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Understanding the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Understanding the United States’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is essential to understanding the United States in the first decade of the new millennium and beyond. These wars were pivotal to American foreign policy and international relations. They were expensive: in lives, in treasure, and in reputation. They raised critical ethical and legal questions; they provoked debates over policy, strategy, and war-planning; they helped to shape American domestic politics. And they highlighted a profound division among the American people: While more than two million Americans served in Iraq and Afghanistan, many in multiple deployments, the vast majority of Americans and their families remained untouched by and frequently barely aware of the wars conducted in their name, far from American shores, in regions about which they know little.
Understanding the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan gives us the first book-length expert historical analysis of these wars. It shows us how they began, what they teach us about the limits of the American military and diplomacy, and who fought them. It examines the lessons and legacies of wars whose outcomes may not be clear for decades.
In 1945 few Americans could imagine that the country would be locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union for decades; fewer could imagine how history would paint the era. Understanding the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan begins to come to grips with the period when America became enmeshed in a succession of “low intensity” conflicts in the Middle East.
Beth Bailey is Professor of History at Temple University. Her most recent book is America’s Army: Making the All-Volunteer Force. The recipient of numerous prizes and fellowships for her scholarship, she has won two Distinguished Writing Awards from the Army Historical Foundation.
Richard H. Immerman is Professor of History, Edward Buthusiem Distinguished Faculty Fellow, and Marvin Wachman Director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple University and the Francis W. De Serio Chair of Strategic and Theater Intelligence at the Army War College. His most recent book is The Hidden Hand: A Brief History of the CIA. From 2007–2009 he served as Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analytic Integrity.
Understanding the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan gives us the first book-length expert historical analysis of these wars. It shows us how they began, what they teach us about the limits of the American military and diplomacy, and who fought them. It examines the lessons and legacies of wars whose outcomes may not be clear for decades.
In 1945 few Americans could imagine that the country would be locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union for decades; fewer could imagine how history would paint the era. Understanding the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan begins to come to grips with the period when America became enmeshed in a succession of “low intensity” conflicts in the Middle East.
Beth Bailey is Professor of History at Temple University. Her most recent book is America’s Army: Making the All-Volunteer Force. The recipient of numerous prizes and fellowships for her scholarship, she has won two Distinguished Writing Awards from the Army Historical Foundation.
Richard H. Immerman is Professor of History, Edward Buthusiem Distinguished Faculty Fellow, and Marvin Wachman Director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple University and the Francis W. De Serio Chair of Strategic and Theater Intelligence at the Army War College. His most recent book is The Hidden Hand: A Brief History of the CIA. From 2007–2009 he served as Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analytic Integrity.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
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About the author
Beth L. Bailey
16 books8 followersBeth L. Bailey is an American historian, who is currently serving as the Distinguished Professor at Kansas University.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 8, 2020
Understanding the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan edited by Beth Bailey and Richard H. Immerman is a collection of essays examining America's last decade and half of war. Bailey is Professor of History at Temple University. Immerman is Professor of History, Edward Buthusiem Distinguished Faculty Fellow, and Marvin Wachman Director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple University and the Francis W. De Serio Chair of Strategic and Theater Intelligence at the Army War College.
The collected essays are an in-depth and scholarly report of America’s involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. The essays cover all aspects of America’s involvement including historical interventions going back to the installation of the Shah. America's twentieth-century involvement and mis-involvement in the region are covered and set the stage for twenty-first-century participation. The interconnectedness of the Shah, the Iranian hostage situation, the Iran- Iraq War, support for the Muhajireen, Desert Shield, form the knot tying the United States to the current wars.
Reasons for invading Iraq and putting Afghanistan on the back burner are explained in practical political terms. It’s easier to focus a nation’s attention on an evil leader bunkered down in a defined nation than on a transnational terror group whose leader evaded successfully evaded US capture. Other aspects of the war that are discussed are the treatment of veterans and the "I support the troops" (until they come home and need help) campaign. The veterans who returned came back with a variety of disabilities both physical and mental and how these issues are being covered are part of an essay. With each war, we fight we see a greater number of returning veterans with problem adapting back to society. Mechanization and killing from a distance does little to curb these issues.
On the home front, the war had its own effect. America loves media and although several movies made on the two recent wars none of them were successful. The first-hand account of Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright’s Generation Kill comes first to my mind. It seemed to capture being a Marine much more than portraying the war as a noble cause. Novels took a rather bleak look at the war also. The Yellow Birds and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk are not the rally around the flag type books that support a nation's war. Perhaps news reporting was enough to remind America of the war.
Understanding the US Wars covers all aspects of the America's 21st-century wars. Scholars write on more than just the physical war, but at ancillary aspects of the war. The use of different essays on different topics help give a complete picture of the war and its effects. Very well done and an enlightening read.
The collected essays are an in-depth and scholarly report of America’s involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. The essays cover all aspects of America’s involvement including historical interventions going back to the installation of the Shah. America's twentieth-century involvement and mis-involvement in the region are covered and set the stage for twenty-first-century participation. The interconnectedness of the Shah, the Iranian hostage situation, the Iran- Iraq War, support for the Muhajireen, Desert Shield, form the knot tying the United States to the current wars.
Reasons for invading Iraq and putting Afghanistan on the back burner are explained in practical political terms. It’s easier to focus a nation’s attention on an evil leader bunkered down in a defined nation than on a transnational terror group whose leader evaded successfully evaded US capture. Other aspects of the war that are discussed are the treatment of veterans and the "I support the troops" (until they come home and need help) campaign. The veterans who returned came back with a variety of disabilities both physical and mental and how these issues are being covered are part of an essay. With each war, we fight we see a greater number of returning veterans with problem adapting back to society. Mechanization and killing from a distance does little to curb these issues.
On the home front, the war had its own effect. America loves media and although several movies made on the two recent wars none of them were successful. The first-hand account of Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright’s Generation Kill comes first to my mind. It seemed to capture being a Marine much more than portraying the war as a noble cause. Novels took a rather bleak look at the war also. The Yellow Birds and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk are not the rally around the flag type books that support a nation's war. Perhaps news reporting was enough to remind America of the war.
Understanding the US Wars covers all aspects of the America's 21st-century wars. Scholars write on more than just the physical war, but at ancillary aspects of the war. The use of different essays on different topics help give a complete picture of the war and its effects. Very well done and an enlightening read.
February 28, 2016
Bailey and Immerman have put together a series of scholarly essays on the United States involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The essays cover a wide range of the subject, including how we got involved, how we fought, lessons we learned, and results of our involvement. I found it interesting.
March 15, 2016
Remarkable look at what has happened over the last 15 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Should be required reading for every leader in the military at every level. I will write a longer review for Military Review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews