Since 9/11, why have we won smashing battlefield victories only to
botch nearly everything that comes next? In the opening phases of
war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, we mopped the floor with our
enemies. But in short order, things went horribly wrong. We soon
discovered we had no coherent plan to manage the "day after." The
ensuing debacles had truly staggering consequences—many thousands
of lives lost, trillions of dollars squandered, and the apparent
discrediting of our foreign policy establishment. This helped set
the stage for an extraordinary historical moment in which America's
role in the world, along with our commitment to democracy at home
and abroad, have become subject to growing doubt. With the benefit
of hindsight, can we discern what went wrong? Why have we had such
great difficulty planning for the aftermath of war? In The Day
After, Brendan Gallagher—an Army lieutenant colonel with multiple
combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, and a Princeton Ph.D.—seeks
to tackle this vital question. Gallagher argues there is a tension
between our desire to create a new democracy and our competing
desire to pull out as soon as possible. Our leaders often strive to
accomplish both to keep everyone happy. But by avoiding the tough
underlying decisions, it fosters an incoherent strategy. This makes
chaos more likely. The Day After draws on new interviews with
dozens of civilian and military officials, ranging from US cabinet
secretaries to four-star generals. It also sheds light on how, in
Kosovo, we lowered our postwar aims to quietly achieve a surprising
partial success. Striking at the heart of what went wrong in our
recent wars, and what we should do about it, Gallagher asks whether
we will learn from our mistakes, or provoke even more disasters?
Human lives, money, elections, and America's place in the world may
hinge on the answer.
General
Imprint: |
Cornell University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
September 2019 |
Authors: |
Brendan R. Gallagher
(Lieutenant Colonel)
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 27mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
320 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-5017-3962-0 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-5017-3962-X |
Barcode: |
9781501739620 |
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