been the subject of much political wrangling over the past two years, is the focus of Lt. Col. Isaiah Wilson's investigation. Director of the American politics, policy, and strategy program at West Point, Wilson points to a flaw in the government's definition of when, how, and for what reasons the United States intervenes abroad. It is a paradox in the American way of peace and war, he explains, that harkens back to America's war loss in Vietnam. The dilemma we face today in Iraq, the author says, is the result of a flaw in how we have viewed the war from its inception, and Wilson reminds us that Iraq is just the latest, albeit the most poignant and tragic, case in point. His exploration of this paradox calls for new organizational and operational approaches to America's intervention policy. In challenging current western societal military lexicon and doctrine, Wilson offers new hope and practical solutions to overcome the paradox once and for all. "Why was there a deliberate plan to fight the war in Iraq but none to win the peace? This question, which has caused such confusion and consternation among the American public and been the subject of much political wrangling over the past two years, is the focus of Lt. Col. Isaiah Wilson?s investigation. Director of the American politics, policy, and strategy program at West Point, Wilson points to a flaw in the government?s definition of when, how, and for what reasons the United States intervenes abroad. It is a paradox in the American way of peace and war, he explains, that harkens back to America?s war loss in Vietnam. The dilemma we face today in Iraq, the author says, is the result of a flaw in how we have viewed the war from its inception, and Wilson reminds us that Iraq is just the latest, albeit the most poignant and tragic, case in point. His exploration of this paradox calls for new organizational and operational approaches to America?s intervention policy. In challenging current western societal military lexicon and doctrine, Wilson offers new hope and practical solutions to overcome the paradox once and for all. -- Publisher description Why was there a deliberate plan to fight the war in Iraq but none to win the peace? This question, which has caused such confusion and consternation among the American public and been the subject of much political wrangling, is the focus of Isaiah Wilson's investigation. Wilson points to a flaw in the government's definition of when, how, and for what reasons the United States intervenes abroad. It is a paradox in the American way of peace and war, he explains, that harkens back to America's war loss in Vietnam. The dilemma faced in Iraq can thus be seen as the result of a flaw in how we have viewed the war from its inception, and Thinking Beyond War reminds us that Iraq is just the latest, albeit the most poignant and tragic, case in point. The provided exploration of this paradox calls for new organizational and operational approaches to America's intervention policy. In challenging current western societal military lexicon and doctrine, Wilson offers new hope and practical solutions to overcome the paradox once and for all -- Provided by Publisher This book argues that one major reason for America?s propensity to?lose the peace? is the way the nation defines war and how the U.S. military is currently organized for warfare. The author offers new propositions and operational approaches to war-planning that, in challenging the current western societal military lexicon and doctrine, offer new hope and practical solutions to overcoming the paradox of the American Way of War. This book argues that a major reason for America's propensity to 'lose the peace' is the way the nation defines war and how the U.S. military is currently organized for warfare. The author offers new propositions and operational approaches to war-planning that give new hope and practical solutions to overcoming the paradox of American Way of War.