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The NYMAS Review. A Publication of The New York Military Affairs Symposium ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No. 28 – Autumn 2003 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ © 2003 NYMAS & The Authors Featured Review operations, especially “Prairie Fire,” marked an important milestone in the recovery of the US military Joseph T. Stanik’s El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's from Vietnam. Aided by firm political backing and a Undeclared War With Qaddafi. robust ROE, the Navy was able to establish clear reviewed by Richard L. DiNardo, superiority over its Libyan opponents. The conduct of USMC C&SC, Quantico “El Dorado Canyon” also showed how far we have This book is an extensive study of the "quasi-war" that come in our strike capability. The raid on Qaddafi the United States fought with the major miscreant in involved aircraft using, at least in the Air Force's case, the Middle East during the 1980s, namely Libya's laser guided bombs, the most accurate weapons of the Moammar Qaddafi. The conflict began with aerial day. Even then, most of the bombs fell wide of their combat between two Libyan aircraft and two American respective targets. Given the precision of today's naval aircraft over the Gulf of Sidra in August 1981, as weapons, Stanik's book shows how much of a quantum the US Navy was conducting a Freedom of Navigation leap the American armed forces have made in this area (FON) exercise to challenge Libyan claims to control in a mere two decades. Politically, Stanik shows how what was legally international waters This was little things have changed even with 9/11. The Reagan followed by a series of Libyan sponsored terrorist administration's efforts to formulate a policy on incidents, most notably the airport massacres in Rome terrorism was marked by divisions between George and Vienna in late 1985 and further reassertions of Schultz' State Department, which sought a much claims to the Gulf of Sidra , this time with threats to tougher line against Libya, and Casper Weinberger's attack any naval forces that crossed a so-called "Line Defense Department, still concerned with getting into of Death," a challenge the Reagan administration another Vietnam-like situation. One Air Force quickly took up. This resulted in another FON commander, Maj. Gen. Thomas McInerny, believed exercise (“Prairie Fire”) in March 1986 by the Navy, that no Libyan target was "worth the life of even one during which a couple of Libyan naval vessels were airman." Still, the Navy and Air Force carried out the destroyed. A spate of terrorist attacks followed, mission superbly, buoyed by the confidence of the culminating in the bombing of the La Belle administration in their respective abilities and the Discothèque in Berlin on 5 April 1986, with over 200 President's willingness to let military commanders casualties, among them 78 Americans. The conflict make the tough calls as they needed to. with Libya culminated a week later with a raid by US In terms of international relations, Stanik paints a Navy carrier aircraft and Air Force bombers operating picture that has become depressingly familiar. Despite from Britain against selected targets, including hundreds of casualties inflicted by Libyan-supported Qaddafi's own residence, killing his adopted four year Palestinian terrorists (the most notable of whom was old daughter. the now late and unlamented Abu Nidal), Europeans The conflict then subsided, ending with a bizarre air quailed at the Reagan administration's stern response to battle off Tobruk on Jan. 4, 1989, in which two F-14's Qaddafi. Most irritating, as usual, was France's shot down two more Libyan aircraft. With the horrific President Francois Mitterand. After denying over- exception of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over flight rights to American aircraft, Mitterand advised Lockerbie, Scotland, Qaddafi then largely abandoned American ambassador Vernon Walters that the raid terrorism, as well as his more grandiose ideas in "should not be a mere pinprick." Stanik notes that one foreign policy. errant bomb damaged the French embassy in Tripoli. Stanik carefully recounts these events in a very The only leaders who defied public opinion in their well-researched and well-written book. The difficulties respective countries to support the raid were Brian of mounting the operations, not to mention the Mulroney of Canada, West Germany's Helmut Kohl, problems in formulating an effective policy against and the only real man in Europe, Britain's Margaret state sponsored terrorism, are covered in considerable Thatcher. Thatcher figures as one of the heroes in the detail. The great value of Stanik's book is that it shows book, as she had to give permission for the Air Force's both how much things have changed and how much FB-111s to use British bases. How similar to the things have remained the same. Militarily these present! 