This fascinating book examines a question that continues to puzzle soldiers, statesmen, and scholars: why do major powersincluding the ostensible superpower United Statesrepeatedly perform poorly against seemingly overmatched adversaries? And what can they, and the United States, do to better achieve their military objectives?How Wars are Won and Lost: Vulnerability and Military Power argues that beyond relying solely on overwhelming military might, the United States needs to focus more on exploiting weaknesses in their adversariessuch as national will, resource mobilization, and strategic miscuesjust as opposing forces have done to gain advantage over our military efforts. The author tests the vulnerability theory by revisiting six conflicts from the Philippine War of 1899-1902 to the ongoing actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, showing again and again that victory often depends more on outthinking the enemy than outmuscling them.
| ISBN: | 9780313395833 |
| Publication date: | 10th November 2011 |
| Author: | Gentry, John A. |
| Publisher: | ABC-CLIO |
| Format: | Ebook (PDF) |