Military History for the Modern Strategist - by Michael O'Hanlon (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- Military expert Michael O'Hanlon examines America's major conflicts from the Civil War to Afghanistan.
- About the Author: Michael O'Hanlon holds the Phil Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at Brookings, where he also is director of research and director of the Talbott Center in the Foreign Policy program.
- 448 Pages
- History, Military
Description
About the Book
Military expert Michael O'Hanlon examines America's major conflicts from the Civil War to Afghanistan. Now updated with to include the Revolutionary War and brief observations on three other conflicts in U. S. History, this unique book serves as an important treatment of Ameri...Book Synopsis
Military expert Michael O'Hanlon examines America's major conflicts from the Civil War to Afghanistan. Now updated with to include the Revolutionary War and brief observations on three other conflicts in U. S. History, this unique book serves as an important treatment of America's military history at the strategic and theater of operations levels.
Review Quotes
In this timely, intriguing and readable book, Michael O'Hanlon casts the eye of a contemporary strategist over America's past wars to consider their origins and conduct, and what they tell us about how to prepare for future wars, warning especially about the dangers of falling into the trap of overconfidence.
In Military History for the Modern Strategist, Michael O'Hanlon demonstrates once again why he is one of the outstanding defense analysts of our time. He has astutely recognized that at a time of profound strategic uncertainty and change, the smartest thing we can do is to go back to basics: start with the military history of our nation over the past century and a half and build upon its lessons to fashion a new grand strategy that can carry us through the coming era. It is a brilliant approach, and he has executed it marvelously well in these pages. Here he provides all of the key information and insights from America's major conflicts since the Civil War in a way that is both elegant and concise--precisely right as the basis for new strategic thinking.
Michael O'Hanlon has created a unique American military history primer for policymakers that particularly emphasizes two great truths: wars never proceed along the path belligerents expect, and quick, cheap victories are extremely rare.
A brilliant, yet sobering overview of modern war by a uniquely qualified and thoughtful expert. Michael O'Hanlon put conflicts from the Civil War to Afghanistan into strategic context with a concise clarity that is fascinating for veterans of past wars, and fundamental for strategists of the future. His final chapter's 'Three Lessons' should be required reading for policymakers.
History humbles us--hence the reason we continue to ignore Clio's lessons. Dr. O'Hanlon's superb book, however, returns Clio to her indispensable role for the strategist and policymaker, whilst also reminding us that to prepare for future (and inevitable) conflict, we need to learn from our past. Dr. O'Hanlon's book serves as a welcome primer to guide undergraduate and graduate classrooms alike in understanding that without history's instruction we will fail.
About the Author
Michael O'Hanlon holds the Phil Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at Brookings, where he also is director of research and director of the Talbott Center in the Foreign Policy program. He teaches at Columbia and Georgetown universities and elsewhere. Earlier in his career, O'Hanlon worked for the Congressional Budget Office, the Peace Corps, the "gravity group" at Princeton University, and dairy farms in upstate New York. He is the author of some 20 books, most recently The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint (Yale, 2021).
