Elusive Victories

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Elusive Victories

Author : Andrew J. Polsky
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 456 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2012-05-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780199860944

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Elusive Victories by Andrew J. Polsky Pdf

On April 4, 1864, Abraham Lincoln made a shocking admission about his presidency during the Civil War. "I claim not to have controlled events," he wrote in a letter, "but confess plainly that events have controlled me." Lincoln's words carry an invaluable lesson for wartime presidents, writes Andrew J. Polsky in this seminal book. As Polsky shows, when commanders-in-chief do try to control wartime events, more often than not they fail utterly. In Elusive Victories, Polsky provides a fascinating study of six wartime presidents, drawing larger lessons about the limits of the power of the White House during armed conflict. He examines, in turn, Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, showing how each gravely overestimated his power as commander-in-chief. In each case, these presidents' resources did not match the key challenges that recur from war to war. Both Lincoln and Johnson intervened in military operations, giving orders to specific units; yet both struggled with the rising unpopularity of their conflicts. Both Wilson and Bush entered hostilities with idealistic agendas for the aftermath, yet found themselves helpless to enact them. With insight and clarity, Polsky identifies overarching issues that will inform current and future policymakers. The single most important dynamic, he writes, is the erosion of a president's freedom of action. Each decision propels him down a path from which he cannot turn back. When George W. Bush rejected the idea of invading Iraq with 400,000 troops, he could not send such a force two years later as the insurgency spread. In the final chapter, Polsky examines Barack Obama's options in light of these conclusions, and considers how the experiences of the past might inform the world we face now. Elusive Victories is the first book to provide a comprehensive account of presidential leadership during wartime, highlighting the key dangers that presidents have ignored at their peril.

The Presidency and the Political System

Author : Michael Nelson
Publisher : CQ Press
Page : 698 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2018-03-08
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781544317311

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The Presidency and the Political System by Michael Nelson Pdf

"An excellent introduction for students to the key theories and approaches political scientists use to study the presidency." —Bryan McQuide, Grand View University Written by top-notch presidency scholars and carefully edited into a text-reader format, The Presidency and the Political System, Eleventh Edition showcases a collection of original essays focused on a range of topics, institutions, and issues relevant to understanding the American presidency. Author Michael Nelson rigorously edits each contribution to present students with a set of analytical yet accessible chapters and contextual headnotes introducing each essay. Students will read about different approaches to studying the presidency, the elements of presidential power, presidential selection, presidents and politics, and presidents and government. The highly anticipated Eleventh Edition of this text fully incorporates coverage of Obama′s second term and the major shifts represented by the new Trump administration.

Political Victory

Author : Brian Crozier
Publisher : Transaction Publishers
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2024-06-15
Category : History
ISBN : 141283127X

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Political Victory by Brian Crozier Pdf

Success in war has always been difficult to measure. What is judged successful by military leaders may not be judged so by political leadership, nor by the wider public, at least in a Western-style democracy. The public is generally inclined to applaud military victory, but it instinctively reserves the right to ask afterwards: Was it really worth it? In Political Victory, Brian Crozier looks at modern wars involving democracies to evaluate victory and defeat by the success or failure of political outcomes. Crozier begins with the two world wars, where in both cases the German aggressor was defeated by three key democracies: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. In World War I military victory was squandered by treaty terms that led to the advent of Hitler and Nazism. By contrast, the total defeat of Nazism in 1945 left the Western Allies in charge of some two-thirds of Germany's population, thus enabling the victors to convert the vanquished to democracy. Crozier also deals with the break up of empires following World War II, comparing how Britain avoided full-scale war in contrast with France's violent confrontations in Southeast Asia and Algeria. America's involvement in Vietnam is analyzed in the wider context of the Cold War and the mounting challenge of international communism to Western democracies. His assessment stresses the lack of popularity in America for the idea of democratizing a region to which the U.S. has no historical or sentimental attachment. Among the smaller conflicts considered in this volume are the Suez crisis of 1956, the Falkland Island war between Britain and Argentina, and the fateful Soviet involvement in Afghanistan that helped bring about the collapse of the Soviet system. Crozier concludes with analyses of the 1991 Gulf War and the Western intervention in the former Yugoslavia. Crozier's final chapters focus on looming threats around the world with particular emphasis on international terrorism and the challenge of radical Islam. Both historical and timely, Political Victory will be of interest to military historians, political scientists, and foreign affairs specialists. Brian Crozier is a journalist and historian. He is the author of more than twenty books including The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire, The Gorbachev Phenomenon, Socialism: Dream and Reality, DeGaulle, and Franco.

