The war after the war
Subtitle: strategic lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan
By: Anthony H. Cordesman
Series: Significant issues series -- v. 26, no. 4
Publisher: CSIS Press, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 73
Subjects: Iraq War, 2003-; Iraq War, 2003- -- Diplomatic history; War on Terrorism, 2001-; National security -- United States; United States -- Military policy
Description: "The United States still has every chance to achieve some form of victory in Iraq and Afghanistan if it persists, commits the necessary resources, and accepts the real-world limits on what it can do. But the United States can also lose the peace in both countries as decisively as it won the wars. No one can predict how the combination of nation building, low-intensity combat, and Iraqi and Afghan efforts to recreate their nations will play out over the short term. Regardless, the United States must reshape much of its approach to both countries if it is to win even a limited form of victory. More generally, it must react to the strategic and grand strategic lessons of both conflicts to reshape its defense and foreign policy, as well as the way the U.S. government is organized to deal with terrorism and asymmetric warfare. Following up on his widely praised 2003 book, The Iraq War, Anthony Cordesman now focuses on the war after the war, the lessons to be learned from the "post-conflict" periods, and how they all fit into the broader context of the continuing war on terrorism."--BOOK JACKET.
Table of contents: title: Beyond Iraq; title: the war in Afghanistan; title: The war on terrorism; title: The Arab-Israeli conflict; title: Strategy and strategic lessons; title: Internationalism; title: Coalitions; title: Nation building; title: Deterrence and containment; title: War and diplomacy; title: Stabilization; title: Manpower skills; title: Limits of technology; title: Jointness; title: Complexity; title: Organizational reform; title: Military cooperation; title: Public relations; title: Investment; title: Intelligence reform; title: Defense resources; title: New commitments; title: Realities of history; title: The strategic context of the war in Iraq; title: U.S. drive for security; title: Scenarios for future U.S. engagement; title: Shaping the strategic outcome in Iraq; title: Strategy and the risk of strategic overreach; title: Realities of history