Customer Reviews

Never Quit the Fight

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is without question one of the finest and most ably organized collections of commentaries it has been my privilege to read in all these years. It suffers from one major flaw, not the author's fault: the publisher failed to include an index. The oversight should be corrected in the next printing, and ideally included as an Errata with the books now going out to bookstores.

The author is a world-class strategist, warrior, psychologist, intelligence professional, and writer.

He returns to four familiar themes, with all new refreshing insights:

1. America has no strategy and no official means of getting there. He ends the book by pointing out that drawing lines between the US, Spain, and Portugal to African and Latin American countries with colonial ties to these countries, and then lines of modern immigration and kinship back to the US, would be a de facto strategic network worthy of consideration.

2. America has the wrong military, with too few infantry, military police, and even truck drivers. He is brutally on the mark when he concludes that the current Administration's efforts to out-source everything led to the out-sourcing of America's honor. The author is on target when he revisits his long-standing beef with the U.S. Navy, which is still trying to build to "four carriers on the Kamchatka peninsula" and the rest on China. We need a 450-ship Navy capable of executing peace from the sea, and we need an Air Force capable of two Berlin Airlifts at once, with a budget for the peace goods they will need to carry to the 30+ failed states that spawn terrorism, infectious disease, poverty, environmental degradation, civil war and genocide, and of course crime.

3. Even with the right military--that is to say, a military able to dispatch single terrorists with a single bullet, able to mount punitive "in and out" expeditionary operations, and--where called for--invade and occupy for extended periods, but with proper planning for the post-war transition to peace--military intelligence is completely broken. It cannot find the targets known to exist at the individual and tribal levels, and it cannot anticipate emerging threats. I would add that civilian intelligence is just as broken. The current Director of National Intelligence and his senior agency heads are continuing the Cold War systems that are "inside out and upside down" and have no idea how to create a modern intelligence capability that is founded on multinational and inter-agency information sharing, and on making the most of what can be known from open sources of information in all languages.

4. Faith is a strategic factor. The author is compelling when he slams not just the radical Islamic terrorists, but the ideologically insane evangelical Christians in America, for religious degradation rather than religious charity. David Johnston, author of the very influential book on "Faith-Based Diplomacy" would certainly agree. The author excels at criticism of our mis-placed faith in technology and "precision munitions" while ignoring what Army War College strategist Steve Metz calls "precision psychology." In this vein the author points out that the fastest way to calm the Earth and increase productivity while reducing poverty is to focus on human capital and the education of the poor. Michael O'Hanlon has pointed out that the single greatest return on investment comes from a dollar spent on the education of women. This is where Google.org might usefully apply it extraordinary capabilities. Free online education in all languages, and donated Internet access centers and study computers in every village across Africa.

There are two portions of the book that are priceless gems worthy of inclusion in the welcoming kits of every War College student: the ten lessons of Iraq, and Occupation 101. Buy the book for these alone, and enjoy the rest as context.

Ralph Peters is a patriot. Occasionally he will rant, occasionally he will be belligerent and unwilling to entertain the reasonable claims and concerns of the enemy, but on balance, there is no other author that I would rather read in the domain of national security, than Ralph Peters. For complementary and sometimes opposing views, I recommend Colin Gray's "Modern Strategy," Jonathan Schell's "Unconquerable World," Joe Nye's "Paradox of American Power," William Shawcross, "Deliver Us From Evil," and C. K. Prahalad's "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid," but see my lists for many other suggested top-notch books in the field of non-fiction about reality.

Ralph Peters is a genius. At first he doesn't come through as all that grand because of the all or nothing language he uses to frame his views, but as the reader gets past those inflammatory words and chews on the substance of what Peters is saying his intellect shows through.

This isn't really a book with a thought process that flows from chapter to chapter as one would find in Cobra II or Fiasco because it is a collection of articles written by Mr. Peters over the past few years on the war in Iraq and the war on terror in general; thus, it is difficult to follow the thought processes of the author. If a person were to read one or two of the articles in isolation the position of the author would be clear but how or why the author reached the flatly stated solution or position would be lost. If you have not read a book by Mr. Peters before I would pass on this one and obtain one of his earlier works such as Beyond Baghdad.

