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America at War since 1945: Politics and Diplomacy in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan
Focusing primarily on politics and foreign policy, America at War since 1945 analyzes America's involvement in its several wars since the end of World War II. The main questions asked are: How did the U.S. become involved in these wars? How were the wars conducted? And how did the U.S. get out of these wars?
In Korea and Vietnam, the US fought to show the world that it would stand up to the evils of communism—that it could be counted on (with money, advisors, or even a major military effort if necessary) to halt the advance of communism. But in both wars, the US showed itself to be militarily vulnerable. In its wars against radical Islam since 9/11, the United States has made use of its military to protect its interests in the Middle East, particularly its oil interests, while trying to spread its ideas of democracy, constitutionalism, and the rule of law. The lessons are clear: America's values often do not translate into the less-developed world.
In 2016, as the debate over ISIS intensifies, America at War since 1945 reminds us that the history of US postwar military conflict has seldom been marked by clearly defined goals and outcomes.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
In Korea and Vietnam, the US fought to show the world that it would stand up to the evils of communism—that it could be counted on (with money, advisors, or even a major military effort if necessary) to halt the advance of communism. But in both wars, the US showed itself to be militarily vulnerable. In its wars against radical Islam since 9/11, the United States has made use of its military to protect its interests in the Middle East, particularly its oil interests, while trying to spread its ideas of democracy, constitutionalism, and the rule of law. The lessons are clear: America's values often do not translate into the less-developed world.
In 2016, as the debate over ISIS intensifies, America at War since 1945 reminds us that the history of US postwar military conflict has seldom been marked by clearly defined goals and outcomes.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 1996
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250 people want to read
About the author
Gary A. Donaldson
16 books7 followersA specialist in 20th century American history, Gary Donaldson is Keller Family Foundation Chair in American History at Xavier University of Louisiana.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 16, 2022
A solid primer on what each war brought and how it has shaped foreign policy in the United States since WWII. Mr. Donaldson does enough research to make this story compelling but leaves enough to have you wanting to research more. Nothing extensive about the conflicts, and as we get closer to today, there is less and less. Overall, a great launching pad to discover more about the conflicts listed.
June 1, 2024
It's really missing the geo-political impacts of the recent wars (Iraq and Afghanistan) and their impacts on the spaced America ceded while engaged in these conflicts.
April 27, 2017
I won this book from a GoodReads First Reads giveaway.
Donaldson does a very thorough job explaining the foreign policy of the administrations in question of the wars he covers. Korea and Vietnam, especially, are incredibly well-explained and the conflicts themselves are detailed with useful information--not just which battles were won and lost but the American and world reactions to the battles and the conflicts in general. The issue comes in the post 9/11 chapter. One chapter is really not enough to cover the myriad issues of the period, and the chapter suffers from a lack of specificity and, seemingly, research materials. My copy was an early, uncorrected proof so it's possible that some of this has been corrected in the final version, but it was kind of a let down after the book's beginning.
Donaldson does a very thorough job explaining the foreign policy of the administrations in question of the wars he covers. Korea and Vietnam, especially, are incredibly well-explained and the conflicts themselves are detailed with useful information--not just which battles were won and lost but the American and world reactions to the battles and the conflicts in general. The issue comes in the post 9/11 chapter. One chapter is really not enough to cover the myriad issues of the period, and the chapter suffers from a lack of specificity and, seemingly, research materials. My copy was an early, uncorrected proof so it's possible that some of this has been corrected in the final version, but it was kind of a let down after the book's beginning.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews