The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power | 
 enlarge | Author: Max Boot
Publisher: Basic Books
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 180096
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 046500721X
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.033573
EAN: 9780465007219
ASIN: 046500721X
Publication Date: May 2003
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Amazon.com Review
Whether fought for commercial or strategic concessions or even moral reasons, whether little-known or well-publicized, America's "small wars"--against, say, the Barbary pirates and the rebellious Boxers--played a large part in the development of what historian Max Boot does not hesitate to call an American empire. All arguments to the contrary, Boot insists, America has never been an isolationist power; it has "been involved in other countries' internal affairs since at least 1805," when American marines landed on the shores of Tripoli, and it has "never confined the use of force to those situations that meet the narrow definition of American interests preferred by realpolitikers and isolationists." Closely examining the record of those small wars, which far outnumber major conflicts, Boot argues that Americans have a historic duty to deliver foreign nations from aggression, even to intervene in civil wars abroad, especially if the product is greater freedom--for, he writes, "a world of liberal democracies would be a world much more amenable to American interests than any conceivable alternative." Readers may take issue with some of Boot's conclusions, but they merit wide discussion, especially in a time when small--and perhaps large--wars are looming. Boot's book is thus timely, and most instructive. --Gregory McNamee
Product Description
America's "small wars," "imperial wars," or, as the Pentagon now terms them, "low-intensity conflicts," have played an essential but little-appreciated role in its growth as a world power. Beginning with Jefferson's expedition against the Barbary Pirates, Max Boot tells the exciting stories of our sometimes minor but often bloody landings in Samoa, the Philippines, China, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico, Russia, and elsewhere. Along the way he sketches colorful portraits of little-known military heroes such as Stephen Decatur, "Fighting Fred" Funston, and Smedley Butler. From 1800 to the present day, such undeclared wars have made up the vast majority of our military engagements. Yet the military has often resisted preparing itself for small wars, preferring instead to train for big conflicts that seldom come. Boot re-examines the tragedy of Vietnam through a "small war" prism. He concludes with a devastating critique of the Powell Doctrine and a convincing argument that the armed forces must reorient themselves to better handle small-war missions, because such clashes are an inevitable result of America's far-flung imperial responsibilities.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
Should be read by anyone who thinks America should use military force at any time September 11, 2008
Max Boot wrote an intriguing book that should have been read by more powerful people than it was. I believe Savage Wars was released in about 2002, and since Boot is well known as a conservative commentator, I don't understand why the book and its lessons were not better appreciated by like-minded folks in the White House prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Boot makes a compelling case that there are humongous difficulties in dealing with nation-building and counterinsurgency warfare, and Boot makes that case by looking back at the many small wars the American military has engaged in. Even when those engagements were handled well, they were extremely difficult affairs that involved hardships for the troops, time, and a savvy for far more than just military matters (bureaucracy, diplomacy, and all aspects of running governments). Lessons all unlearned for the first couple of years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Better days have come for the US's efforts in Iraq, but Boot's book should have made it far more obvious what the US was in for. His chapter on the Philippines is incredibly important.
Another overall theme of Boot's book is that America's supposed "way of war," which involves involvement in huge wars, is not really the American way of war. Rather, the US has spent far more time engaged in small wars, which have also helped establish an American empire of sorts. An empire quite different than many that have existed before it and, according to Boot, better than its predecessors.
Well worth the read. Fine book with great snapshots of some hero worship worthy military folks from America's past.
 read it! February 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Max Boot has done a great job presenting a concise and interesting history of U.S. military action in other countries. It is very informative and entertaining. I think it should be added to high school curricula so that young people could have the opportunity to learn about and respect the USA's role in the world and especially our awesome marines, soldiers, sailors & airmen. I am sure there would be some very lively debates in the classroom.
Excellent Book January 18, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was given this book and I cannot say that I would have it would have jumped out at me when buying books. That said, it was great and have a much better sense of what happened on a global scale during those inter-war periods in US History.
The first half of the book moved at a very quick pace with great story telling- he made people like Stephen Decatur, Smedley Butler, Frederick Funston, and their pupils come to life. The book attempts to take a neutral bias on the causes of the interventions and focuses on describing what the 'man in the arena' did once he got there to carry out his orders. And because these conflicts aren't well know, this is a good introductory book to the topic...while I don't want to ignore facts, I also don't want to get bogged down to the point where it isn't enjoyable to read. The second half got a little bogged as he moves to arguing the implications of fighting a small war with big war tactics (Vietnam) as well as his arguments against the Powell Doctrine and the outlook.
I thought that he bounded the problem well, and stayed within the bounds.
a must read for these times September 28, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
One of the best books I have read about our (USA) involvement in a surprising amount of insurections and affairs that required more than the State Departments attention.
 A seductive message, and yet it is wrong... July 28, 2007
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
I first read this book several years back, as a young Sergeant. When I first read it, the book seemed to make a lot of good points, and its logic seemed almost ironclad. After having gotten a bit older and a bit wiser, and having been taught at least a few formal critical thinking techniques, I now believe that Mr. Boot's book is pretty much wrong from cover to cover. He basically tells us how great and wonderful our military interventions have been to the world (and to our security), but when you start to look more deeply at his examples (Philipines, Haiti, etcetera) you start to believe that the truth is a lot more complex than he makes it seem.
I am no pacifist, and in many cases our intervention may truely have been unavoidable or have improved things, but the case he makes is almost entirely one sided. Look no further than his analysis of Smedley Butler's change of heart. *sarcasm* Obviously the man simply didn't see "the big picture". After all, a General with decades of experience in the very campaigns Boot cheerleads couldn't possibly be at least somewhat right in his criticisms. */end sarcasm*
I give it two stars because Mr. Boot is a good writer, and he knows how to make his argument seem irrefutable, even when they are very debatable. Just my 2 cents.
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