After reading three of Mr. Peters' books I know the reasons for his positions, but at first some of his conclusions were hard to swallow. He abhors Rumsfield and some other advisors to President Bush. The author uses strong language to state his aversions and uses a lot of buzz words such as "incompetent" without giving the reader a list of the reasons for the opinion. After reading several other books on the Iraqi war I began to figure it out. Mr. Peters believes, along with a lot of highly competent military officers, that we sent far too few troops into Iraq to defeat Iraq and occupy Iraq until the government could get up and running. Then the civilian authority put in place by the Bush administration was unskilled and untrained in the task of rebuilding a country and never admitted any errors. The plan for the invasion was flawed and the end game (occupation) plan was non existent. The largest problem according to Mr. Peters is the failure to admit mistakes because what is not admitted cannot be corrected.

All of this Iraqi war error analysis can be found in other books, and the cheerleading can be found elsewhere as well, but what can't be found is the clear thinking on how to proceed from here to get where we need to go. Fiasco and Cobra II failed to talk much about where to go from where we are now to the future. Mr. Peters spends a good deal of time talking about what we need to do to improve for the future and there he is at his best.

The author believes we are in a period where tribalism and fanatic religion will be a major force in the world and we must be prepared to meet that challenge. He contends our armed forces are being organized and equipped incorrectly. Mr. Peters believes large US corporations are selling our military, through Congress, what we don't need - very expensive military hardware that isn't useful against insurgents. He thinks the concentration should be on our infantry and logistics system. We need better body armor, more ships and aircraft to deliver the supplies, aircraft designed for close air support, upgraded trucks and Humvees to protect the troops from IED's etc. We do not need another fighter-bomber which costs more than the budget for a large city. He thinks we need more aircraft that are cheaper to build and maintain, more troops and better equipment for those troops, and we need to redesign our ships and other logistic systems.

And that is the genius of Ralph Peters, he sees over the horizon to the real challenges of tomorrow. The smaller but super technical armed forces we have developed may be a liability as these terror wars go on. The troops are the key, not super aircraft. Spend our money wisely and pull victory closer.

I hope the policy makers in Washington listen to Mr. Peters. We need those kinds of changes

