Imperial Grunts - by Robert Kaplan

[jumpr]

I just finished Imperial Grunts, Robert Kaplan's latest volume on international and military affairs. My girlfriend gave it to me as a Valentine's Day gift, and I've been reading it off and on since then (I'm a college student, so I've got some other reading to keep up with too). I'm amazed at how well and to-the-point Kaplan writes. He visited all the major U.S. command regions:

• CENTCOM
• NORTHCOM
• SOUTHCOM
• PACOM
• SOCOM

Though it's never written outright, Kaplan clearly believes that the best strategy for a worldwide military presence is a combination of soldiers, Peace Corps volunteers and HUMINT collectors (à la the CIA's clandestine service), all in uniform and all serving the U.S. militarily. The U.S. already has an imperial presence in many countries around the world; the challenge now is to manage it effectively and use it to our advantage.

Military might doesn't always mean guns and missiles, but it's more than simply winning "hearts and minds." If the U.S. expects to gain allies in the GWOT, it's going to take real effort: not simply fighting wars (even so-called "small wars") on behalf of other countries. It's medicating those countries' sick, feeding their hungry, and perhaps even employing their poor.

I'll let Kaplan explain the rest of his thesis himself. Read this book. It will expand your horizons on the U.S. military, even if you've already served.

 

[maddogchen]

I was browsing it at the book store, it looked interesting. But it probably gets lost among the many hundreds of war books out there now. Soooo many recently.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: jumpr
I just finished Imperial Grunts, Robert Kaplan's latest volume on international and military affairs. My girlfriend gave it to me as a Valentine's Day gift, and I've been reading it off and on since then (I'm a college student, so I've got some other reading to keep up with too). I'm amazed at how prolific and to-the-point Kaplan writes. He visited all the major U.S. command regions:

• CENTCOM
• NORTHCOM
• SOUTHCOM
• PACOM
• SOCOM

Though it's never written outright, Kaplan clearly believes that the best strategy for a worldwide military presence is an even mixture between soldiers, Peace Corps volunteers and HUMINT collectors (à la the CIA's clandestine service). The U.S. already has an imperial presence in many countries around the world; the challenge now is to manage it effectively and use it to our advantage.

Military might doesn't always mean guns and missiles, but it's more than simply winning "hearts and minds." If the U.S. expects to gain allies in the GWOT, it's going to take real effort: not simply fighting wars (even so-called "small wars") on behalf of other countries. It's medicating those countries' sick, feeding their hungry, and perhaps even employing their poor.

I'll let Kaplan explain the rest of his thesis himself. Read this book. It will expand your horizons on the U.S. military, even if you've already served.

I'll add this to my reading list.
Thanks

 

[Brentx]

I'm about half way through it. When I first got it, I thought it was going to be about how the US should not be an imperial power, and that we are strtching our borders to thin. It's turning out to be an excellent book.

I would highly recommend it :thumbsup:

 

[jumpr]

Bump for more exposure. :thumbsup: