The Washington Post, Book World Feature Story July 20-26, 2003
America's Splendid Little Wars
The Washington Post, July 20, 2003
Peter Huchthausen surveys the crowded history of America’s post-Vietnam military engagements in America’s Splendid Little Wars. Reviewed by H.W. Brands.
Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly
The title references the 1898 U.S. bombardment and invasion of Cuba (which gained the U.S. Guantanamo Bay), summed up by then Secretary of State-to-be John Hay as a "splendid little war." From the perspective of achieving military objectives, recent "small" U.S. actions have been a decidedly mixed bag, with Desert Shield, Desert Storm and the Vietnam-era Mayaguez incident in the "win" column, and the Iranian hostage rescue, peacekeeping in Beirut and the humanitarian intervention in Somalia in the "loss." In the latter cases, Huchthausen (October Fury) shows, inter-service rivalries, inadequate forces or failure to understand the local political situation and the motives of opponents played decisive roles. In between lay cases such as Grenada, where the intervention was successful but costly as a result of every service trying to get a piece of the pie, and Kosovo, where U.S. air attacks were met with civilians used as shields. For Huchthausen, a retired naval officer who writes with great respect for the American fighting man and woman but somewhat less so for those who give them their objectives and limitations, the most unequivocal and least publicized success of the last 30 years was the relative protection U.S. air power offered the Kurds in the wake of the Gulf War. With a solid bibliography, this popular account will serve for a quick brushup of on-the-ground events, if not for political analysis of their causes and repercussions.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times, August 15, 2003
"clean and economic prose . . . delivers a historical background to each engagement . . . and a concise narrative of the action."
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 27, 2003
"terse and useful little book . . . sticks to the facts. . . . Huchthausen's background in intelligence work gives his facts a rewarding depth."
Booklist, July 1, 2003
"this book should be prized for more than just its term-paper values."
The Washington Post, July 20, 2003
"professional expertise and interests show. . . . It is in the nature of well-crafted short histories to leave readers wishing for more."
The New York Times, August 15, 2003
"In clean and economic prose, Huchthausen . . . delivers a historical background to each engagement . . . and a concise narrative of the action."
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 27, 2003
"terse and useful little book . . . sticks to the facts . . . Huchthausen's background in intelligence work gives his facts a rewarding depth."
About the Author
Captain Peter Huchthausen, U.S. Navy (retired), served as a Soviet naval analyst and submarine expert, and as a naval attaché in Yugoslavia, Romania, and Moscow. His many tours of duty included serving as a watch officer during the blockade of Cuba in 1962 and as commander of a patrol division on Vietnam's Mekong Delta in 1967. In addition to his writing, he is a consultant, most recently on the film K-19.
”An invaluable review of the accomplishments of America's armed forces during the last quarter century – a must for all Americans to digest, learn, and be proud.” ---TOM CLANCY
America's Splendid Little Wars is an absorbing chronicle of our nation's military history in the final quarter of the twentieth century. It stirs fading memories of these dozen conflicts, reminding us of how we became involved, and assessing the lessons learned through tragedy and triumph. Drawing on his years as a naval analyst, Peter Huchthausen's incisive commentary makes this a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the nature of war today.” ---STEPHEN TRENT SMITH
Captain Huchthausen's book is an exciting and vivid tour of America's numerous military engagements since the end of the Vietnam War It is an extremely useful re- t for all readers of successes and failures projection of U.S. military power.” ---AMBASSADOR RICHARD MILES
Book Description
Since the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, America has committed its forces to combat in more than a dozen military operations. In America's Splendid Little Wars, distinguished U.S. Naval Captain Peter Huchthausen explores the modern development of America's tradition of small wars. From the 1975 operation to recover the hijacked merchant ship SS Mayaguez in the Gulf of Siam to the 1999 "relief intervention" in Kosovo, Huchthausen presents an intimate history of each military engagement. Through eyewitness accounts, thorough research, and his unique insider perspective as an intelligence expert, he offers a fresh analysis of the Iranian hostage rescue attempt, the invasions of Grenada and Panama, the Gulf War, and the missions in Somalia and Bosnia.
This timely and riveting military history shows how America-now the world's sole remaining superpower-has enforced the global "Pax Americana" by developing and honing its military capability and making sophisticated use of the media and public sentiment.
