America's Needless Wars: Cautionary Tales of US Involvement in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Iraq

Author:   David R. Contosta
Publisher:   Prometheus Books
ISBN:  

9781633882898


Pages:   206
Publication Date:   21 May 2017
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Our Price $82.99 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

America's Needless Wars: Cautionary Tales of US Involvement in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Iraq


Add your own review!

Overview

Full Product Details

Author:   David R. Contosta
Publisher:   Prometheus Books
Imprint:   Prometheus Books
Dimensions:   Width: 16.10cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.404kg
ISBN:  

9781633882898


ISBN 10:   1633882896
Pages:   206
Publication Date:   21 May 2017
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Reviews

""""This provocative book issues a scalding indictment of America's foreign policy blunders across the long twentieth century. Whether motivated by ignorance, political calculation, or national arrogance, the United States entered into wars in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Iraq on false pretenses and reaped the bitter fruits of defeat. Contosta's research is thorough and his analysis piercing, resulting in an object lesson in why politicians, generals, and citizens should ask hard questions and think deeply before rushing into wars that will drain the national treasury and bring sorrow to American families, especially when no fundamental interests are at stake. Presidents should keep this book on their bedside table lest they be tempted to launch another needless war without realizing the potential consequences."" --Thomas A. Chambers, professor of history, Niagara University, and author of Memories of War: Visiting Battlegrounds and Bonefields in the Early American Republic ""A tract for the times, Contosta's book is a sober reappraisal of the deformation of American foreign policy over the last century. Republicans and Democrats alike have fallen into the trap of using military force at moments when the country was not in imminent danger of attack. God help us if we repeat these catastrophic errors today or tomorrow."" --Jay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University ""In America's Needless Wars, David R. Contosta earnestly examines three pivotal conflicts in US history--ill-fated military ventures born of hubris and misconception, which culminated in tragedy and disillusionment."" -- Gregg Jones, author of Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines ""A 'splendid little book, ' to paraphrase one of its subjects. Thoughtful, provocative, readable, and full of arresting details--Ho Chi Minh playing 'The Star-Spangled Banner, ' or the origins of waterboarding in the Philippine-American War. You can agree or disagree with Contosta, but his account of three seemingly different conflicts, across three centuries, will leave you convinced that history really does ""rhyme."" And that ultimately the biggest threat to American power and prestige--past, present, and future--may be when policy makers, media, and citizens fail to ask the hard questions."" --Joseph Torsella, US Ambassador (ret.)


This provocative book issues a scalding indictment of America's foreign policy blunders across the long twentieth century. Whether motivated by ignorance, political calculation, or national arrogance, the United States entered into wars in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Iraq on false pretenses and reaped the bitter fruits of defeat. Contosta's research is thorough and his analysis piercing, resulting in an object lesson in why politicians, generals, and citizens should ask hard questions and think deeply before rushing into wars that will drain the national treasury and bring sorrow to American families, especially when no fundamental interests are at stake. Presidents should keep this book on their bedside table lest they be tempted to launch another needless war without realizing the potential consequences. --Thomas A. Chambers, professor of history, Niagara University, and author of Memories of War: Visiting Battlegrounds and Bonefields in the Early American Republic A tract for the times, Contosta's book is a sober reappraisal of the deformation of American foreign policy over the last century. Republicans and Democrats alike have fallen into the trap of using military force at moments when the country was not in imminent danger of attack. God help us if we repeat these catastrophic errors today or tomorrow. --Jay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University In America's Needless Wars, David R. Contosta earnestly examines three pivotal conflicts in US history--ill-fated military ventures born of hubris and misconception, which culminated in tragedy and disillusionment. -- Gregg Jones, author of Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines A 'splendid little book, ' to paraphrase one of its subjects. Thoughtful, provocative, readable, and full of arresting details--Ho Chi Minh playing 'The Star-Spangled Banner, ' or the origins of waterboarding in the Philippine-American War. You can agree or disagree with Contosta, but his account of three seemingly different conflicts, across three centuries, will leave you convinced that history really does rhyme. And that ultimately the biggest threat to American power and prestige--past, present, and future--may be when policy makers, media, and citizens fail to ask the hard questions. --Joseph Torsella, US Ambassador (ret.)


This provocative book issues a scalding indictment of America s foreign policy blunders across the long twentieth century. Whether motivated by ignorance, political calculation, or national arrogance, the United States entered into wars in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Iraq on false pretenses and reaped the bitter fruits of defeat. Contosta s research is thorough and his analysis piercing, resulting in an object lesson in why politicians, generals, and citizens should ask hard questions and think deeply before rushing into wars that will drain the national treasury and bring sorrow to American families, especially when no fundamental interests are at stake. Presidents should keep this book on their bedside table lest they be tempted to launch another needless war without realizing the potential consequences. Thomas A. Chambers, professor of history, Niagara University, and author of <i>Memories of War: Visiting Battlegrounds and Bonefields in the Early American Republic A tract for the times, Contosta s book is a sober reappraisal of the deformation of American foreign policy over the last century. Republicans and Democrats alike have fallen into the trap of using military force at moments when the country was not in imminent danger of attack. God help us if we repeat these catastrophic errors today or tomorrow. Jay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University In<i>America s Needless Wars</i>, David R. Contosta earnestly examines three pivotal conflicts in US history ill-fated military ventures born of hubris and misconception, which culminated in tragedy and disillusionment. Gregg Jones, author of<i><i>Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America s Imperial Dream</i>, </i>an Editors Choice of the<i><i> New York Times Book Review</i>, </i>and <i><i>Last Stand at Khe Sanh: The U.S. Marines Finest Hour in Vietnam</i></i>, recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation s General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Award for distinguished nonfiction book<i> A splendid little book, to paraphrase one of its subjects. Thoughtful, provocative, readable, and full of arresting details Ho Chi Minh playing The Star-Spangled Banner, or the origins of waterboarding in the Philippine-American War. You can agree or disagree with Contosta, but his account of three seemingly different conflicts, across three centuries, will leave you convinced that history really does rhyme. And that ultimately the biggest threat to American power and prestige past, present, and future may be when policy makers, media, and citizens fail to ask the hard questions. Joseph Torsella, US Ambassador (ret.)


Author Information

David R. Contosta is professor of history at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA, and the author of twenty-three previous books, including Rebel Giants- The Revolutionary Lives of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Contosta has been a Fulbright Scholar to France, a visiting scholar at Cambridge University in England, and most recently a visiting professor at Pyeongtaek University in South Korea. In addition, he has written, coproduced, and appeared in several historical documentaries for public television, as well as for local cable television.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

lgn

al

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List