Key to the Sinai

Author : George Walter Gawrych
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 1990
Category : Abu Ageila, Battle of, Abū ʻUjaylah, Egypt, 1956
ISBN : IND:30000140103379

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Key to the Sinai by George Walter Gawrych Pdf

The Uses and Misuses of Politics

Author : William G. Mayer
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2021-03-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780700630530

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The Uses and Misuses of Politics by William G. Mayer Pdf

The Uses and Misuses of Politics is a detailed examination of the politics of George W. Bush’s presidency, focusing on the work—and the mistakes—of presidential political advisor Karl Rove. In his role as political advisor Karl Rove stands apart from his numerous counterparts in modern American politics in three major ways. The first measure of Rove’s distinctiveness is the totality of his direction over Bush’s political career. Simply put, George W. Bush never won an election, of any kind, in which Rove was not the dominant, even sole campaign strategist A second important difference between Karl Rove and other major presidential campaign strategists was the role that Rove played in helping formulate policy after Bush became president. In fact, Rove became the first presidential aide to both provide political advice to a sitting president while at the same time controlling the policy levers inside the White House, especially as an advocate for his own agenda in the areas of domestic policy. Finally, Karl Rove is noteworthy for the scope of his ambitions: his goal for the Bush presidency was to create a durable Republican majority that would dominate American politics for the next several decades. Even though theories of party systems and realignments have received serious challenges, Karl Rove was a believer; providing a key insight into how he approached his work with the Bush presidency. Where previous realignments were the result of historical accidents and recognized only after the fact, Karl Rove believed he could engineer the next one. In The Uses and Misuses of Politics William G. Mayer analyzes Karl Rove’s performance as presidential advisor: the roles he played, the advice he gave, and how the Republican Party fared with Rove as its principal strategist. By offering the reader a comprehensive assessment, Mayer provides valuable insight into the larger, enduring, and critical questions: What is the proper role of politics in the contemporary presidency? When does politics enhance a nation’s long-term welfare, and what does it detract from it? And what positive contributions can political advisors make to a modern-day president?

Elusive Victories

Author : Andrew Joseph Polsky
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 445 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Presidents
ISBN : 0190252642

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Elusive Victories by Andrew Joseph Polsky Pdf

In 'Elusive Victories', Polsky provides a fascinating study of seven wartime presidents, drawing larger lessons about the limits of the power of the White House during armed conflict. He examines, in turn, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, showing how each gravely overestimated his power as commander-in-chief. In each case, these presidents' resources did not match the key challenges that recur from war to war.

Arabs at War

Author : Anonim
Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
Page : 732 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2004-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780803287839

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Arabs at War by Anonim Pdf

Kenneth M. Pollack, formerly a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and Director for Persian Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council, describes and analyzes theømilitary history of the six key Arab states?Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Syria?during the post?World War II era. He shows in detail how each Arab military grew and learned from its own experiences in response to the specific objectives set for it and within often constrained political, economic, and social circumstances. This first-ever overview of the modern Arab approach to warfare provides a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the Arab militaries, some of which are the United States? most likely adversaries, and some of which are our most important allies.

An Elusive Victory

Author : Aubrey L. Haines
Publisher : Falcon Guides
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : Big Hole, Battle of the, Mont., 1877
ISBN : 1560449020

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An Elusive Victory by Aubrey L. Haines Pdf

Now back in print. Haines, a noted historian, compiled and synthesized the many written and first-person accounts that make this the best-documented battle of the Indian Wars. An Elusive Victory is the only exhaustive history of this landmark battle in the Nez Perce War of 1877.

Elusive Equality

Author : Jeffrey L. Littlejohn,Charles Howard Ford
Publisher : University of Virginia Press
Page : 469 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Education
ISBN : 9780813932880

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Elusive Equality by Jeffrey L. Littlejohn,Charles Howard Ford Pdf

In Elusive Equality, Jeffrey L. Littlejohn and Charles H. Ford place Norfolk, Virginia, at the center of the South's school desegregation debates, tracing the crucial role that Norfolk's African Americans played in efforts to equalize and integrate the city's schools. The authors relate how local activists participated in the historic teacher-pay-parity cases of the 1930s and 1940s, how they fought against the school closures and "Massive Resistance" of the 1950s, and how they challenged continuing patterns of discrimination by insisting on crosstown busing in the 1970s and 1980s. Despite the advances made by local activists, however, Littlejohn and Ford argue that the vaunted "urban advantage" supposedly now enjoyed by Norfolk's public schools is not easy to reconcile with the city's continuing gaps and disparities in relation to race and class. In analyzing the history of struggles over school integration in Norfolk, the authors scrutinize the stories told by participants, including premature declarations of victory that laud particular achievements while ignoring the larger context in which they take place. Their research confirms that Norfolk was a harbinger of national trends in educational policy and civil rights. Drawing on recently released archival materials, oral interviews, and the rich newspaper coverage in the Journal and Guide, Virginian-Pilot, and Ledger-Dispatch, Littlejohn and Ford present a comprehensive, multidimensional, and unsentimental analysis of the century-long effort to gain educational equality. A historical study with contemporary implications, their book offers a balanced view based on a thorough, sober look at where Norfolk's school district has been and where it is going.

