Research is the key to a site like this, that writes about things on the frontier of our understanding. Here are resources that I find most useful (Google is at the top of the list). Please comment on what you find of use.
Defense and the National Interest
The DNI website is a massive archive of works on many aspects of modern warfare and geopolitics.
Questia (amazing value for only $70/year)
Questiais the world’s largest online library of books, with over 67,000 full-text books, 1.5 million articles, and an entire reference set complete with a dictionary, encyclopedia, and thesaurus. Your subscription to the entire Questia academic library also includes digital productivity tools for highlighting text, taking notes, and generating footnotes and bibliographies in seven different styles.
What makes this site unique is that it is both collaborative and dedicated to both the practical and deeply philosophical issues surrounding counterinsurgency. Many of the articles included here deal with specific counterinsurgencies, ranging from Iraq to Malaysia to Vietnam; other articles address practical questions such as the role of indigenous police forces in counterinsurgency. Still others deal with the theoretical foundations of the state, a subject that, even while largely unacknowledged, underlies counterinsurgency efforts. At all times, this site is interested in a holistic view of success in counterinsurgency.
The Marine Corps Gazette
There are many good periodicals about modern warfare. I consider The Marine Corps Gazette to be one of the best. Since the publication in 1989 of the Lind et al article Into the Fourth Generation it has been in the forefront of coverage of and discussion about the paradoxes and challenges of 4GW. The Gazette is available to members of the Marine Corps Association and subscribers only. If you’re eligible, consider joining. If you’re not, consider subscribing Click here for details.
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Books in my library that I most often use
- Bloom, Allan, Closing of the American Mind — my review.
- Bowden, Mark, Black Hawk Down — my review.
- Brown, Anthony cave Brown, Bodyguard of Lies— “The true story of he clandestine war of deceptions that hid the secrets of D-Day from Hitler.”
- Creveld, Martin van, Technology of War — “From 2000 BC to the present.”
- Creveld, Martin van, The Transformation of War— “The most radical reinterpretation of armed conflict since Clausewitz.”
- Creveld, Martin van, Rise and Decline of the State
- Creveld, Martin van, The Changing Face of War — “Lessons of combat from the Marne to Iraq.” Reviews by William Lind and my review.
- Freidrich, Otto, Before the Deluge: Berlin in the Twenties
- Halberstram, David, The Best and the Brightest
- Robb, John, Brave New War — “The next stage of terrorism and the end of globalization.”
- Lasch, Christopher. The Culture of Narcissism — A history of the CIA. my review.
- Lawrence, TE, Seven Pillars of Wisdom
- Lt. General Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway, We Were Soldiers Once… and Young— “Ia Drang, the battle that changed the war in Vietnam.” my review.
- Richards, Chet, A Swift, Elusive Sword — “What if Sun Tzu and John Boyd did a National Defense Review?”
- Richards, Chet, Neither Shall the Sword — “Conflict in the years ahead.”
- Richards, Chet, If We Can Keep It— “A National Security Manifesto for the next administration.” my review.
- Schivelbusch, Wolfgang , The Culture of Defeat— “On national trauma, mourning, and recovery”
- Smith, Rupert (General, Retired), The Utility of Force — “The art of war in the modern world.”
- Vandergriff, Donald (Editor), Spirit, Blood and Treasure (2001) — DNI Review.
- Vandergriff, Donald, The Path to Victory: America’s Army and the Revolution in Human Affairs (2002) — DNI review.
- Vandergriff, Donald, Raising the Bar: Creating and Nurturing Adaptability to Deal with the Changing Face of War, (2006) — DNI review.
- Vandergriff, Donald, Army of the Republic: Manning the Legions and Finding and Preparing Future Centurions — to be release in 2008.
- Weiner, Tim, Legacy of Ashes — A history of the CIA. my review.
- Zweig, Stefan, World of Yesterday — One man’s view of how Europe changed from 1890 to 1942.
Please share your comments by posting below (brief and relevant, please), or email me at fabmaximus at hotmail dot com (note the spam-protected spelling).
