Making War, Thinking History: Munich, Vietnam, and Presidential Uses of Force from Korea to Kosovo

by Jeffrey Record

Book Overview

In examining the influence of historical analogies on decisions to use--or not use--force, military strategist Jeffrey Record assesses every major application of U.S. force from the Korean War to the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557500096
• ISBN13: 9781557500090
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
• Length: 201 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Very important read for leaders and citizens alike

I don't know if Jeffrey Record had the then-impending, now underway, war against Iraq in mind when he wrote this important book, but I don't think he could have made this any more timely if he had. From politicians to talk radio, the metaphors of "appeasement" and "avoiding another Vietnam" loom large in the debate over Iraq. I would suggest that this title be made required reading for anyone who dares send those metaphors into battle.Record argues that Munich and Vietnam have been the dominant historical memes in White Houses deciding whether or not to employ American power around the world. For better or worse, what various Presidents and their advisors have taken to be "the lessons of Munich" and/or "the lessons of Vietnam" have been important, sometimes deciding, factors. Not surprisingly, Record finds that those "lessons" have often been misinterpreted and mis-applied by our political leaders, many times with serious consequences.While this book is especially useful for anyone in, or who fancies themselves someday being in, a position of political influence, Record's work is also valuable reading for the rest of us. That's because he also analyzes how those same historical memes have been used by Presidents and their spokesmen to justify particular courses of action to the American people. It's important that we be able to recognize when that's being done, and equipped to decide whether the metaphor is valid. This title is a very useful tool in that process.Duff Cooper, a British politician and contemporary of Winston Churchill, once wrote that one of the problems with democracy is that too few democratic leaders read history. The corollary of that, Record might argue, is that even the ones who have read history are apt to misinterpret it, or color their interpretations to justify actions they have already decided are desirable. An attractive metaphor can exert powerful force on decision-makers. Few things are more seductive ... or potentially more dangerous. Jeffrey Record is to be commended for helping the reader see though the seductiveness and apply the cold light of logical thought.