Victor Davis Hanson treats us to a series of essays, mostly aimed at understanding the relationship between warfare, government and politics. As with all essays, by definition there is no single "correct" answer, but rather various positions to be put forward and argued. Hanson approaches just about everything from what would be considered the conservative position, although I found him to be realistic and pragmatic. His opinions are certainly more balanced, and intelligently argued, than the typical cable-TV nonsense.
=== The Good Stuff ===
* Hanson has an excellent command of history, and is capable of making references to the ancient Greeks and Persians, Napoleon and George Patton, all within a single sentence. I found his opinions to be mostly supportable, although I ended up doing quite a bit of memory refreshing on commanders such as Darius and Xerxes.
* Some of Hanson's best points are those that tie modern civilization to modern warfare, and contrast that with historical examples. For example, he makes a great point by describing the typical GI of WWII. He probably grew up around motorized vehicles, either his Dad's old Ford, or a farm tractor. He lived through the Great Depression, and knew poverty and hardship. So when turned loose in the European campaign, with balky tanks and living off the land, it wasn't a great stretch for him.
Compare that to a more modern youth- who may never have opened the hood on his parents SUV, and certainly never knew hunger or soup lines. What will be the result if the current generation is ever drafted into a large conflict?
* Hanson also makes some excellent comments on the similarities of military action through the ages, as well as the differences in modern armies. Again, a brief example. He points out numerous times in history, from the Peloponnesian Wars to Desert Storm, of where tradition and hierarchy in armies ended up blinding them to innovation, often with disastrous consequences.
=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===
* If you are a novice about military history, much of this book will sail over your head. Without explaining the details, Hanson bounces between most of recorded history to make his points. He thinks nothing of comparing MacArthur at Inchon with Thucydides at Mantinea. If you don't know, or look up, this battle, you will miss a good deal of Hanson's arguments.
* The first essay is pretty much a throw-away. It makes some valid points on the unwillingness of American students and Universities to concentrate on military history. But anyone who has picked up this book is unlikely to disagree with Hanson that this is an important concept. A definite case of singing to the choir.
* The essays are reprints from a variety of sources. As a result, they are not really tied together, and there is information repeated numerous times. Also, some of the essays are not consistent with arguments in other essays.
=== Summary ===
Hanson has some strong opinions on the motivations, abilities and limitations of modern nations in making war, either with other nations or with "stateless" organizations such as Al Qaeda. He makes his points logically, and with historical justification for his arguments. I very much enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in military history and current events. If you are not reasonably versed in military history, it will be a long read.
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Reviews with images
Without the Ability to Wage War Successfully, We Might As Well Toss in the Towel
The necessity of preserving Western civilization should be a national priority, but unfortunately too few people in power "get it." Even if they do value our culture, they don't want to fight for it because, although Hanson doesn't come right out and name names, many of our leaders are cowards and/or enslaved to PC. We can learn so much by studying the past, and Hanson does a wonderful job of explaining why that is. He's concise and readable.
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