With impeccable, nearly uncanny, timing, Ralph Peters' newest book, Never Quit the Fight, hit bookstores on July 10, just in time - among other things -- to inform the on-going debate that's swirling around Capitol Hill over the question of what to do about the U.S. military presence in Iraq and other key issues surrounding foreign policy and the global War on Terrorism. This outstanding new book by America's most original strategic thinker ought to be required reading for the proponents on both sides of the troop withdrawal argument - the "cut and run" crowd and the "stay the course" supporters. For the rest of us, those whose only "vote" on such issues comes every few years at the ballot box, Never Quit the Fight is a clearly-written, cogently-argued, must-read - it's a "short course" on the otherwise often-confusing myriad of foreign policy issues growing out of the War on Terrorism that face America today.
As comprehensive as any single volume you could read on the unbelievably broad range of foreign policy problems we face now as well as those looming in our future, Never Quit the Fight presents, in a single volume, Peters' insightful, on-target essays, written for the most part over the last three years. Taken individually, each of Peters' "no holds barred" articles -- from such publications as The New York Post, USA Today, The Weekly Standard, Armed Forces Journal, Parameters, and Army magazine -- hits readers like a glass of "Hey! Wake Up!" cold water splashed in their faces. Never Quit the Fight's superb collection - it contains 82 brilliant, hard-hitting articles -- is like getting the entire bucket all at once. Most readers will not have had the opportunity to read all of these articles when each was originally published in one of the several different periodicals. Therefore, Never Quit the Fight is their chance to read them all in a well-organized single volume, the articles placed in context by Peters' perceptive introduction. Publisher Stackpole Books (stackpolebooks.com) has, in effect, provided a real public service by producing this insightful, informative and very useful book. Given the shoddy, sensationalist reporting of the War on Terrorism by the media and the politically-driven rhetoric spewing forth from Capitol Hill, the essays in Never Quit the Fight are now made available just when we need them the most. You must read this book!
As an essayist, Peters pulls no punches with his "tell it like it is" writing style. Absolutely clear in his cogent, highly-readable narrative, Peters' prose cuts right to the heart of each subject, giving readers what is usually so sorely lacking in reports from the mainstream media and in editorials written by "ivory tower" college professor "experts" -- a healthy dose of common sense seasoned with Peters' rare (in fact, it's nearly unique today) strategic insight. No one who reads Never Quit the Fight will end up scratching his head, wondering "What is this guy getting at?" Peters examines today's most pressing issues, explains them in a refreshingly frank and lucid manner, and then tells readers what the impact of those issues is on them in honest and direct terms. His phrases and sentences are all carefully constructed to convey exactly what he means; frequently, Peters' writing is reminiscent of Hemingway at the height of his craft. When Peters writes, for example, "When fighting monsters who decapitate living prisoners in front of video cameras, you are, literally, in a knife fight to the bone. If we aren't willing to fight such enemies to the death, we might as well stay home and hide in the corner, waiting for them to come after us, which they will," readers have no doubt what he means to convey and why it matters to them.
A globe-trotter whose frequent travels include all of the world's hot spots, particularly Iraq and the Muslim world, Peters' spot-on observations of what's really happening are informed by his many years of experience as an Army Intelligence officer, as well as by his prescient strategic insight. He brings that experience and insight to his writing, and one result - the articles collected in Never Quit the Fight - is simply the best commentary in print on the War on Terrorism and the foreign policy issues that emanate from it. Buy Never Quit the Fight and read it from cover to cover. ...Better yet, buy an extra copy and send it to your Congressman.

Ralph Peters is without question or competition my favorite writer. Out of loyalty to this hauntingly visual and incredibly lucid writer and because, after some second thoughts on the collected works in here, I give his latest work 4 stars.
However I must begin with some disappointment. "Never Quit the Fight" is a collection of Peters' various columns and articles over the past two-three years. If you regularly read his NY Post column (as this shameless nerd obviously does), you've already read sixty-five percent of this book. If you've kept up with his postings in Armed Forces Journal and the Army's great Parameters journal, then you've already read ninety percent of this book. I was really hoping for the diamond-edge writing he brilliantly penned in Beyond Terror and last year's New Glory. It seems Mr. Peters must have a publishing contract where he must turn out a book every so often.
Regardless, "Never Quit the Fight" does have the strength of a persistent artillery barrage: by collecting his assorted works he continually hammers his message into his readers' minds. These messages--horribly paraphrased on my part--are:
1. Middle Eastern/ Islamic civilization is failed and will continue to be a source of disappointment for us. This part of the world will never play nice nor by our rules. Perhaps we should disengage...
2....And seek friends and new alliances elsewhere. The last article, "The Atlantic Century," is excellent and just makes a whole lot of common sense. We should seek a return to America the Benevolent, not America the Middle East Referee. There IS a lot of untapped pro-Americanism out there.
3. When you decide to go to war, FIGHT TO WIN. That means killing your enemies until they're dead or too broken to resist. That means showing resolve in a world where "manliness" is everything. That means blowing out Fallujah the first time, not the second. It means planning your battles, and PLANNING YOUR OCCUPATIONS, which you know will happen. It also means shedding this "war-lite" concept of war the Western way. War is nasty, and to win we must be nasty as well. It's not nice but that is the cold, hard reality of it. We lament a suspected insurgent having his underwear put on his head while our captured soldiers are beheaded or simply "disappeared." Why do we always have to fight with one hand behind our backs?
Fans of Mr. Peters will nevertheless enjoy his latest work, but if this is your first foray into this amazing writer's brilliance, I would suggest beginning with "New Glory" or "Beyond Terror." ("Beyond Baghdad" is the same concept as this one here.)
A final summation: I understand, appreciate and enjoyed this "persistent barrage." But I was looking for Mr. Peters' real strength, which is akin to an intellectual (Baghdad, 2003) "Thunder Run." A good, strong effort nevertheless, sir.

