Savage Peace: Americans at War in the 1990s - Hardcover

Bolger, Daniel P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0891414525 ISBN 13: 9780891414520

Publisher: Presidio Press, 1995

Synopsis

Today America endeavors to keep the peace, no easy task on a planet torn by fighting. The news media feeds us haunting images of our less-than-peaceful world - ethnic cleansing in former Yugoslavia, killings in Somalia, bloody upheaval in Haiti. Americans see the misery and feel compelled to do something. And, when asked by the United Nations, it seems it is the obligation of a superpower to take up the challenge. As always, Uncle Sam's young soldiers, sailors, aviators, and Marines answer the call.
It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. When the Berlin Wall crashed down in November 1989, many imagined that world peace had finally arrived. Yet it wasn't the dawn of global concord glowing at the horizon, but the blaze of internecine conflagration as long-suppressed tribal hatreds flared to the surface. Around the globe, Third World countries lurched into revolution. America responded. Now these sad circumstances have become our problems, each with its price tag - blood, treasure, and prestige. Where will it all lead?
Daniel Bolger, a serving professional soldier and aspiring military historian, tackles the thorny subject of "peacekeeping." He examines the historical perspective, the political and military context of today's missions, and what all this tells us about the role of America in the future world order. Bolger's insightful, intelligent analysis reveals the reality behind today's shocking media images.

About this title

About the Author

Daniel P. Bolger was on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

From Booklist

Bolger covers the major U.S. peacekeeping efforts--officially called OOTW ("operations other than war" )--since the early 1980s excellently. These have included successes such as aiding the Kurds after the Persian Gulf War and patrolling the Sinai, failures such as in Lebanon and Somalia, and efforts during which it became apparent that the most prudent course for the U.S. was to keep its distance, as in the former Yugoslavia. Both scholar and professional soldier, Bolger provides some of the best and most perceptive accounts of these frequently bloody, usually misunderstood actions, and he argues forcefully that OOTW are not susceptible to the classic American solution of substituting high-tech hardware for the low-tech infantryman who will not always return from keeping the peace in foreign lands. He makes a valuable contribution to contemporary history and the ongoing debate about post^-cold war military force levels and foreign policy. Roland Green

About this edition

• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0891414525
• ISBN 13: 9780891414520
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448