Utility of Force, by Gen. Rupert Smith

[James48843]

I am reading now a book called "Utility of Force", by retired British General Rupert Smith.

It's a very, very good read about the history of the use of military force, and it's application today around the world. Smith goes over the history of modern industrial warfare- from Napoleon to the present day, and makes a brilliant case for when and where force can be used successfully, and why, since the end of World War II, that the use of force has changed.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a military background, but especially to those who do NOT have such a background, to be able to understand what is happening in the world today.

It talks in layman's terms about the situation we find ourselves in around the world- and why warfare has changed dramatically. If you want to know whether we'll "win" or "lose" in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, read this book, and it will open your eyes to a whole new way to challenge conventional thinking about war.

A very, very good read.

Used from around $5.

http://www.amazon.com/Utility-Force-Rupert-Smith/dp/0713998369

Worth reading.

 

[cboenews]

Sounds like a good read. I will have to pick up a copy.

 

[phil]

Thanks James.

I'm familiar with Brig. Smith's work and his ideas mirror the concept of "economy of force" that seems to have been forgotten in a headlong rush to accomplish a mission.

In parts of the world, we're killing flies with hammers. The end results are really just to create more and faster flies. And we can't possibly keep building these hammers. There are better answers to problems besides overwhelming force. It's linear thinking in a sometimes non-linear world.

 

[Steadygain]

I'm reading one called 'The Informant'

A True Story about one of the biggest Corporations with it's headquarters near where I live -- and in fact occasionally I work at a Clinic in that city.

ADM - Average person uses their products 20 times a day.

This is the true life story of how deeply Corporations and Politics work together -- Price Fixing -- all kinds of stuff. Anyway it's a real eye opener.

Yours sounds like a good read as well.

 

[OBGibby]

I'm reading one called 'The Informant'

A True Story about one of the biggest Corporations with it's headquarters near where I live -- and in fact occasionally I work at a Clinic in that city.

ADM - Average person uses their products 20 times a day.

This is the true life story of how deeply Corporations and Politics work together -- Price Fixing -- all kinds of stuff. Anyway it's a real eye opener.

Yours sounds like a good read as well.

STEADYGAIN,

I read The Informant about seven or eight years ago shortly after it came out. It was a great read, and very insightful into a little understood corporation. If you like The Informant I highly recommend Eichenwald's Conspiracy of Fools about Enron. Conspiracy of Fools offers a great look at what Enron was, how it got to be as large as it did, and really how its business model worked (or didn't). Entertaining and informative at the same time.