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Lieutenant in Algeria
Text: French
231 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1957
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 18, 2021
The corrosive effects of colonial war. Already defeated in Indochina, France hangs on to Algeria. I kept thinking of how foolishly the United States stepped into the Indochina vacuum, only to experience loss and defeat, and the brokenness of a generation soldiers, and their families.
As of late, our efforts around the world have certainly taken on a "colonial" feel - a long-term struggle to "win" the hearts and minds of the people, a people who, by and large, have no interest in our ideas as to how they should govern themselves, in alignment, of course, with us and our national interests.
Well written by a respected journalist, with letters appended at the end - letters received from readers - some supportive, others critical, some somewhere in the middle, Servan-Schreiber's book offers so many insights, raises critical questions, and reveals the contours of a many a soldier's mind: some heroic, some brutal, most just trying to stay alive and return home.
In the end, only one conclusion: colonial rule had to end. The effort to sustain it, in some form or other, leads to escalating violence on all sides. War replicates itself, and only by some heroic efforts on the part of politicians can the flow of blood be staunched.
Order, maintained by violence, is the pathway to fascism. In light of January 6, this is a good book to read.
As of late, our efforts around the world have certainly taken on a "colonial" feel - a long-term struggle to "win" the hearts and minds of the people, a people who, by and large, have no interest in our ideas as to how they should govern themselves, in alignment, of course, with us and our national interests.
Well written by a respected journalist, with letters appended at the end - letters received from readers - some supportive, others critical, some somewhere in the middle, Servan-Schreiber's book offers so many insights, raises critical questions, and reveals the contours of a many a soldier's mind: some heroic, some brutal, most just trying to stay alive and return home.
In the end, only one conclusion: colonial rule had to end. The effort to sustain it, in some form or other, leads to escalating violence on all sides. War replicates itself, and only by some heroic efforts on the part of politicians can the flow of blood be staunched.
Order, maintained by violence, is the pathway to fascism. In light of January 6, this is a good book to read.
August 15, 2024
Interesting first hand experience from the colonial war in algeria, showing how the pacification campaign of the french army was counter productive through its brutality, turning the muslim population against the french authorities. the beggining is fast paced showing a lot of episodes, but then it starts going through many intense deep and detailed discussions that represent a denser reading...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews