Publisher Description

While the major conflicts in American history have become all too familiar, America's small wars" have played an essential but little-appreciated role in the country's growth as a world power. First published in 2002, The Savage Wars of Peace quickly became a key volume in the case for a new policy of interventionism. Max Boot shows how America's smaller actions,such as the recent conflicts in Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti, Kosovo, and Afghanistan,have made up the vast majority of our military engagements, and yet our armed forces do little to prepare for these low intensity conflicts."A compellingly readable history of the forgotten wars that helped promote America's rise in the last two centuries, The Savage Wars of Peace is now updated with new material on the repercussions of America's far-flung imperial actions and the impact of these ventures in American international affairs.

Author Biography

Max Boot is the author of "The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power," A senior fellow in national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a columnist for the "Los Angeles Times," he lectures at numerous military schools and advises the Department of Defense on transformation issues.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Revised Edition Preface: Another American Way of War Part One: Commercial Power 1. "To Conquer Upon the Sea": Barbary Wars, 1801-1805, 1815 2. "Butcher and Bolt": From the Marquesas, 1813, to China, 1859 3. Empire Emerging: From Korea, 1871, to Samoa, 1899 Part Two: Great Power 4. Red Summer: Boxer Uprising, 1900 5. "Attraction" and "Chastisement": The Philippine War, 1899-1902 6. Caribbean Constabulary: Cuba, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, 1898-1914 7. Lords of Hispaniola: Haiti, 1915--1934; Dominican Republic, 1916-1924 8. The Dusty Trail: The Pancho Villa Punitive Expedition, 1916-1917 9. Blood on the Snow: Russia, 1918 1920 10. Chasing Sandino: Nicaragua, 1926-1933 11. "By Bluff Alone": China, 1901-1941 Part Three: Superpower 12. Lessons Learned: The Small Wars Manual 13. Lessons Unlearned: Vietnam, 1959-1975 14. In the Shadow of Vietnam: The Powell Doctrine and Small Wars in the 1990s 15. In the Shadow of 9/11: The Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq 16. In Defense of the Pax Americana: Small Wars in the Twenty-First Century Afterword to the Revised Edition

Review

Los Angeles Times "Anyone who wants to understand why America has permanently entered a new era in international relations must read [this book]... Vividly written and thoroughly researched." The Washington Post Book World "A fascinating set of case studies worth reading for the stories alone." National Review "This book is not only an eminently readable and entertaining narrative history of America's small wars, but also is a serious analysis of current strategic challenges... Boot is an exceptional writer and his engaging style is tailor-made for this type of narrative." The Washington Times "An outstanding addition to this body of literature." New York Review of Books "In its high-spirited early chapters, Max Boot's The Savage Wars of Peace recalls Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin saga... In his concluding comments, Boot sets out a thoughtful list of lessons that should have been learned." The Economist "[Boot] tells the story with clarity and verve, rediscovering on the way some lesser-known American heroes... Clear narrative plus such tales of daring-do are enough on their own to make this book enjoyable. But Mr. Boot is also trying to make a point about the present... Enjoyable...Informative." Foreign Affairs "Max Boot's The Savage Wars of Peace makes it possible to revisit that past 'imperial' tradition and mine it for lessons that might improve the management of today's global order...by reviewing the nation's past, he shows its future... Thanks to Boot's journalistic sense-he is editorial features editor at the Wall Street Journal-those lessons make for a great story and a compelling read. Boot combines a wide-angle perspective with an eye for detail." Business Times "A book that has become-very much like [Paul] Kennedy's, [Francis] Fukuyama's and [Samuel] Huntington's-'must' reading in Congress, the Pentagon and among Washington's columnists and think-tankers." Slate "By collecting the best exploits from some of the most significant small wars between two covers, [Boot has] done a real public and strategic service." The Weekly Standard "Boot's well-written narrative is not only fascinating reading, but didactic as well... The events of September 11 give The Savage Wars of Peace an uncanny timeliness and sadly confirm almost all of Boot's dispassionate warnings."

Long Description

"Anyone who wants to understand why America has permanently entered a new era in international relations must read [this book].... Vividly written and thoroughly researched."-Los Angeles Times

Review Quote

A Washington Post , Christian Science Monitor , and Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year

Promotional "Headline"

"Anyone who wants to understand why America has permanently entered a new era in international relations must read [this book].... Vividly written and thoroughly researched."-Los Angeles Times

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