Unintended Consequences: The United States at War (Hardcover)

~ Kenneth J. Hagan (Author), (Author) "This book is a study of the unintended consequences of the wars fought by the United States..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, World War, Great Britain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This provocative, intelligent, gem of a book could not be more timely. [...] Highly recommended for general readers and specialists alike.' - Robert J. McMahon, Ralph D. Mershon Professor of History, Ohio State University'imaginative, wonderfully written ... Bickerton and Hagan brilliantly show that American military actions have typically had effects quite different from what their leaders have said, or imagined ... cleverly helps us grasp why the present Bush administration ... seems to want nothing more than to bequeath a global crisis to the next administration.'- John Keane, Professor of Politics and Director, Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, London --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"This provocative, intelligent gem of a book could not be more timely. The authors challenge conventional wisdom about the consequences of America''s wars, from the struggle for independence to the war in Iaq, by marshalling persuasive evidence and by presenting their findings in clear, accessible, and lively prose. Highly recommended for general readers and specialists alike."--Robert J. McMahon, Ralph D. Mershon Professor of History, The Ohio State University (Robert J. McMahon 20061208)

"This is an imaginative, wonderfully written but sober satire on the conceits of an age whose leaders still suppose that war is the way to power over others. Unintended Consequences identifies with the tradition of great scholarship that stretches from Adam Ferguson to Hannah Arendt, in order to show how and why the greatest military power in human history does not know why it does what it does. Bickerton and Hagan brilliantly show that American military actions have typically had effects quite different from what their leaders have said, or imagined. And so Unintended Consequences cleverly helps us grasp why the present Bush administration is sleepwalking its way through problems of its own making-and why, disturbingly, it seems to want nothing more than to bequeath a global crisis to the next administration."-John Keane, professor of politics and director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, London (John Keane 20061208)

"For too long the western military have looked at Clausewitz as if he can provide the magic silver bullet with regard to strategic military thinking. This book has quite rightly turned conventional thought--hero worship--of that particular military guru upside down. In a world where the threat is no longer likely to be an easily identifiable nation state, conventional military responses are perhaps no longer appropriate. Not only does it prove that the unintended consequences may outweigh the reason for the action in the first instance, but, in the contemporary world, results are likely to be even further divorced from those originally anticipated. It is just what is needed in today's world--historians who are prepared to stir the hornets' nest!"-Lieutenant Commander T.T.A. Lovering, mbe, rn, editor of Amphibious Assault: Manoeuvre from the Sea (LtCom T.T.A. Lovering 20070422)

"Mincing no words, these accomplished historians, one Australian and one American, plumb the past, from the American Revolution through to Iraq, keenly demonstrating that U.S. wars have produced unintended, often negative, outcomes. U.S. leaders' exaggeration of threats, their ignorance of local conditions, and their flawed assumptions that political `victory' can be achieved through military force have led to unforeseen, unwanted consequences. Clausewitz got it wrong: war is not a continuation of policy but rather a radical alteration of policy. Sharply departing from the traditional way of thinking about u.s. wars, Bickerton and Hagan challenge us to understand that war has raised more problems than it has solved."--Thomas G. Paterson, professor of history emeritus, University of Connecticut, and past president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) (Thomas G. Paterson 20070707)

"Hagan and Bickerton demonstrate that Clausewitz''s nostrum is little more than glib nonsense. . . . The book persuasively demonstrates that there will always be unintended consequences flowing from war."-Sydney Morning Herald (Bruce Elder Sydney Morning Herald 20070818)

"There is little to argue with in this take on history, and the fresh point of view does give certain insights. The two authors also tell their tale well and keep the reader turning pages."-Australian Financial Review (Mark Lawson Australian Financial Review 20070601)

"What this book so succinctly points out is that America''s involvement in wars-from the War of Independence through to Iraq (and the authors reject the whole idea of the War on Terror as a war)-has always produced the ''unintended consequences'' of the title. Their analysis of World War II, for example, brilliantly points out the unintended result of how President Truman used the atom bomb-that it effectively started the Cold War."-Steven Carroll, The Age (Steven Carroll The Age 20071101)

"What the authors offer is a radical re-interpretation of American military history. This is not a triumphalist book. . . . It is a bold thesis, and one persuasively told in their account of ten different wars the United States has found itself fighting. And of course it is vitally important for the future."-Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies Journal (Christopher Coker Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies Journal )

"Highly relevant. The two authors give an informative summary of the cause and course of American war since 1775, and then analyse their consequences. . . . Essential reading."--Australian Book Review (Richard Broinowski Australian Book Review )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Reaktion Books; annotated edition edition (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861893108
• ISBN-13: 978-1861893109
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,048,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Twisting of History, April 22, 2007

By	Wayne Lusvardi "Wayne Lusvardi" (Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I agree with the thesis of unintended consequences of war pointed out in this book, but I have some gnawing questions:
1. The authors methodology seems to be to find facts that prove their thesis - but that is not how social science is done. Anyone can find selective facts to prove a thesis, while ignoring other non-confirming facts. What is critical, following philosopher Karl Popper, is to try to negate their own thesis - which they don't attempt to do. So how realiable and credible are their findings and conclusions?