The First World War

Author : A. W. Purdue
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2017-09-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781137331076

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The First World War by A. W. Purdue Pdf

This is a timely new study of the Great War, a hundred years on. The First World War not only provides an invaluable introduction to the topic but also deals with the changing perspectives of, and attitudes towards, the war and its place in national and international memories. This clear and concise volume demonstrates the strategies of the combatants, the changing nature of warfare, the failures and achievements of military commanders and the impact of new weaponry. It leads you through the debates surrounding the war, from its causes through to its consequences, looking at the subject from a 21st century perspective. Rather than simply focusing on military history, Purdue pulls in strands of the diplomatic, political and economic dimensions of conflict, making this an ideal introduction to the First World War for both students and general readers.

Elusive Victory

Author : Mary Christopher
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 196 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 1982
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0553215604

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Elusive Victory by Mary Christopher Pdf

Power, Perception, and Politics in the Making of Iranian Grand Strategy

Author : Kevjn Lim
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2022-07-04
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783031043901

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Power, Perception, and Politics in the Making of Iranian Grand Strategy by Kevjn Lim Pdf

This book explains changes to Iranian grand strategy over the past four decades, and it does so by advancing a multicausal model that unifies the three main paradigms of International Relations (IR) theory. Hence, ideas (constructivism) mediate between the structure of material capabilities (realism) and agents (liberalism) and interact with each to produce, respectively, threat perception and political preferences. Using these two explanatory factors, the author demonstrates how the Islamic Republic’s grand strategy has systematically varied over time to produce a mix of outcomes that includes balancing, expansionism, bandwagoning, appeasement, engagement and retrenchment. Beyond its theoretical contribution, this book is policy-relevant in that it explains – and predicts – the external conduct of what is arguably the Middle East’s most consequential actor, with implications reverberating far beyond the region. Academic in conception and rigor, the book is intended not only for specialists and practitioners but appeals to the lay reader interested in the broader Middle East/West Asia, the region’s relationship with major powers, and regional conflict dynamics.

Key To The Sinai: The Battles For Abu Agelia In The 1956 And 1967 Arab Israeli Wars [Illustrated Edition]

Author : George W. Gawrych
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 118 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2014-08-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781782895794

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Key To The Sinai: The Battles For Abu Agelia In The 1956 And 1967 Arab Israeli Wars [Illustrated Edition] by George W. Gawrych Pdf

[Includes 5 figures and 21 maps] Situated between the Suez Canal and Israel and marked by the harsh environment of the central Sinai lies Abu Ageila, an unprepossessing area of low ridges and hills through which passes the best-surfaced road in the peninsula. Owing to its location on the central route, close to the Israeli-Egyptian border, Abu Ageila became the key to the Sinai in the Arab-Israeli wars of 1956 and 1967. The struggle for this barren land in two wars provides an epic story of battle and reveals the influence of experience on the preparation for and conduct of war. In both the 1956 and 1967 wars, Abu Ageila was the main gateway to the Sinai for the Israel Defense Forces. Yet, as Dr. George W. Gawrych demonstrates, there were marked differences between Egyptian and Israeli war plans, preparations, operations, and results in the two battles for the area. In 1956, Israel carried the burden of a constricting alliance with Britain and France and faced other extensive military problems. The result was that Israel fought a difficult and costly battle for Abu Ageila. In contrast, in 1967, the Israel Defense Forces developed a brilliant operational plan and achieved effective unit command and control and attained a decisive victory. Based on extensive research, including personal interviews with Israeli commanders and briefings by Egyptian military historians, Key to the Sinai is a crisp battle narrative of desert warfare and a systematic historical analysis of two armies confronting the changing terms of battle. Students of AirLand Battle doctrine will find reading this Research Survey a stimulus to meeting the challenges of modern warfare.

The Illusion Of Victory

Author : Ian Bickerton
Publisher : Melbourne University Publishing
Page : 400 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2011-04-01
Category : History
ISBN : 0522860230

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The Illusion Of Victory by Ian Bickerton Pdf

The Illusion of Victory demonstrates that most of the rewards of victory in modern warfare are either exaggerated or false. When the ostensible benefits of victory are examined a generation after a war, it becomes inescapably evident that the defeated belligerent rarely conforms to the demands and expectations of the victor. Consequently, long-term political and military stability is denied to both the victorious power and to the defeated one. As a result, neither victory nor defeat deter further outbreaks of war. This sobering reality is increasingly the case in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Ian Bickerton persuasively argues that as the rhetoric of victory becomes more hollow all countries must adopt creative new approaches to resolving disputes.