Metz on Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy

November 25th, 2008 by zen

Nothing like a change in administrations to generate a string of excellent books on strategy and national security.

I’ve just ordered Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy by  Dr. Steven Metz  of the Strategic Studies Institute ( and also of the Small Wars Council ). As I do not yet have a copy of Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy, which also contains a foreword by Dr. Colin Gray, I will yield the floor to the comment  of Lt. General Paul K. Van Riper:

“Two institutions failed the American people in the run-up to the ongoing war in Iraq. Neither the Congress nor the media provided oversight of the Executive Branch, which is constitutionally required of the first institution and expected of the latter. As a consequence a fundamentally flawed strategy was implemented by an equally flawed military plan. The results have been tragic and costly. Dr. Steven Metz does our nation a great service by exploring the causes of this U.S. strategic debacle, one that may well exceed that of the Vietnam War. Recognizing a problem and its cause are the first steps in setting things right. In this book Dr. Metz identifies the problem, explains what caused it, and most importantly, shows us a better path for the future.”

One for the top of your bookpile.

Posted in authors, book, cultural intelligence, foreign policy, ideas, insurgency, intellectuals, iraq, islamic world, islamist, military, military history, national security, psychology, security, small wars council, SSI, steven metz, strategy, Strategy and War, terrorism, theory, war | 1 comment

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  1. Lexington Green:

    November 25th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

    This one does look good.

    And that bookpile does look pretty darn high at this point.