Along the way he sketches colorful portraits of little-known military heroes such as Stephen Decatur, "Fighting Fred" Funston, and Smedley Butler. From 1800 to the present day, such undeclared wars have made up the vast majority of our military engagements. Yet the military has often resisted preparing itself for small wars, preferring instead to train for big conflicts that seldom come. Boot re-examines the tragedy of Vietnam through a "small war" prism. He concludes with a devastating critique of the Powell Doctrine and a convincing argument that the armed forces must reorient themselves to better handle small-war missions, because such clashes are an inevitable result of America's far-flung imperial responsibilities.
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Background Information
The Barbary Coast, drawing its name from the Berbers who inhabited North Africa, was a haven for pirates who preyed on Mediterranean commerce two centuries ago. The United States had its first experience with people who didn't appreciate being liberated when they took the Philippines from Spain and then faced a native revolt. Two American naval officers named Stephen Decatur fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812 respectively.