The Middle East encompasses a vague and diverse collection of countries spanning continents, from war-torn Somalia in East Africa to oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia and perpetual conflict zones such as Afghanistan. Over the last 35 years, America’s relationship with the region has been tumultuous and violent, resulting in military entanglements on more than a dozen occasions.
In the bestselling book, America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History, military historian and author Andrew J. Bacevich looks back on numerous examples from the past four decades of seemingly sundry individual conflicts that occurred across the Middle East and argues that these disparate hostilities should be considered a single, endless (and ongoing) war. In this persuasive and highly academic narrative, Bacevich, a Vietnam veteran and retired U.S. Army colonel, impels readers to rethink the decades-long U.S. approach to the region. Using front-edge research to connect the brutal episodes of the 1970s to today’s heightened fight against Islamic terrorism, Bacevich exposes the myriad ways that U.S.-backed involvement in the region has largely failed to achieve peace (or virtually any of the hoped-for outcomes). Without new tactics, Bacevich contends, winning the “war” in the Middle East will remain beyond the grasp of Washington and foreign diplomats.
In addition to being a bestselling writer, Bacevich is a professor emeritus at Boston University and a graduate of both West Point and Princeton University. He will discuss his new book, which was recently long-listed for the National Book Award, at University School of Milwaukee at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6. Boswell Book Co. is co-sponsor of the event.
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