Beer, Bacon and Bullets: Culture in Coalition Warfare from Gallipoli to Iraq by Gal Luft examines how culture can impact the relations between Western militaries and their non-Western allies. Military forces of dissimilar cultures working together are committed to a similar end goal, but their cooperation could be marred by tension related to their different cultural backgrounds. Luft investigates five case studies of military cooperation, describing the squabbles between German advisors and their Ottoman counterparts in WWI, the difficult relations between American and Chinese generals during WWII, how American generals in20Saudi Arabia bent over backwards to curry favor with their hosts, and how the Israelis' misunderstanding of their Lebanese allies shaped today's Middle East. Provocative and original, Luft's book suggests that by understanding other military cultures, we could also improve the performance of America's military abroad.
Dr. Gal Luft is executive director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) a Washington based think tank focused on energy security and co-founder of the Set America Free Coalition, an alliance of national security, environmental, labor and religious groups promoting ways to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. He specializes in strategy, geopolitics, terrorism, energy security, natural resources and economic warfare. Newsweek Magazine called him a "tireless and independent advocate of energy security," the business magazine Poder called him "one of the most recognizable figures in modern energy and security issues," and Esquire Magazine included him in its 2007 list of America's Best and Brightest. Dr. Luft has published numerous studies and articles on security and energy issues in various newspapers and publications such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The American Interest, Commentary Magazine, Middle East Quarterly, LA Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He is co-author of Energy Security Challenges for the 21st Century (2009) and Turning Oil into Salt: Energy Independence Through Fuel Choice (2009.) He is author of Beer, Bacon and Bullets: Culture in Coalition Warfare from Gallipoli to Iraq. He appears frequently in the media and consults to various think tanks and news organizations worldwide. Dr. Luft testified before committees of the U.S. Congress, including Senate Foreign Relations, House International Relations, House Science and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He is a founding member of the Institute for Renewable Energy Policy, The International Lithium Alliance, OurEnergyPolicy.org and Citizens for Energy Freedom as well as a member of the Society of Industry Leaders, the Committee on the Present Danger and other non-profit groups. He holds degrees in international relations, international economics, Middle East studies and strategic studies and a doctorate in strategic studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS,) Johns Hopkins University.
