Dawn Over Baghdad How The Us Military Is Using Ballots To Remake Iraq

A look at the guerilla struggle in Iraq. This title is built on weeks spent with US soldier in the most dangerous parts of the Sunni triangle in early 2004, and direct polling of Iraqis.

"Dawn Over Baghdad takes you into Iraq's urban neighborhoods, rural villages, and guerilla snake pits, and shows exactly how young American soldiers are quietly but inexorably choking off a terrorist insurrection and planting the seeds (sometimes at great personal cost) of a dramatically different Middle East. Zinsmeister brings home an insightful story missed by the major media: with the cooperation of millions of everyday Iraqis, the U.S. is gradually approaching something historic - success in a tough guerilla war."--BOOK JACKET.

An easily accessible resource that showcases the links between using documented primary sources and gaining a more nuanced understanding of military history. Primary source analysis is a valuable tool that teaches students how historians utilize documents and interpret evidence from the past. This four-volume reference traces key decisions in U.S. military history—from the Revolutionary War through the 21st-century conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq—by examining documents relating to military strategy and national policy judgments by U.S. military and political leaders. A comprehensive introductory essay provides readers with the context necessary to understand the relationship between diplomatic documents, military correspondence, and other documentation related to events that shaped warfare, diplomacy, and military strategy. Once the stage is set, the work covers 14 conflicts that are significant to U.S. history. Treatment of each of the conflicts begins with a historical overview followed by a chronology and approximately 30 primary source documents presented in chronological order. Each document is accompanied by a description and annotations and by an analysis that highlights its importance to the event or topic under discussion. Designed for secondary school and college students, the work will be exceptionally valuable to teachers who will appreciate the ready-made lessons that fit directly into core curriculum standards.

This in-depth study of U.S. involvement in the modern Middle East carefully weighs the interplay of domestic, cultural, religious, diplomatic, international, and military events in one of the world's most troubled regions. The monumental, five-volume The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts is a must-have resource for anyone seeking to comprehend U.S. actions in this volatile region. Under the expert editorship of Spencer C. Tucker, the encyclopedia traces 20th- and 21st-century U.S. involvement in the Middle East and south-central Asia, concentrating on the last three decades. Beginning with the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, it covers the 1979–1989 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the 1991 Persian Gulf War, allied punitive actions against Iraq during the 1990s, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, and the Global War on Terror. Many smaller military actions against Iran, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and other regimes that have been involved in international terrorism are also included. Diplomacy, religion as it pertains to Middle East conflict, and social/cultural developments are other key subjects of analysis, as is the interplay of politics with military policy in the United States and other nations involved in the region.

This three-volume reference work provides an up-to-date presentation and analysis of the U.S. wars of the 21st century, addressing their backgrounds, causes, courses, and consequences. It serves as an indispensable resource for students seeking to understand the role of the United States in the world today. Addressing the U.S. conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terror from the year 2001 to the present, this comprehensive, three-volume encyclopedia covers the significant individuals, key events, and important places involved in these recent military events. Beginning with the rise of Al Qaeda in the 1990s and the attacks on September 11, 2001, and covering events through ISIS's dramatic surge in Iraq and Syria, the hundreds of detailed entries also examine historical trends; nations and ethnicities involved in the conflicts; influential figures and organizations; economic, political, diplomatic, and cultural influences; wars, campaigns, and battles; and important weapons systems. The set's A–Z organization makes it an easy-to-use ready reference for high school and college students. Perspective essays on several controversial topics—such as the use of torture and the effects of the Patriot Act—serve to inspire readers to apply critical thinking. A detailed chronology is provided to help students place all the important events that have occurred in the Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and War on Terror. Each of the chronologically arranged primary documents is introduced with a brief overview to provide important background information and context.

In the last decades, the United States Army has often been involved in missions other than conventional warfare. These include low-intensity conflicts, counterinsurgency operations, and nation-building efforts. Although non-conventional warfare represents the majority of missions executed in the past sixty years, the Army still primarily plans, organizes, and trains to fight conventional ground wars. Consequently, in the last ten years, there has been considerable criticism regarding the military’s inability to accomplish tasks other than conventional war. Failed states and the threat they represent cannot be ignored or solved with conventional military might. In order to adapt to this new reality, the U.S. Army must innovate. This text examines the conditions that have allowed or prevented the U.S. Army to innovate for nation-building effectively. By doing so, it shows how military leadership and civil-military relations have changed. Nation-building refers to a type of military occupation where the goal is regime change or survival, a large number of ground troops are deployed, and both military and civilian personnel are used in the political administration of an occupied country, with the goals of establishing a productive economy and a stable government. Such tasks have always been a challenge for the U.S. military, which is not normally equipped or trained to undertake them. Using military effectiveness as the measurement of innovative success, the book analyzes several U.S. nation-building cases, including post World War II Germany, South Korea from 1945-1950, the Vietnam War, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. By doing so, it reveals the conditions that enabled military innovation in one unique case (Germany) while explaining what prevented it in the others. This variation of effectiveness leads to examine prevailing military innovation theories, threat-based accounts, quality of military organizations, and civil-military relations. This text comes at a critical time as the U.S. military faces dwindling resources and tough choices about its force structure and mission orientation. It will add to the growing debate about the role of civilians, military reformers, and institutional factors in military innovation and effectiveness.

The author, a correspondent for "The National Review," describes his experiences as an embedded reporter with the 82nd Airborne Division.

This reference work is an ideal resource for anyone interested in better understanding the controversial Iraq War. It treats the war in its entirety, covering politics, religion, and history, as well as military issues. The Iraq War started in 2003 in a quest to rid the nation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that were never found. It lasted over 8 years, during which more than 30,000 U.S. service members were wounded and almost 4,500 American lives lost. Comprised of some 275 entries, this comprehensive encyclopedia examines the war from multiple points of view. Each article is written by an expert with specialized knowledge of the topic. The reference covers every aspect of the Iraq War, from the U.S. invasion (Operation IRAQI FREEDOM) through the rise of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the surge, and the U.S. withdrawal. Other significant aspects of the conflict are addressed as well, including Abu Ghraib, WMDs, the controversial use of private military contractors, and Britain's role in the war. The book also features an overview essay, a "causes and consequences" essay, maps, photos, a chronology, and a bibliography.