"Book Review - The Day After: Why America Wins the" Topic

… War but Loses the Peace.

"Lt. Col. Brendan Gallagher has dedicated much of his life to the study and practice of war.[1] Through decades of soldiering on the battlefields that defined our modern era of war, Gallagher has experienced the various outcomes of war firsthand: victory, defeat and the excruciating in-between. Coupled with his extensive study on the topic, it is this experience that Gallagher offers as the foundation for his new book, The Day After: Why America Wins the War but Loses the Peace. As the title suggests, The Day After examines the failures of modern postwar planning efforts and the recurring causes which underpin them. Gallagher predicates his case on the observation that, "…to the extent that we do think about [war], a fundamental ambivalence characterizes our approach to postwar situations and helps create bad outcomes.[2]"

Lt. Col. Gallagher is well-qualified to make this case. In addition to his considerable (and ongoing) career as an infantry officer, Gallagher is an alumnus of the Strategic Studies program at Johns Hopkins SAIS and holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Princeton University. Gallagher has commanded soldiers at various levels, and his seven combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in, among other things, his receipt of the Bronze Star. Throughout most of his military and academic career, Lt. Col. Gallagher wore a Ranger Tab on his left shoulder[3]. Gallagher is a serious professional with serious credentials, and he aims his work at an equally serious, initiated student of the field…."
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Amicalement
Armand

A superb quality of book review. I know, as I am constantly seeking such from my former colleagues for a surgical journal, but rarely am I rewarded with something like this.

This offers some very cogent criticism, as well as praise for the book. I would add the question, has anyone actually done any better than the US in winning the post War peace in the decades studied?

Happy you enjoyed it my good friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand