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In examining the influence of historical analogies on decisions to use--or not use--force, military strategist Jeffrey Record assesses every major application of U.S. force from the Korean War to the NATO war on Serbia. Specifically, he looks at the influence of two analogies: the democracies? appeasement of Hitler at Munich and America's defeat in the Vietnam War. His book judges the utility of these two analogies on presidential decision-making and finds considerable misuse of them in situations where force was optional. He points to the Johnson administration's application of the Munich ana

Makes sense of Japan's seemingly incomprehensible decision to go to war against the United States.

The staying power of the Munich analogy -- Why Britain and France appeased Hitler -- Why appeasement failed -- Appeasement's lessons for the United States today

The unfinished business of 1991 -- The neoconservative vision and 9/11 -- The Bush doctrine -- Enemies : Osama's al-Qaeda and Saddam's Iraq -- War aims -- Analogies : Munich, Vietnam, and postwar Japan -- The war -- The "peace" -- Dark victory

In Hollow Victory, iconoclastic defense analyst Jeffrey Record targets the conventional view of the Gulf War victory. In his characteristically provocative style, he answers controversial political, military, and strategic questions raised by the war and its aftermath, among them: Were the UN economic sanctions ever really given a chance to work? Could the war have been avoided altogether? Why were assessments of Iraqi strengths and weaknesses so inaccurate? How did the war's operational setting contribute to its outcome? Could a better general than Saddam Hussein have derailed Operation Desert Storm? What were the relative contributions of air, ground, and naval power? Did air power win the war? Were U.S. military planning and operations really free of meddling by civilian authorities? Did the U.S. armed services work together harmoniously? If you thought you understood what happened in Desert Storm, Hollow Victory will challenge your conclusions