ME Sharpe Professor

Decisions about when, where, and why to commit the United States to the use of force, and how to conduct warfare and ultimately end it, are hotly debated not only contemporaneously but also for decades afterward. We are engaged in such a debate today, quite often without a solid grounding in the country's experience of war, both political and military. This book, by a political scientist and a career military officer and historian, is premised on the view that we cannot afford that kind of innocence.

Updated and revised with new chapters on the Afghan and Iraq wars, the book systematically examines twelve U.S. wars from the revolution to the present day. For each conflict the authors review underlying issues and events; political objectives; military objectives and strategy; political considerations; military technology and technique; military conduct, and "the better state of the peace," that is, the ultimate disposition of the original political goals.

“Entertains like a novel but educates like a textbook. A must read by students of war, armchair strategists, and defense decision makers. While each chapter treats one of America’s wars and could be read independently, the real value of this book lies in its integrating framework which enables true comparative analysis.” — Douglas J. Murray, U.S. Air Force Academy (*) (on a previous edition)

"Snow and Drew examine war and politics in depth for major wars—the American Revolution, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the current Global War on Terrorism. This book brings a dimension to the discussion of wars often missing—political objectives, political considerations, and the better state of the peace. Snow and Drew have provided significant insights into issues and events faced by U.S. Presidents and assist us in understanding how it was that military force became the tool to assist in attaining the ultimate political objectives and the better state of peace. The student of history and military history will find this book an interesting and unique contribution to an enhanced understanding of the significant wars in which America has fought and the context surrounding significant decisions.” — On Point: The Journal of Army History