The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century
by Thomas X. Hammes
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4GW (Fourth Generation Warfare) is the only kind of war America has ever lost. And we have done so three times - in Vietnam, Lebanon, and Somalia. This form of warfare has also defeated the French in Vietnam and Algeria, and the USSR in Afghanistan...As the only Goliath left in the world, we should be worried that the world's Davids have found a sling and stone that work." - Chapter 1, The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century. The War in Iraq. The War on Terror. These types of show more "asymmetrical" warfare are the conflicts of the 21st century - and show how difficult it is for the world's remaining superpower to battle insurgents and terrorists who will fight unconventionally in the face of superior military power. This change in military conflict may seem sudden. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Author (and Marine Corps Col.) Thomas Xavier Hammes didn’t invent the concept of “Fourth Generation Warfare” (4GW) but popularized it and made it a subject of cocktail party conversation a couple years back. The book has some good information on late 20th Century insurgencies, specifically the Sandanista and Al-Aqsa uprisings.
Overall though, although Hammes book isn't meant to be a complete compendium of 4GW conflicts, I did feel that his description and defense of 4GW warfare as something unique to our times did ignore a lot of history and counterevidence - much of which, for example, could be found in the history of Eastern Europe from 1919 to 1939.
At its time, it was a timely dose of history and seasoned reasoning about show more counterinsurgency warfare at the beginning of the 20th Century. But now the book seems a lot dated since the 2004 Iraqi “surge.” show less
Overall though, although Hammes book isn't meant to be a complete compendium of 4GW conflicts, I did feel that his description and defense of 4GW warfare as something unique to our times did ignore a lot of history and counterevidence - much of which, for example, could be found in the history of Eastern Europe from 1919 to 1939.
At its time, it was a timely dose of history and seasoned reasoning about show more counterinsurgency warfare at the beginning of the 20th Century. But now the book seems a lot dated since the 2004 Iraqi “surge.” show less
Insurgents are patient. I don't see how one "wins." We aren't patient.
The writing in this book is very clunky. But the information and argument have stayed with me.
The writing in this book is very clunky. But the information and argument have stayed with me.
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Author Information
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A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a career Marine, Thomas X. Hammes has spent most of his twenty-nine years on active duty serving in infantry and intelligence assignments. One of the first authors to define fourth generation warfare, Colonel Hammes has written numerous articles for defense journals and lectured at war and staff colleges. show more His writing has also appeared on the opinion page of The Washington Post. Hammes lives with his family in Northern, Virginia show less
Common Knowledge
- Blurbers
- Zinni, Anthony C.; Trainor, Bernard E.; Greenwood, John; Oakley, Robert
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 355.420973 — Society, government, & culture Public administration & military science The Military - Land, Air & Sea / Warfare Military operations Tactics Biography And History North America
- LCC
- U241 .H38 — Military Science Military science (General)
- BISAC
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- 362
- Popularity
- 87,093
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.74)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- UPCs
- 2
- ASINs
- 1