1 Taken all together, this book is an impressive work. counter-insurgency, diplomacy, development, and It will stand for some time to come as the definitive ground operations, making it a useful guide to many study on the subject. examples of successful and not-so-successful El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War With campaigns. Qaddafi, by Joseph T. Stanik. Annapolis, Md.: Naval The work does have some omissions. Aside from Institute Press, 2003. Pp. xvi, 319. Illus., notes, the campaign in Afghanistan, there is nothing bibliography, index. $34.95. ISBN: 1-55750-983-2. regarding Soviet use of air power in counter- ~~~~~~ insurgency operations, though they had considerable experience right from the days of the Russian Civil Reviews War, through the reconquest of Central Asia in the The Peloponnesian War, by Donald Kagan. New 1920s, and against separatist or pro-Nazi insurgents York: Viking Press, 2003. Pp. xxx, 511. Maps, during the Second World War. Likewise Nazi use of sources, index. $29.95. ISBN: 0-670-03221-3. aviation against insurgents in Russia and the Balkans In The Peloponnesian War Donald Kagan, a very has been overlooked. Nevertheless, a very valuable distinguished classicist and the author of the four contribution to the literature of counter-insurgency. volume monumental History of the Peloponnesian War Latin America’s Wars, by Robert L. Scheina. Dulles, (1971-1988), who has of late become a prominent Va.: Brassey’s, 2003. champion of Western culture and the importance of • Vol. I., The Age of the Caudillos, 1791-1899. Pp. lessons from Classical Antiquity to the modern world, xxx, 569. Illus., maps, notes, index. $59.95. ISBN: has produced an immensely valuable work. 1-57488-449-2. The Peloponnesian War is not a mere abridgement • Vol. II., The Age of the Professional Soldier, 1900- of Kagan’s earlier, highly scholarly effort. Although 2001. Pp. xxvi, 530. Illus., maps, notes, index. based on that work, the new volume is a remarkable $49.95. ISBN: 1-57488-451-4. new synthesis intended for the non-specialist, that in A valuable guide to the numerous wars, coups, some cases comes to conclusions different from those insurgencies, rebellions, and similar events that have in the earlier effort. The new work tells the story of occurred in Latin America since the beginnings of the the greatest war in Greek antiquity for the educated independence movements in the late eighteenth reader who is perhaps not very familiar with ancient century. The introductions and conclusions to each history. At the same time accurate, detailed, and volume outline some of the general causes of the analytic, The Peloponnesian War is also – perhaps conflicts and discuss some of the overall patterns. most importantly – clear and readable, rife with Each conflict – or group of related conflicts – is dealt surprisingly fresh insights and conclusions that may with in a standardized fashion, providing background, surprise even the reader well-versed in the period. opposing forces, and basic strategies, followed by an A work full of valuable lessons for the modern age, outline of events, often in some detail, and some from the politics and dangers of coalition warfare to general conclusions. the unintended consequences of good ideas, and is Despite the limitations of its size, Latin America’s definitely worth reading. Wars is surprisingly comprehensive, providing at least Airpower in Small Wars: Fighting Insurgents and some coverage of many extremely obscure events in a Terrorists, by James S. Corum and Wray R. Johnson. region beset by military adventurism, particularly Lawrence, Ks.: University Press of Kansas, 2003. Pp. during the nineteenth century. There are some xvi, 506. Illus., maps, notes, biblio., index. $24.95 omissions, however; the U.S. naval expedition to paper. ISBN:0-7006-1240-8 Paraguay in the 1850s is missing, as is reference to a A timely study of the role of air power in counter- number of U.S. expeditions that prevented the insurgency, anti-terrorism, and pacification operations independence of Panama from Colombia, until in the twentieth century. This is a comprehensive Theodore Roosevelt intervention in support of study that looks not only at the American, British, and independence of Panama. French experience in places as widely separated as Although the treatment of the events tends to be Mexican and Vietnam, but also at air power in usually even-handed, there are some dubious conclusions. For overlooked small wars in places such as Guatemala, example, in his coverage of the Cuban Revolution of the Philippines, Morocco, Rhodesia, and Greece, to 1895-1898, Scheina, who has written several prior name but a few. works on various aspects of Latin American history, In contrast to other works on aviation history, overlooks the fact that securing U.S. intervention was a Airpower in Small Wars does not just focus on the use major goal of the rebels. of airplanes and helicopters, but tells a broader story of These are rather minor omissions, given the scope the integration of air assets with the other tools of of the work, and, Latin America’s Wars is a valuable 2 resource for anyone interested in the military history of integration of political and cultural “fronts” with the Americas.