How We Fight: Crusades, Quagmires, and the American Way of War

By Dominic Tierney

Sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and looking toward the Capitol, we can see America’s vision of how war is meant to be.

Behind us is a marble Abraham Lincoln, enthroned in his temple. Straight ahead lie the Reflecting Pool and the World War II Memorial. The shimmering water bridges America’s two “good wars”: the first to save the Union and free the slaves from 1861 to 1865, and the second to defeat fascism from 1941 to 1945.

This is what war ought to look like: decisive victory, regime change, and the transformation of the world – a magnificent crusade.

But if we broaden the view from the Lincoln Memorial, our peripheral vision reveals a less comfortable military narrative. Hidden away behind trees on the right-hand side is a memorial to the 1950-1953 Korean War. A group of nineteen men, cast in stainless steel, slog their way uphill, sorrowful and exhausted. This was no splendid crusade, but a bleak stalemate.

Meanwhile, concealed under trees to the left is a sunken black wall, testifying to America’s tragedy in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973. This is what war ought not to look like. The United States spent years engaged in a futile nation-building effort in South Vietnam, trying to stabilize a weak government while battling a shadowy insurgency. With each step forward, Washington seemed to get further bogged down in the quagmire.

Here, on the Mall, lies nothing less than the secret of the American way of war: our love of smiting tyrants, and our dislike of fighting insurgents or nation-building. This vision of war as a glorious crusade or a grim quagmire has defined our national experience of conflict for two centuries.

Image Credit: wolfsavard

About the author: Dominic Tierney is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College. His latest book is How We Fight: Crusades, Quagmires, and the American Way of War. More information is available at www.facebook.com/howwefight.

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http://tanyaroth.wordpress.com Tanya Roth

This looks like a really interesting book. I’m finishing my dissertation on the integration of women into the US military in mid-twentieth century, and I’d love to check this out.
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http://www.marriedtobhutan.com Linda Leaming

I’d love to read this book. Thanks
Cathie

Please enter me.
Cole Garrett

This sounds like a fascinating book. As one who studies the history of wars and conflict in Asian, it would interesting to get a look into the American perspective
http://www.MarriedtoBhutan.com Linda Leaming

Cole if you win will you let me borrow?
http://brokenteepee.com Patty

It’s sad we haven’t learned that war only creates more problems. I know my hubby would like to read this.
thank you
Alison

The intro paragraph above snagged me right away. What an intriguing way to begin an analysis!
I’d appreciate being entered in the drawing for what seems like a very interesting book. Thanks.
Carol Wong

Would love to read this book on how we fight. This is such a different approach to discussing wars. Please enter me in this contest.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
John B.

Having spent 24 years in the military, I would be most interested in reading this book. I was on active duty during the Vietnam War. I definitely agree with your quagmire statement. The attitudes toward the different types of conflicts certainly influences the way they are fought. It is interesting to see the difference in the way the Vietnam war was viewed and the military treated then and the attitude toward todays conflicts and military.

Thank you for exploring this topic.
http://twitter.com/beverlyschoen Save Freedom

Watching Bush’s war I didn’t know how the U.S. was so wrong on how they went about this war, and is still going about it. The lies, the torches’s , not knowing what to do next , the blaming. Yes someone needed to pay for 9/11 but did they go after the right people and how did they know it was Iraq ? no proof, more proof our on Gov. did it and needed to blame someone all President’s do that. Agree or not that’s what I think and Obama is no different!! It’s the way to push other countries around and look at how many men died and for what ? In the name of greed and money, they are fighting the the U.S. who won’t even let you put a flag any where so Obama stop playing God and get them home. And God Bless America . Oops I said God! well I wil say it again God.