Ralph Peters is former military intelligence officer who is willing to express what he thinks no matter how different his view are from the conventional. At times, you might agree with him, and at others you might be on the fence, but at least once in awhile you might wonder what the world he is talking about. And that is great! We want opinion writers to push us and make us think about our assumptions and views. Those differences help sharpen us.

This book is a collection of articles he has written during the war in Iraq, but the columns are on all kinds of military subjects. Politics shows up insofar as it interacts or has impact on military affairs. Peters writes well and has the ability to persuade, so this is an interesting book to read. At times you might find yourself agreeing with him and then catch yourself and ask, "I just agreed to what?".

Peters believes in aggressive warfare and the doctrine that the enemy must be fought and destroyed (attrited) until he is convinced he has lost and sues for peace. Many of us wish this were what our leaders believed, but haven't since the Korean War. One might ask why they don't? Well, the world is a very complex place in the age of superpowers and nuclear weapons. When one party attacks another it must always be done with the notion of who else might join the fight (remember China and the USSR supporting the Koreans (and Vietnamese)?

He also doesn't think maneuver warfare gets the job done without boots and aggression. He thinks the Air Force has become addicted to high tech weaponry and that our military leaders are hoping for enemies who will fight the wars we have prepared to fight with our vast weapons arrays, but that IEDs and car bombs and media manipulation have proven that scenario much less likely. He likes the Navy and feels it has a much bigger role to play in our strategic future than even they understand, and he believes we need more men and women soldiers who are trained, equipped, and prepared to fight with fighting leaders. Peters believes that the notion of having fewer, but more capable high tech weapons is a fool's errand. He notes that when someone says less is more that they are probably wrong, sometimes less is just less.

Peters is for the mission in Iraq, doesn't like the way it is being fought, and was dismayed at the choices we were offered in the last Presidential election. These are just the things that come to mind after reading this book. There is a lot more to read, think about, and enjoy. Again, you might find some of it exasperating, and some you might feel your blood racing and wish that others in power thought like the author, however, the point is that you will find all the articles clear, thoughtful, and worth reading.

Enjoy. This is an informative and worthwhile read. You might also want to check out his book from August 2005 "New Glory". He provides his views on what America's strategic alignments should be. Very unique view. My review is currently a spotlight for "New Glory"

Once again Ralph Peters has issued an intellectual challenge to America. In a superbly edited series of contemporary essays, Peters forces readers to face unpleasant, harsh, even upsetting facts. He analyzes our defense and military establishment, the quality of the Islamist enemies we face, and the critical need to make hard choices that most Americans would prefer to ignore or defer.
Peters is prehaps the most facile writer in his field regarding use of language. In a phrase, he writes beautifully. He constructs his cases with a solid grasp a of history and how it applies today in as compelling a manner as I've ever read. He exudes moral courage, in a way that distinguishes him from contemporaries and always demands respect.
Never Quit the Fight is a philosophical paradigm for America fighting a war that we did not seek and still as a nation have not come to grasp in its entirety. Peters rips away the facade of euphemism and political correctness that slips from politicians' press releases and from glib, empty-headed media lips. With Peters you are going to get the truth in its most basic form, stripped of all moral equivalence or rationalization.
This book needs to be in the hands of every American. It is a must read if we are going to prepare ourselves for the brutal, war-to-the-death situation that has been thrust upon us and for which we as a nation were, and to a large degree still are, woefully unprepared to fight and win. Buy this book now. Send another copy to your best friend.

More than most writers, Ralph Peters is entitled to a big "I told you so!" This collection of essays, prepared both for the general press (where he is reviled by left-wing pundits) and for professional military publications (where he is highly regarded)covers a wide spectrum.

