CGSC Deputy Commandant's
Deploying Officer Reading List

Majors/Lieutenant Colonels, Iraq

Boot, Max. Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power. New York: Basic Books, 2002. 428 pp. CARL: 355.0218 B725s

Boot states that America has never been an isolationist power; it has "been involved in other countries' internal affairs since at least 1805," when American marines landed on the shores of Tripoli. By closely examining the record of those small wars, which far outnumber major conflicts, Boot argues that Americans have a historic duty to deliver foreign nations from aggression, even to intervene in civil wars abroad, especially if the product is greater freedom.

Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. 214 pp. CARL: 303.625H699i

Hoffman has written a clear summary of some of the major historical trends in international terrorism. He makes careful distinctions between the motivations that drive political (or ethno-nationalist) terrorism and religious terrorism, and he also shows why the rise of religious terrorism, coupled with the increased availability of weapons of mass destruction, may foretell an era of even greater violence. He also postulates that religious terrorists see themselves not as components of a system worth preserving but as 'outsiders,' seeking fundamental changes in the existing order."

Kagan, Robert. Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order. New York: Vintage, 2004. 176 pp. CARL has the hardback version: New York: Knopf, 2003. CARL: 327.7304 K11o 2003

Kagan states—"It is time to stop pretending that Europeans and Americans share a common view of the world, or even that they occupy the same world." He announces a new phase in the relationship between the United States and Europe by laying out the general differences as he sees them: the U.S. is quicker to use military force, less patient with diplomacy, and more willing to coerce (or bribe) other nations in order to get a desired result. Europe, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on diplomacy, takes a much longer view of history and problem solving, and has greater faith in international law and cooperation.

Mackey, Sandra. Reckoning—Iraq and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein. New York: W. W. Norton Co, 2003. 416 pp. CARL: 956.7044 H972m

The Reckoning is an account of the forces—historical, religious, ethnic, and political—that produced Saddam's dictatorship. Iraq was forged after World War I from the Mesopotamian region of the collapsed Ottoman Empire, and its people have never had a national identity or a sense of common purpose. Hussein, ruling by terror, pitted the various ethnic groups, religious interests, and tribes against one another and in so doing achieved the destruction of Iraq's middle class and civilized society.

Murray, Williamson and Robert H. Scales, Jr. Iraq War: A Military History. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003. 368 pp. CARL 956.70443 M984i

A look at the larger-scale forces shaping the war. Written by an eminent military historian, and a retired major general and former commandant of the Army War College. They discuss issues such as how, since the Gulf War of 1991, each of the services improved its mastery of the craft of war: individually integrating technology, training, and doctrine while simultaneously cultivating "jointness".

Nakash, Yitzhak. Shi'is of Iraq. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. 340 pp. CARL 297.8209567 N163s 2003

This book provides a comprehensive history of Iraq's majority group and its turbulent relations with the ruling Sunni minority. Nakash challenges the widely held belief that Shi'i society and politics in Iraq are a reflection of Iranian Shi'ism, pointing to the strong Arab attributes of Iraqi Shi'ism. He contends that behind the power struggle in Iraq between Arab Sunnis and Shi'is there exist two sectarian groups that are quite similar. The tension fueling the sectarian problem between Sunnis and Shi'is is political rather than ethnic or cultural, and it reflects the competition of the two groups over the right to rule and to define the meaning of nationalism in Iraq.

* Patai, Raphael. Arab Mind. New York: Scribner; Rev. ed. 1983. pp. 435.

This book deals with Arab culture and psychology. It discusses the cultural imperatives and prevalent tribal and religious sensitivities of the Bedouins.  Of particular interest is the discussion of the powerful influence of language and the impact of culture on military operations. While oversimplified, this is a good introductory work.

Yildiz, Kerim. Kurds In Iraq: The Past, Present and Future. London: Pluto: Kurdish Human Rights Project, 2004. 216 pp. CARL 305.89159 Y51k

This book explores the issues facing the Kurdish population of Iraq in the aftermath of the war and the ongoing occupation. It is one of the most clear and up-to-date account of what Iraqi Kurds want, and the problems that all political groups face in re-building the country, as well as exploring Kurdish links and international relations in the broader sense. It is an excellent primer for those deploying to the Kurdish sector.

Bahmanyar, Mir, and Ian Palmer. Afghanistan Cave Complexes, 1979-2004: Mountain strongholds of the Mujahideen, Taliban & Al Qaeda (Fortress). Oxford; UK: Osprey Publishing, 2004. 62 pp. CARL 623.19581 B151a

After 1979 the Mujahidin defenders of Afghanistan developed and reinforced many natural cave systems to use as supply bases and defensive positions which were further developed throughout the 1990s. After September 11, 2001, sites such as Tora Bora and Zhawar Kili have featured in news headlines around the world. This book gives a detailed analysis and visual documentation of these caves and underground systems. It also discusses the Coalition's tactical approach to dislodging the enemy from these fortified positions.

