Fighting for the Future: Will America Triumph? (Paperback)

by Ralph Peters (Author) "The computer will not replace the book, and postmodern forms of conflict will not fully replace conventional war..." (more)
Key Phrases: new warrior class, urban combat, dispersed cities, United States, Desert Storm, Latin America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews
A collection of essays by top-selling Peters, author of A Perfect Soldier (1995). Reprinted from such military-science publications as Parameters, Army Times, and Strategic Review, these essays pose major questions about Americas military preparedness to fight the type of conflicts likely to arise in the 21st century, those involving terrorist organizations (both independent and state-sponsored), ethnic strife, and an emerging Third World. Peters examines such possibilities with a sharp eye and then considers the ways in which the American armed forces are preparing to fight them. While his analysis is cogent, his conclusionsfor example, that the spectacularly expensive weapons systems being produced today are designed to combat Cold War enemies that no longer existare hardly as shocking or controversial as he himself would have the reader believe. (In fact, as long as there has been a military, there have been critics to point out flaws in preparedness.) While Peters is a reasonably proficient writer, his essays are marred by trite epigrams placed throughout the text, offering such no-brainer musings as ``Revolutions happen, above all, in the minds of men'' and ``If there is a single power the West underestimates, it is the power of collective hatred. When the author gets down to specific topics, such as the future of armored warfare or soldiering in an urban environment, he is at his best; unfortunately these sections form only a small portion of the book. And Peterss prose is pedantic, clich-ridden, and repetitive. In general, the average reader will be as entranced as if reading a military-science dissertation. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
“Peters has been the most profound, prolific and provocative essayist on the future of the military in the past decade.” -- Strategic Review

“…Every chapter challenges conventional wisdom…entertaining, thoughtful, direct, and always though-provoking, Peters is a man who makes us think.” -- Parameters, the Journal of the U.S. Army War College

“…a master craftsman…In sharp contrast to the predictions of many other futurists, Peters’ essays have a long shelf life.” -- the Marine Corps Gazette

“…arguably the best thinker and certainly the best writer on international affairs in America today.” -- the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“…the way [Peters] heaves rocks indicates a strong arm…unbridled intellectual energy.” -- The Washington Monthly --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811728056
• ISBN-13: 978-0811728058
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #563,541 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book or weep for the future., September 27, 2001

By	John DePasquale (Not far from ground zero - we are all close) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fighting for the Future: Will America Triumph? (Hardcover)

This book should be read by every citizen in this country - yesterday. Peters' essays point the way to a much-needed revolution in American social, cultural, political and military thinking. His book describes the ultimatum technological change and social breakdown confront us with: recognize the suicidal implications of our current world view and take an uncompromising look at the developing dangers around the world confronting this country. Had "Fighting" been read and understood by the previous administration in the White House, the brutally effective attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon might well have been precluded. Kirkus Review's pedantic nitpickings obscure the life and death realities delineated in "Fighting." For anyone with an open mind, this book is impossible to put down.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars READ THIS BOOK!, May 15, 2000

By	Tracy Warrington (Travis AFB, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fighting for the Future: Will America Triumph? (Hardcover)

If you're a citizen of the US, you need to read this book so you understand what's at stake; and what the real world is like outside our borders. There are no sound bites, instant gratification, feel their 'pain', or other such nonsense.

If you're a politician, read this book so you can get a clearer idea of where our foreign policy needs to go; quit hustling votes and LOOK at what we (the West) are facing. War is an extension of policy; and Mr. Peters quite adeptly shows where we need to stop talking and start hitting.

If you are a Military Professional, for your Troop's Sake, read this as a MANUAL OF ARMS. He doesn't have all the answers; but he certainly can give you a start on your mission-essential task list. The Marines are already codifying doctrine on the "Three Block War"; it's time get with the program. If you run into Senior Military Leadership that says we don't have a future in Urban Combat, avoid them like the plague.

We are in the for the fight our lives; and this book can reduce the casualties; Friend and Foe alike. He articulates what I personally saw happen in Iraq, Bosnia, Ethiopia and Somalia (9 months in Mogadishu alone). He has encapsulated the essence of what we have to do to ensure survival of our way of life.

He doesn't imbibe you with Patriotic Rhetoric, Mr Peters simply states that if we want to maintain the lifestyle we have, we'll have to fight for it; against people for which fighting is the ONLY thing they know. They don't want a lasting peace, they want a lasting piece of the action; on their terms, with no compromise or pity. Death and anarchy are a way of life, the groups described in his book exist and they don't want progress, they want the power of Gods. Unfortunately, these same people lack any type of conventional wisdom comensurate with that power.

In Somalia, I was branded as being too agressive in our operations; I wanted to pound on the Technicals until the survivors quit. Seven years later, the hindsight everyone employs seems to vindicate my stance. I questioned our presence in Somalia; but never the role we should have adopted once we committed Troops: Find the Bastards and Pile On.

Tracy-Paul Warrington Chief Warrant Officer (retired) US Army Special Forces

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Few answers here, but many really good questions!, April 30, 2003

By	Schrade (Glendale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

I came upon this book after reading some of Peter's fiction: War in 2020 and Red Army. I really had no idea that he wrote such serious essays about military-related topics until I was searching for literature after September 11th to answer the question: "What now"? This book is a collection of his military essays compiled after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and woven around the theme of American triumph in trying times.

I had to take a break after each chapter to think about the questions raised. Many of his assertions challenged my view of the world. He is trying to shake we idealists and optimists from our hallucinating state to view the harsh reality of the world around us.

How does the world treat young men who are raised as warriors (killers) from birth in perpetually warring societies? What options other than force does a superpower have against the amorphous and state-less threat of terrorism? Will urban warfare be the rule and not the exception in the 21st century? Is there any hope for global stability? And finally, will America triumph?

I liked how the preface focused specifically on the events of September 11th and the myths Peters feels were perpetuated in our popular culture as a result. But the rest of this book raises more questions than it does provide answers. To his credit though, anyone who holds up answers in these trying times is a liar or a fool or both.