Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy
“Metz’s work provides an excellent primer on a number of topics, including strategy in general, the history of the US-Iraq conflict, and counterinsurgency. The author also tackles the tough topic of the Middle East and its impact on US foreign and defense policy. That focus alone makes this book a worthwhile addition to any military officer’s library. But perhaps the most significant contribution Metz makes is found in his conclusion, where he demonstrates uncanny knowledge and insight regarding the future of US strategy following the conflict in Iraq. Leaders—political and military—are charged with looking to the future and devising and articulating a strategy that a nation can rely on as it marches forward. Steven Metz’sIraq and the Evolution of American Strategyis a superb tool to aid those leaders in that ongoing endeavor.”"A well-researched, rich analysis of a war that will invariably shape American strategy and affect, if not determine, how the United States will react to future security challenges. . . . Metz has provided a great service.""One for the top of your bookpile."“Metz is as smart a thinker as they come. InIraq and the Evolution of American Strategy, he closely analyzes how the past two decades of America’s conflict with (and then within) Iraq reveals a crucial shortcoming for a global power to have: doing poorly at both strategy development and implementation. Metz’s book is simultaneously a history and a valuable guidebook for developing better strategic paradigms in the future.”“This is a smart overview from one of our best strategic thinkers. Read it.”“Steven Metz is considered by many to be one of America’s greatest strategists. It is no wonder, therefore, that this elegant book provides a balanced overview of the numerous ways in which America fails to devise strategy that can effectively guide inter-agency planning, capabilities development, and operations.”“A tour-de-force assessment of America's long conflict with, and misunderstanding of, Iraq.  Steven Metz displays a dazzling grasp of the nature of strategy and America's way of war, the challenges of insurgency and counterinsurgency, and the strengths and weaknesses of the George W. Bush White House--and how they all combined to produce failure in Iraq. Metz's book dissects the root causes of that failure more comprehensively and convincingly than any other work.”“If you are looking for another superficial screed about Iraq told by a partisan hack and designed to reinforce your pre-existing biases, then stay as far away from this book as possible. Steve Metz has produced a thoughtful, well-reasoned work of true scholarship. He explains how the development of American strategy shaped our experiences with Iraq, and how our experiences in Iraq shaped the American military. You may not agree with everything in this book, but you cannot help being enlightened and challenged by it.”“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.”“Superb . . . Dr. Metz’sIraq and the Evolution of American Strategyis a book for which we have been waiting. This is a landmark text.”