Cordesman, Anthony H. Lessons of Afghanistan: War Fighting, Intelligence, and Force Transformation (Significant Issues Series, Vol. 24, No. 4). Center for Strategic & International Studies, 2002. 168 pp. CARL 958.1046 C794L http://www.csis.org/burke/hd/reports/afghanlessons.pdf

* Kaplan, Robert D. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan & Pakistan. New York: Vintage Books. 2001. 304 pp. CARL 958.1045 K17sg 2001

Robert D. Kaplan braved the dangers of war-ravaged Afghanistan in the 1980s, living among the mujahidin—the "soldiers of god"—whose unwavering devotion to militant Islam fueled their mission to oust the formidable Soviet invaders. Kaplan returns a decade later and reveals: teeming refugee camps on the deeply contentious Pakistan-Afghanistan border; a war front that combines primitive fighters with the most technologically advanced weapons known to man; rigorous Islamic indoctrination academies; a land of minefields plagued by drought, fierce tribalism, insurmountable ethnic and religious divisions, an abysmal literacy rate, and legions of war orphans who seek stability in military brotherhood.

Kipling, Rudyard. Man Who Would Be King, and Other Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press; New Edition, 1999. 300 pp. Video: Burbank, CA : Warner Home Video, 1975. CARL G001290 1975

A classic of the region. The ease with which a small number of people with superior technology can subjugate much larger numbers. The ending emphasizes the impossibility of maintaining authority in the long run under such circumstances - technological knowledge must be revealed to maintain order, responsibility must be shared with intermediaries, and propaganda will eventually be appropriated for subversive purposes. Also a very good movie by the same name.

* Naylor, Sean. Not a Good Day to Die: the Untold Story of Operation Anaconda. New York: Berkley Books, 2005. 320 pp. CARL 958.1047 N333n or McNaughton 958.104 Nay

Sean Naylor, an eyewitness to the battle, details the failures of military intelligence and planning of Operation Anaconda, and vividly portrays the astonishing heroism of these young, untested U.S. soldiers. Denied the extra infantry, artillery, and attack helicopters with which they trained to go to war, these troops nevertheless proved their worth in brutal combat and-along with the exceptional daring of a small team of U.S. commandos-prevented an American military disaster.

Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. 294 pp. CARL 297.272 R224t 2001

In some views, the single best book available on the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Afghanistan responsible for harboring the terrorist Osama bin Laden. Rashid is a Pakistani journalist who has spent most of his career reporting on the region--he has personally met and interviewed many of the Taliban's shadowy leaders. Although written and published before the massacres of September 11, 2001, it is essential reading for anyone who hopes to understand the aftermath of that black day. Details how and why the Taliban came to power, the government's oppression of ordinary citizens (especially women), the heroin trade, oil intrigue, and Bin-Laden's rise to power.

Armstrong, Karen. Islam: A Short History. New York: Modern Library; 2000. 272 pp. CARL 297.09 A736i

This book is a quick but thoughtful introduction to Islam. Throughout the book, Armstrong traces what she sees as Islam’s emphasis on right living over right belief. Armstrong is at her most passionate when discussing Islam in the modern world. She explains antagonisms between Iraqi Muslims and Syrian Muslims, and discusses the devastating consequences of modernization on the Islamic world.

Battle of Algiers. Movie. Video: Rome, Italy: Igor Films, 1966. CARL G003311 1966 DVD: Irvington, NY: Criterion Collection, 2004. CARL H000706 2004

Shot on location, and starring actual FLN rebels this is one of the most viciously realistic films of all time. Initially banned by the French government, it quickly won wide acclaim with Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Film and garnishing 11 international awards. Struggling to rid their country of French colonialism, Ali L Pointed and his terrorist group let the blood of their enemies. Children shoot soldiers at point blank range. Women plant bombs in cafes. Soon the entire Arab population builds to a mad fervor. You see the insurrection morph to meet every challenge by the French.

* Esposito, John L. Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. 196 pp. CARL 297.272 E77u 2002

Esposito, a professor of religion and international affairs and director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, methodically leads the reader through the complicated history of Islam. He explains the various conceptions of jihad, or holy war, ranging from internal movements for community reform to the modern explosive threat to all things external to Islam. One of the more useful elements of this account is the author’s review of the seminal thinkers of the Islamic world whose writings have given rise to the real-world events we have come to know all too well.

Esposito, John. What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. 144 pp. CARL 297 E77w 2002

Compact guide to understanding Islamic practices and beliefs, written in easy-to-read Question and Answer format and arranged topically.  Short and very readable.

Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat; A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005. 469 pp. CARL 303.483 FRI

Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals: and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is the timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.

Gaddis, John Lewis. Surprise, Security, and the American Experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004. 150 pp. CARL 355.033073 G123s 2004

The post–September 11 strategy of the Bush administration is often described as a radical departure from U.S. policy. Gaddis, one of America's leading scholars of foreign policy and international relations, provocatively demonstrates that, to the contrary, the principles of preemption, unilateralism and hegemony go back to the earliest days of the republic. Gaddis resurrects the 18th-century idea of an "empire of liberty": whether as a universal principle or in an American context, liberty could flourish only in an empire that provided safety.

* Galula, David. Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice. New York: Praeger, 1964. Hailer Publishing Paperback reprint c2005.  143 pp. CARL 355.425 G181c

David Galula's experience with multiple insurgencies is significant. He provides the best description available of how insurgency differs from war. Further, his book provides the principles which apply to counterinsurgency and a template for building a campaign plan and executing counterinsurgency operations.

Kaplan, Robert. Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos. New York: Vintage Press, 2003. 224 pp. Hardback (New York: Random House, 2002, 198 pp. CARL 320.019 K17w

Kaplan argues that sound foreign policy should be "comprehensive pragmatism" rather than "utopian hopes." Kaplan calls for a reestablishment of American (primarily) real-politik, one distanced from Judeo-Christian (or private) virtue and closer to a "pagan" (public) one. He aligns himself with America's Founding Fathers, who, he says, believed good government emerged only from a "sly understanding of men's passions." His book is a mix of principal pronouncements, brief contemporary political analyses, rapid-fire parallels between conflicts ancient and current, and copious quotes from historians and thinkers through the ages (Livy, Thucydides, Sun-Tzu, Machiavelli, and Thomas Hobbes among them).

* Lawrence, T. E. Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph. New York : Anchor Books, 1991. 784 pp. CARL 940.415 L423sp or Audio CARL C001350 1994

A flamboyant and intellectual British officer named T. E. Lawrence embarked on a journey to the Arab Prince Feisal (later King Feisal I of Iraq) in the Hejaz (present-day Saudi Arabia), where he would eventually unite warring Arab tribes against the Turks, sabotage railroad lines, and rewrite the political history of the Middle East. "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" is T. (Thomas) E (Edward) Lawrence's own adventure-strewn account of these events. Movie version is Lawrence of Arabia.

* Lawrence, T. E. "Twenty-Seven Articles", The Arab Bulletin, 20 August 1917. Downloaded text available at: http://www.cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/biblio/27articles.asp

 Published by Lawrence in 1917, these brief articles serve as a guidebook for officers working with Arab troops.

* McMaster, H. R. Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies That Led to Vietnam. New York : HarperCollins, 1997. 446 pp. CARL 959.7043373 M167d or Audio CARL C000688 1997

For years the popular myth surrounding the Vietnam War was that the Joint Chiefs of Staff knew what it would take to win, but were consistently thwarted or ignored by the politicians in power. Now H. R. McMaster shatters this and other misconceptions about the military and Vietnam in Dereliction of Duty. Himself a West Point graduate, McMaster painstakingly waded through every memo and report concerning Vietnam from every meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to build a comprehensive picture of a house divided against itself: a president and his coterie of advisors obsessed with keeping Vietnam from becoming a political issue versus the Joint Chiefs themselves, mired in inter-services rivalries and unable to reach any unified goals or conclusions about the country’s conduct in the war.

Small Wars Manual 1940 FMFRP 12-15. Marine Corps Command. Quantico, VA. US Government Printing Office, 1940. 496 pp. CARL: 355.42502 S635 & URL: http://www.smallwars.quantico.usmc.mil/sw_manual.asp

Small Wars / 21^st Century Addendum 2005. Marine Corps Combat Development Command. Quantico, VA. 2005. 109 pp. Available on the CARL Private site.

Since the Small Wars Manual was published in 1940, world events have dramatically reshaped the strategic landscape. The rise and fall of great powers, the introduction of nuclear power and weaponry, and a host of technological changes have significantly influenced the characteristics and conduct of conflict. The last half century has also produced numerous additional examples of the particular type of war the Marines have called Small Wars. It should not be surprising, therefore, that we need to update our thinking on small wars, although the Small Wars Manual retains much of its utility, particularly when viewed in its historical context. This addendum seeks to add to our classic manual. Small Wars/21st Century redefines small wars, describes what has changed since World War II, and identifies ways to plan, prepare for, and conduct future small wars. In addressing this changing character of warfare, importantly, this work also remains mindful of warfare’s unchanging nature – a contest of human wills shaped by chance, uncertainty and chaos.

Compiled by DJMO and the CGSC-CARL Reference Staff.