Description

A national security expert makes the case for a dramatically different approach to counterinsurgency.

"It is rare to read a book which combines academic excellence with such timely advice on a question of national importance. Mark Moyar has achieved this in his penetrating examination of leadership. . . . His perceptive analysis will have enduring value on both sides of the Atlantic for military commanders, policy-makers and historians alike."--General Sir David Richards, Chief of the General Staff, RUSI Journal

"[This] brilliant young scholar of the Vietnam War reminds us that it takes a special kind of soldier--reflective, patient, creative--to lead counterinsurgency operations."--Eliot A. Cohen, Washington Post

"An insightful revisionist look at counterinsurgency . . . essential reading for students of military history and anyone interested in what can be learned from the current fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."--Library Journal