Whether fought for commercial or strategic concessions or even moral reasons, whether little-known or well-publicized, America's "small wars"--against, say, the Barbary pirates and the rebellious Boxers--played a large part in the development of what historian Max Boot does not hesitate to call an American empire. All arguments to the contrary, Boot insists, America has never been an isolationist power; it has "been involved in other countries' internal affairs since at least 1805," when American marines landed on the shores of Tripoli, and it has "never confined the use of force to those situations that meet the narrow definition of American interests preferred by realpolitikers and isolationists." Closely examining the record of those small wars, which far outnumber major conflicts, Boot argues that Americans have a historic duty to deliver foreign nations from aggression, even to intervene in civil wars abroad, especially if the product is greater freedom--for, he writes, "a world of liberal democracies would be a world much more amenable to American interests than any conceivable alternative." Readers may take issue with some of Boot's conclusions, but they merit wide discussion, especially in a time when small--and perhaps large--wars are looming. Boot's book is thus timely, and most instructive. --Gregory McNamee


From Publishers Weekly
As editorial features editor of the Wall Street Journal, Boot (Out of Order: Arrogance, Corruption, and Incompetence on the Bench) has a reputation as a fire-breathing polemicist and unabashed imperialist. This book addresses America's "small wars" in chronological order, dividing the action from 1801 to the present into three sections ("Commercial Power," "Great Power" and "Superpower") to argue that "small war missions are militarily doable" and are now in fact a necessity. Beginning with a description of going to work on September 11 as the World Trade Center tragedy displaced the WSJ newsroom, Boot quickly gets down to some historical detail: from the U.S. expedition against the Barbary pirates to violent squabbles in Panama, Samoa, the Philippines, China, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico, Beirut, Grenada, Somalia and Bosnia. Examples of wars "that were fought less than `wholeheartedly,' " of wars "without exit strategies" and wars "in which U.S. soldiers act as `social workers' " are decried. Each of the 15 short chapters might have been the focus of a separate in-depth book, so Boot's take is once over very lightly indeed. While America's and the world's small wars certainly seem more and more related, Boot's historical descriptions are too thin to provide a solid foundation for relating one war to another.


From Library Journal
The United States has the opportunity to establish a Pax Americana in today's world by jettisoning the Powell doctrine, named after Colin Powell when he was chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and emphasizing military deployment under limited conditions, and instead instituting an aggressive "small wars" strategy. So argues Boot, Wall Street Journal editorial features editor and author of Out of Order. Boot says that small wars, or "low-intensity conflicts," are about "the tactics employed, not the scale of combat" and that they have long been a part of the American story he in fact details several of the more than 100 small wars that America has waged since 1800. Boot claims the marines once had a small-wars manual and were such masters of small-wars tactics that, had such tactics been applied widely in Vietnam, America might have won that war. Although the political-moral ramifications of his argument as related to domestic affairs need more exploration, Boot has written a readable and thought-provoking book one that might well influence the behind-the-scenes debates over the future of military policy, as he hopes. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Charles L. Lumpkins, Pennsylvania State Univ., State CollegeCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Foreign Affairs
"A great story and a compelling read. Boot combines a wide-angle perspective with an eye for detail."


Washington Times
"It is a great read with some very solid conclusions...an outstanding addition to this body of literature."


Policy Review
"Entertaining, provocative, and often insightful history...Boot has crafted a thumping good, rock'em-sock'em sort of narrative."

FROM OUR EDITORS

Everyone's heard of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World Wars I and II. But how many of us know anything about U.S. actions in the Barbary Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, or in the occupation of the Philippines, Haiti, and Nicaragua? How did those lesser-known events influence America's growth as a world superpower? Journalist Max Boot presents fascinating accounts from "the forgotten side of America's military history."

ANNOTATION

Winner of the General Wallace M. Greene Jr. Award for the best nonfiction book pertaining to Marine Corps History

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Every schoolchild can recite the list of America's major wars - such as the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World Wars I and II. But how many of us understand the crucial role that the Barbary Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, or the occupations of Haiti, Nicaragua and the Philippines played in America's rise over the past two centuries? In The Savage Wars of Peace, Max Boot shows how these smaller actions - right up to the recent conflicts in Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti, Kosovo and Afghanistan - have been essential to the growth and projection of American power. The Savage Wars of Peace is a history of those smaller, undeclared wars and their importance in American international affairs.

FROM THE CRITICS

Economist

He tells the story with clarity and verve, rediscovering on the way some lesser-known American heroes .... Enjoyable... Informative.

Michael Barone - U.S. News & World Report

Excellent.... There are some cracking good stories here...but also some important lessons.

Victor Davis Hanson - The Weekly Standard

Fascinating reading.... The events after September 11...sadly confirm almost all of Boot's dispassionate warnings.

Los Angeles Times

Anyone who wants to understand why America has permanently entered a new era in international relations must read [this book].

National Review