2. The authors propagate a morally equivalent view of Nazism, Communism, radical Islamism and conservative Christianity/Republicanism. To them it makes no difference who wins a war? Is this valid? What about freedom?

3. The "unintended consequences" of the Korean War and WWII were that Japan, South Korea, and West Germany all became capitalist/democracies and North Korea, East Germany, and the USSR remained communist. On balance, was this a bad consequence? Does it outweight the other negative consequences? The authors don't attempt an answer.

4. An unintended consequence of WWII Pacific War was that Japan embraced rather than resisted defeat and has become one of the world's powerhouses of capitalism and a non-warring nation (see John Dower, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of WWII). What does this tell us about the situations we face today?

5. In their conclusion the authors state that "the word negotiation whould become synonymous with the concept of power, rather than the word war." Power implies the use of either carrots or sticks, love or coercion. But as Machiavelli cautioned, it is better to gain respect than love in international affairs. How can negotiation be powerful without the threat of coercion?

6. The authors appearance of modest tone and lack of political agenda in most of their book breaks down in the conclusion when they state about the Iraq War: "The nation has lost faith in an administration controlled by religious fanatics who have wire-tappped citizens without warrants, tortured military prisoners and violated the principles of due process and the rule of law."

True, the electorate has lost faith in the stated aims of the Iraq War. But as Machiavelli pointed out, public opinion is fickle. Will public opinion swing back the other way again?

And whatever one wants to state about the present presidential administration they are not run by religious fanatics similar to the Islamic Jihadists (see Greeley & Hout - The Truth About Conservative Christians). This kind of over-the-top statement reveals an anti-religious bias of the authors, not "religious fanaticism" on the part of the administration.

Neither is it my understanding that the administration has wire tapped citizens -- only overseas telephone taps on selected persons of interest. So this is hyperbole on the part of the authors.

And the so-called torture at Abu Ghraib and at Guantanamo are wildly exaggerated as anyone without a political agenda can plainly see. In the end it has been revealed that the prisoners at Guantanamo are some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world, not victims of torture. This makes me question whether the authors did have an agenda in writing this subtly persuasive book.

I recommend buying and reading the book, but I do not believe it is well balanced, as the authors implied methodology only finds what they want to believe. Perhaps the authors tipped their ideological prejudice in the Introduction when they cite Leftist intellectual Hannah Arendt as their mentor on the unintended consequences of war. Arendt, in her book The Origins of Totalitarianism, was the key intellectual who twisted history to read that Nazism was a conservative, not a socialist, movement (NAZI - National Socialist German Workers Party - German: Nationalsozialismus). This insidious twisting seems to have pervaded Hagan and Bickerton's book as well. That all the eminent academic endorsements cited on the book jacket have been unable to critically discern the twisting of history in this book is disturbing to say the least.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must buy--a tour de force, June 26, 2007

By	B. Little - See all my reviews

Unintended Consequences challenges neoconservative strategic thinking that posits war is a manageable and constructive element of U.S. foreign policy. It further subjects the often-rosy public memory of many of America's "good" wars to critical scrutiny, and compels their reevaluation. Unintended Consequences is a timely book that is well written, thought provoking, and exceptionally useful because of its historical treatment of all major American wars.

Authors Hagan and Bickerton, noted historians of U.S. foreign and military policy, elected not to focus on merely the 20th century but to succinctly evaluate all wars from the American Revolution to the present Iraqi morass. Their treatment of each war provides an exceptionally useful and concise analysis of the foreign and domestic factors that led to the United States' entry into war, a focused assessment of the conflict's pivotal military dimensions--especially their strategic turning points, and an evaluation of the unforeseen and often undesirable consequences attendant with war. Many of their findings will surprise and likely disturb readers long-inoculated by "good war" mythology.

All legislators, strategists, commentators, and educated citizens should study this superb book. Unintended Consequences also lends itself readily for university-level classroom adoption as primer for foreign policy and military history courses.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointment, November 13, 2007

By	T. Hickey - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I initially purchased this book expecting insight into historical conflict. However reading the book, I have found that any insightful or meaningful expression is overshadowed by the negative connotation abounding throughout the passage.

The book reads like a verbose college essay where the student has removed only the portions of history or evidence that support his novel thesis and disregarded any evidence to the contrary.

Often the book purports to deliver perspective to the reader but fails utterly as it eschews perspective in favor of connotative bias. I'm sorry I paid for the book as it reminds me of the muck raking of Ann Coulter, only with a more academic facade.