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David Halberstam is one of America's most distinguished journalists and historians, whose newspaper reporting and books have helped define the American era. His many books include THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST, THE POWERS THAT BE and THE RECKONING.
'A finely crafted and enjoyable account of the shared culture and personal chemistry of America's political and military power-brokers...There are neatly executed pen-portraits of scores of individuals' Economist 'A sprawling tapestry of exquisite bottom-up reporting and powerful vignettes' New York Times Book Review
'A finely crafted and enjoyable account of the shared culture and personal chemistry of America's political and military power-brokers...There are neatly executed pen-portraits of scores of individuals' Economist 'A sprawling tapestry of exquisite bottom-up reporting and powerful vignettes' New York Times Book Review
Halberstam, the former Vietnam War correspondent and redoubtable historian (The Best and the Brightest), assesses the lasting influence of the Indochina war on U.S. foreign policy. Popular lore has it that the Gulf War, a convincing triumph over a Third World despotism, banished the "Vietnam Syndrome," whose most obvious feature is an extreme reluctance to put American troops at risk for fear of alienating the public. Halberstam demolishes this fiction. Fascinating capsule biographies of Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, and other leaders establish beyond a doubt that the Indochina debacle was the formative event in their lives and continues to shape policy today. Indeed, post-Cold War operations such as the Kosovo campaign seem to have consummated the Vietnam Syndrome witness the spectacle of NATO warplanes delivering their munitions from 15,000 feet for fear of losing allied pilots. This sobering account of the factors that have misshapen U.S. military operations is an ideal companion to the recent memoir by Gen. Wesley Clark, former NATO commander in Kosovo (Waging Modern War, LJ 8/01). An indispensable addition to all public libraries. James R. Holmes, Ph.D. Candidate, Fletcher Sch. of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts Univ., Medford, MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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