Synopses & Reviews
An emperor bows abjectly before his conquerors on the deck of a battleship. As smoke yet rises from a bloody battlefield, a dejected general proffers his sword to his victorious opponent. Frock-coated ministers exchange red leatherand#8211;bound treaty books in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. These are iconic images of warand#8217;s end, but even when they are historically accurate, they conceal more than they convey. Not all wars end decisively. Indeed, the endings of most wars are messy, complicated, inconclusive, and deeply intriguing. As the United States attempts to extricate itself from two long and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nothing could be more relevant than a look back at the ways America has ended its major conflicts in the past. It is a topic that has been curiously overlooked. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Edited and with an introduction by Col. Matthew Moten, a professor of history at West Point, andlt;Iandgt;Between War and Peace andlt;/Iandgt;explores the endings of fourteen American wars, from the Revolution to the first Gulf War. Here, with incisive insight, narrative flourish, and strategic detail, some of Americaand#8217;s leading historians examine the progress of Americaand#8217;s wars: their initial aimsand#8212;often quite different from their endsand#8212;their predominant strategies, their final campaigns, the painful journeys out of war, and the ramifications of the warsand#8217; ends for the nationand#8217;s future. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;This timely and important book confronts one of the most pressing issues of our time: how do we end conflict and how do we deal with the country we are leaving behind? As recent history has shown, an and#8220;exit strategy,and#8221; though itand#8217;s sometimes neglected, can be as important a piece of military strategy as any. Taken together, these essays break new historical and theoretical ground, building on our current understanding of Americaand#8217;s history in ways that few studies have done before. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A formidable enterprise of historical collaboration, andlt;Iandgt;Between War and Peace andlt;/Iandgt;takes readers inside the climactic moments of Americaand#8217;s wars, offering a penetrating look at the past in hopes of illuminating future debates that will determine the nationand#8217;s course between war and peace.
Review
"Shrewdly conceived and soundly argued, these essays by a group of the country's most distinguished military historians make a major contribution to the study of war and to an understanding of American military history.andnbsp; Ending wars has more often than not been more difficult and more delicate than starting or even prosecuting them.andnbsp; There's more than enough wisdom in these pages for soldiers and citizens, and more importantly for presidents, to ponder long into the future."andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; --Richard H. Kohn, former Chief of Air Force History for the USAF, 1981-1991
Review
“Making sense of the headlines…A set of essays devoted to the shadowy ground on which the guns have ceased their roar, but could resume it at any moment. . . . Of considerable interest to students of military history, strategy, tactics and geopolitics.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Review
and#8220;A product of a war termination group study by the best of the historical profession, andlt;Iandgt;Between War and Peaceandlt;/Iandgt; provides insightful, provocative accounts of how Americaand#8217;s wars end, most of them without a bang or a whimper.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; and#8212;Allan R. Millett, Ambrose Professor of History, University of New Orleans
Synopsis
An anthology of new essays about how the US has ended all of its major wars by major historians and sponsored by West Point.
Synopsis
"Between War and Peace" is an anthology of new essays by major historians about how the United States has ended all of its major wars.
About the Author
andnbsp;Colonel Matthew Moten is professor and deputy head of the Department of History at the United States Military Academy.andnbsp; A graduate of West Point, he has served in the U.S. Army for over twenty-seven years, including assignments in the Pentagon, Germany, Kuwait, and Iraq.andnbsp; He specializes in the history of American political-military relations.andnbsp; His recent publications include an essay entitled and#8220;A Broken Dialogue: Rumsfeld, Shinseki, and Civil-Military Tension,and#8221; in andlt;iandgt;American Civil-Military Relations: The Soldier and the State in a New Eraandlt;/iandgt; (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009) and a short monograph entitled andlt;iandgt;The Army Officerand#8217;s Professional Ethicand#8212;Past, Present and Futureandlt;/iandgt; (Strategic Studies Institute, February 2010).andnbsp; He is currently writing a history of American political-military relations.andnbsp; Colonel Moten holds a doctorate in history from Rice University and is author of andlt;iandgt;The Delafield Commission and the American Military Profession andlt;/iandgt;(Texas Aandamp;M Press, 2000).andnbsp; He and his wife Margaret have two grown children, Stephanie and Marshall.