Naval War College Review Volume 56 Article 13 Number 3 Summer

2003 The aS vage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power Richard Norton

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Recommended Citation Norton, Richard (2003) "The aS vage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power," Naval War College Review: Vol. 56 : No. 3 , Article 13. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol56/iss3/13

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The voucher program failed largely be- the War of 1812 and the war with Mex- cause of government corruption, which ico might rate a single dusty showcase led to a loss of public support. in some obscure corner. Tucked out of This book is insightful but incomplete. sight, rarely seen, and all but forgotten Orenstein’s arguments are concise and would be cabinets, crates, and cartons persuasive, but he only examines two packed with the jumbled stories of bush cases that neatly support his argument. wars, expeditions, occupations, paci- Hungary would have been an excellent fications, and reprisals—the often additional test, as would have the fledg- sanguinary and surprising “small wars” ling economies of the Balkans, where of the U.S. military experience. the process of democratization is af- Reporter and Wall Street Journal editor fected even more directly by domestic Max Boot provides us with a long- and international constraints. overdue survey of the all too often With possible entry into the European slighted and neglected realm of these Union just around the corner for most lesser conflicts. His work is of necessity of Central and Eastern Europe, the an overview, but it is eminently read- United States and Europe must look able and entertaining. Along the way, carefully at these practical experiments Boot reminds us that the conduct of in democratic and economic liberaliza- these small conflicts is as much an tion. With democracies emerging in “American way of war” as that which Southeast Asia and perhaps the Middle mobilizes and employs mass citizen- East, it is important to develop and test armies in protracted combat. Finally, models of economic reform to see what and perhaps most importantly, Boot works and how best to implement them suggests that many of the lessons learned in democratizing countries. from these small wars may be applied to the security dilemmas of today. EDWARD WAGNER Watson Institute This work deserves praise on several Brown University levels. To begin with, Boot has rescued the history of these conflicts from a re- grettable level of obscurity (as far as the general reading public is concerned). As the merits and limitations of the United Boot, Max. The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars States taking on the role of an imperial and the Rise of American Power. New York: Basic police force are increasingly debated, it Books, 2002. 428pp. $30 is useful to recall that this is not the first If the story of the military history of the time America has attempted to do so. United States could somehow be pre- The author has the courage to suggest sented in a single museum, the most that under certain conditions, imperial grand and widely visited halls would be police forces may provide a much those dedicated to the American Revo- higher quality of life for indigenous lution, the Civil War, and World War people than would otherwise be possi- II. Less visited, but still of interest, ble. Boot notes that Haiti’s greatest pe- would be much smaller exhibits de- riod of prosperity arguably occurred voted to World War I, Korea, Vietnam, during its long occupation by the U.S. and DESERT STORM. Conflicts such as Marine Corps. He also points out that

Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2003 1 BOOK REVIEWS 163 Naval War College Review, Vol. 56 [2003], No. 3, Art. 13

the Dominican Republic actually bene- example, the first charging of a serving fited when forcibly placed on a fiscal flag officer with a war crime, the use of diet by the United States. Although the torture to extract information, and mu- U.S. Marines were ensuring that nearly tinies of such U.S. trained units as the half the Dominican Republic’s revenues Nicaraguan National Guard were part went to repay foreign creditors, their of the small-war experience. However, honesty in disbursing the remainder Boot discusses these events in clear and was so notable that the country received unequivocal terms, leaving the reader more funds than it had under its own to come to grips with how these aspects rulers. Boot also points out that of war played in U.S. successes. Veracruz reached a record standard of What make this book so timely and one cleanliness and hygiene, with an atten- that should be read by almost anyone dant improvement in public health, with an interest in political-military than it had known previously. Boot re- issues, are the tie-ins that Boot identi- minds us that far from resulting in fies as existing between the wars of the quagmires of despair and failure, many past and the realities of the present. Is- of these conflicts have to be seen as U.S. sues such as exit strategies, expected ca- successes. sualties, the difficulties of working with There are, however, several criticisms local allies, and the complexities of state that might potentially be leveled at this building are not things the United work. Some may say that like so many States is facing for the first time. In- correspondents before him, Boot deed, as Boot demonstrates, the nation excessively admires the U.S. Marines, has been dealing with these dilemmas extolling their triumphs at the expense since the beginning of its existence. of the other services. However, while Well written, timely, and provocative, there is no denying that Boot has high Savage Wars of Peace is well worth regard for leathernecks, he does provide attention. ample examples of Navy and Army ac- RICHARD NORTON tions. It is also important to remember Naval War College that the Marines were the service of choice for the great majority of these conflicts. A significant portion of the Marines’ senior leadership in the 1930s

felt that the future of the Corps should Vidal, Gore. Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: be bound up in mastering the chal- How We Got to Be So Hated. New York: Thun- lenges of these conflicts. This resulted der’s Mouth Press, 2002. 160pp. $10 in the Marines’ Small Wars Manual, It would be difficult to find a book on published in 1941. It was later shelved; world affairs more contrary to the opin- Boot believes that it would have bene- ions of most readers of the Naval War fited the United States in Vietnam had College Review or other members of the those in charge read the dusty tome. American national security community Another criticism that might be made than Gore Vidal’s Perpetual War for by some is that Boot glosses over the Perpetual Peace. darker aspects of small wars, focusing As a military officer myself, I disagree on the successes and personalities. For with many of Vidal’s assumptions and https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol56/iss3/13 2