Peters (who favored deposing Saddam Hussein)points out the innumerable errors made by Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Feith in planning (or failing to plan) the post-invasion rebuilding of Iraq. He anticipates the current failure of Israel to defeat Hezbollah. Peters is no blow-dryed TV "personality." He goes to dangerous places. He has Kurdish friends. He speaks German and Russian. He is the genuine article. His thoughts are well worth contemplation. Thomas P. Lowry, author of CONFEDERATE HEROINES.

Ralph Peters brings a perspective to the war in Iraq and other global American involvements that is free of blind loyalties to the Bush government or the media and intelligentsia that consider him the enemy more than the homicidal theocratic Muslim fanatics.

Peters praises the work our military has accomplished, but deeply criticizes our military establishment who is addicted to high tech toys pushed by defense contractors, while our troops on the ground need better supplies.... and more troops. While we have billion dollar arsenals to fight from afar, wars are still primarily fought with boots on the ground.

"Warfare is not a moral endeavor, and unilateral restrictions will not make it one." We are fighting "strategists and savages" with "engineers and diplomats." Our enemy has become adept at using our media against us, turning our victory on the ground into defeat in public opinion. Our media has "long sunk from healthy skepticism to smug cynicism."

Peters looks deeper into the history and background of Islamic terrorist and criticizes our foreign policy that befriends oppressive regimes like the Saudis. He rails our intelligence establishment for embracing degreed intellectuals rather than thinking analysts who have lived overseas long enough to truly understand the cultures that we must engage.

Ironically, apparently Peters has quit the fight. The articles in this book mostly cover his observations from 2003 through mid 2006. He has written more recently that the Iraqi government is siding with Sadr and that we should pull out, or at least pull back to protect the Kurds. Perhaps the Iraqis sense the pressure from the recent American elections and are realigning given our current realities.

The book is recommended for those who want an objective look at this controversial war that is not skewed by political loyalties. Peter's loyalty is to the troops on the ground and the long term interest of the American ideal he believes is worth fighting for.

Ralph Peters began as an enlisted man in the Army and rose in the military intelligence area. Since leaving the military, he has written books, articles, columns and lectured. He is not overtly political.

Rather he is concerned with preserving the freedom of the United States of America against its enemies, both domestic and foreign. And the US has no shortage of either.

But Peters' special concern are the dunderheads: the foolish politicians and bureaucrats within and without the military who throttle the nation's power and expose it to its enemies. In these 82 essays, mostly printed as his column in the New York Post, Peters makes his case eloquently.

A special target is the intelligence community, both military and civilian that costs the US hundreds of billions, yet produces surprisingly little of value because of its focus on technology instead of human intelligence and its concern for not offending left-wing politically correct values. The propensity of allowing the most mediocre to rise to the top is not slighted. Summing up the theme of several Peters essays, information is not intelligence. We are awash, flooded, with information, but have all too little intelligence about our enemy.

Peters also attacks the blase European approach to the threat of radical Islam. In one of his more provocative essays, Peters argues that Europeans and Americans share different perceptions of freedom - and, judging from how little the Europeans do about radical Islam, he could well be right, which presents a danger to freedom in general and the United States in particular.

One of his essays should be distributed to every American to provide them with a basic understanding that the conflict we are presently engaged in, whatever it may be called at the moment, has been going on for more than a thousand years. In "The Longest Struggle", Peters provides an efficient account of the war between the Middle Eastern and Western civilizations, a war that has been raging for nearly a millenia.

Peters also intensely questions the US relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is most certainly a thicket. Saudi Arabia, on one hand, is a valuable supplier of oil. On the other hand, it is a supporter of Islamic terrorism through the Wahabbi sect. Fascinating reading as Peters tries to come up with suggestions as to how the US should deal with the Saudi problem.

As noted, Peters is not particularly political. He is, however, a true American patriot which will cause apolexy in left-wingers who believe the the Constitution is a suicide pact. Peters' "Never Quit The Fight" is provocative, valuable reading in dangerous times.

Jerry

Ralph Peters never fails to deliver an informative bit of information, whether in novel or non-fiction format. I highly recommend this book to all who seek to know the "on the ground" story behind our war in the Middle East.

Gordon Ryan, Author