The Next War [Paperback]

Caspar Weinberger (Author), Peter Schweizer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

You can read The Next War as a military novel and find it riveting.--Business Week

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Imagine the following scenarios: in 1998, a full-scale war involving biological and nuclear weapons breaks out on the Korean peninsula, and China seizes the opportunity to invade Taiwan; in 1998, an Iranian-led jihad is unleashed throughout the Persian Gulf as fundamentalists rise up against secular Arab governments and organize terrorist strikes in the United States, while a nuclear weapon is detonated in Europe; in 2003, an American expeditionary force invades Mexico to topple a corrupt and recalcitrant drug-running regime in an attempt to stanch the flow of millions of refugees over the southern U. S. border. These and two other scenarios of global disaster are the "Next Wars" former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Hoover Institute scholar Peter Schweizer consider in their new book on military readiness and defense strategy in the post-Cold War era. Their book contains both professional opinions about defense policy and fictionalized accounts of battlefield scenes in a style reminiscent of Tom Clancy, combining a human portrayal of the subject matter with detailed descriptions of weapons capabilities, military tactics, and the decision-making process of military and political leaders. This combination of narrative and policy detail makes for a highly readable account of defense tactics and captures the challenges of preparing for multiple regional conflicts under current budget constraints. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Weinberger, secretary of defense for most of the Reagan years, collaborates with Schweizer, president of the James Madison Institute, to present five possible near-future scenarios in which the U.S. goes to war. Scenario one is based on a North Korean invasion of South Korea that ends in stalemate after a limited nuclear exchange. Number two casts Iran as a rogue state using ballistic missiles to alter the Middle East's balance of power. The third scenario postulates a radical Mexican government scapegoating the U.S. as the source of its country's woes. A fourth describes the conquest of Europe by a resurgent Russia?again with the aid of nuclear weapons. In scenario five, the U.S. and Japan reignite the Pacific War of 1941-1945, this time using "cyberstrikes" against information systems, chemical warfare and a nuclear exchange. The authors tell their stories through the eyes of fictional participants. This format, familiar to readers of techno-thrillers, is an effective framework for dramatizing a set of pessimistic conclusions. Because of America's reduction of its conventional armed forces and its failure to build a missile defense system, none of the scenarios have outcomes more positive than stalemate achieved at high cost. The authors' lament for such a missile system and for the armed forces of the past won't convince those who believe that the dominant modes of future conflict will be terrorism and guerrilla war, however. Weinberger and Schweizer nevertheless make a case deserving serious consideration by citizens and policy-makers alike.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089526384X
• ISBN-13: 978-0895263841
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,979,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping description of various war scenarios., April 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Next War (Hardcover)

Former Defense Secretary Cap Weinberger and his Hoover Institution co-author Peter Schweizer play out five different hypothetical "war game" scenarios between the United States and various potential adversaries. The book's strength is in the technical details of war which is also one source of the book's weakness. Weinberger and his scholarly co-author write confidently about troop strength and the fighting capabilities of various force sizes when matched against the military forces of various "enemy" powers. To keep the book interesting and prevent it from becoming too dry, the authors have elected to employ a "Tom Clancy-style" of narrative with various fictional characters reacting to events in each of the hypothetical war scenarios. Some have criticized this approach but I found that it worked for me as a reader and did not detract from the central points the authors wished to make.

My criticism of the book arises from a wholly different quarter. In sum, I thought the authors never answered the central question posed by the title of their book. Based on the title alone, (which is a real teaser, I might add) I thought our former Defense Secretary would give us his wisdom on likely threats to our national security in the 21st century and why. Instead, what I received was (overall) a rather passionless statistical and analytical analysis (much like a RAND report) of the force strength necessary to fight any of several possible wars, none of which was viewed by the authors as any more likely than another. (I think we had a right to expect more from such a highly esteemed, well-traveled former Defense Secretary. Which scenario does Cap Weinberger feel is most likely of the five? Which potential adversary is he most worried and concerned about and why? He never answers or explores any of these issues.) Far from "ranking" or "speculating" on which adversaries pose the greatest threat and why, the authors wholly abjure making such educated predictions.

What will be the "Next War"? The authors never answer that central question. For that information, I had to turn to a book by a less famous author released at roughly the same time as Weinberger's book. Anthony J. Dennis, in his slender (160-some pages), spell-binding, tightly reasoned book "The Rise of the Islamic Empire and the Threat to the West," (Wyndham Hall Press) gives the reader a fascinating explanation of why he believes the next war will involve the U.S. (and perhaps other Western powers) and the fundamentalist Muslim world (with Iran, Turkey, Sudan and various Muslim Central Asian nations as its axis).

I heard Dennis on a syndicated talk radio show in March where he was a guest for two hours about one week after I had heard Cap Weinberger as a guest on the same talk show. Dennis was articulate, highly engaging as a guest and extremely knowledgeable and certain of his facts. As a result, the host - Roger Fredinburg, kept him on the program for two full hours. Weinberger was articulate as a guest on the same show but the conversation never "caught fire" as it did with Dennis on the line.

Unlike the venerable former Defense Secretary, Anthony Dennis clearly describes in compelling detail what he believes the next national security threat will be in the early 21st century. Having read both books at this point (I happen to work for a "think tank" and so have a real, abiding interest in these issues), I would recommend both books be read together - one for the technical details of war (always important); the other for its creative and visionary thinking about the shape of potential conflicts to come and the reasons why such conflicts are perhaps likely.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fiction becoming reality., October 27, 2001

By 

Edwin Carcao Guerra (Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Next War (Hardcover)

This book may look very dreamer. But the Iran chapter looks very much like the current Afgan-terrorist crisis. When i started reading this book it looked to me very Clancy Style but not any more after looking at the twin towers colapse. As a mexican the scenario regarding Mexico and the narcotic-democracy its totally possible, i hope it will never happen. I recommend this book very much to you, the future vision of a Defense Secretary under the greatest president of the XX century must be considered. Enjoy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Casper is a thinking man!, January 9, 2000

By 

Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Next War (Hardcover)

Do you think that we could win a war in the event one ever broke out? Are our current manpower levels enough to thwart off attacks from third world dictators? Can we suppress outbreaks of violence in the world?

In this 450 plus page book, which may house hypothetical situations, you'll read what could happen. You find yourself asking questions about our military leadership and you will even start to look at the world in a different light.

Weinberger's knowledge of military tactics, strategy and defense planning our unmatched and unparalleled. He was Secretary of Defense for over seven years. His knowledge of world politics is with a doubt superb.

Most impressive is the ability to show the complexity of the situations and show how the United States armed forces are matched against the world. Weinberger's works is nothing short of a miraculous - excellent reading!