Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: In light of this past week this book is a must read. The author may be focussing on another time and area struggles, but I cannot help but feel that it all plays into what has just occurred. This book is a "page turner", well written and I come away believing that I have a much better understanding of the various elements that are influencing our life today.
Rating: 
Summary: The Tragedies of Bosnia and Kosovo
Review: David Halberstam has written another excellent book. Those who have read his earlier volumes such as "The Best and Brightest", "The Reckoning", and "The Fifties" will be at home with his extensive research and terrific insights. Those who don't like books that are extensively researched and exhaustively analyzed might prefer to read something else."War in a Time of Peace" is about the unpleasant subject of Bosnia and Kosovo. Halberstam reviews the personalities and the events. Two administrations dealt with these problems, that of George Bush Sr. and that of Bill Clinton. While both administrations had many capable people working for them, both made numerous mistakes in their handling of this problem. Halberstam does a good job of educating those who don't know exactly what was going on in this part of the world and why. Many Americans still don't understand what really happened in the Balkans. This book is a great way for them to inform themselves. Halberstam clearly believes that an initial show of force against Yugoslavian President Slobadan Milosevic could have stopped much of this tragedy. The failure to use force initially, despite widespread reports of genocide and killing, can best be explained as caution which resulted from the Vietnam experience. Often, military leaders were the most reluctant to support the use of force against Milosevic and the Serbs. At times, Halberstam overestimates the importance of the Balkans to the United States. Its a tragedy when you look at what has happened to the people who live there. But, a grim reality is that the American people--living many thousands of miles away--could not be expected to have more than minimal interest in this feud which has gone for centuries. Part of our unwillingness to become involved stemmed from the Vietnam Experience. The other part of it stemmed from the relative lack of importance the Balkans has to our foreign policy or economy. Be prepared for alot of background on the individual civilian and military leaders in place in both the Bush and Clinton Administrations. Its fascinating reading, but a little hard to keep one person straight from another at times. This is a highly informative and well written book.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive account of foreign policy in the 90's
Review: I've read many books on foreign policy and politics, but few have delved so deep into the minds of our nation's leaders in the White House and the Pentagon. Halberstam paints a cohesive portrait as to what shaped their beliefs and how this affected foreign policy decisions in the 90's. These individuals each have their own motives, shaped beliefs and aspirations which often conflict with one another. This explains a great deal to those on the outside looking in regarding the complexity of shaping policies. You can watch and read the news all you want, but Halberstam provides what you don't get in the mass media, and that's an in-depth and personal look at the dynamics within two presidential administrations.
Rating:
Summary: Oustanding, thorough, compelling history
Review: Outstanding use of language, clear recollection and fair interpretations make this an outstanding read for the modern history buff.
Halberstam's language is clear, concise, yet insightful and sophisticated. His detailed diversions into the roots of conflict, the reasons behind the leaders' actions, and his detailed accounts of interpersonal interactions all pull the drama along.
Educational and fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive account of foreign policy in the 90's
Review: I found this book oddly even-handed. Halberstam deftly showcases the intricacies surrounding military operations and the steps to launch them along with their potential consequences. The author also shows how the Clinton administration ( actually Clinton himself) drug his feet. As an admitted moderate Republican, I thought at first glance that this book would be the ultimate trashing of the party (based on your average everyday journalistic bias), but Halberstam explains the positions of both parties, along with naming the good and bad guys in the Republican and Democratic camps. I was especially fascinated with the portraits given of Tony Lake and former Def. Sec. Bill Perry and will be checking out their books to read more about American defense issues. All in all, not a bad book. Could have been much shorter, so I can only give 3 stars overall.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Review of American Foreign Policy in the 90s
Review: Every American should read this book to understand the agonizing complexities that face the President of the United States, no matter who holds the office. Halberstam, without taking sides, leads us from Bush Sr. to the end of the Clinton presidency brilliantly, painting perceptive and memorable portraits of not only the events, the debates that went into the big decisions, but also of the cast of 20+ characters that made up the key personnel in these administrations. An irreplacable book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: It is always such a treat for me when I get into such a well-written book. I do not think I am along in that many times a book that is supposed to be god turns out to be average and because of this I always seam to get such a kick out of an excellent book. I thought the real value of this book was in the detailed descriptions of the main players and their backgrounds. It really helped to understand why certain decisions were made. Given the current political campaigns, the section on Wesley Clark was very interesting. When you read through it you almost think the author new something about the next step Clark would take. The books covers the Haiti, Somalia, and Balkans military campaigns but the real detail is over the two Balkan conflicts. I felt that he really got to know the personalities involved because we did such a good job in ting back their personal histories to their current stands on issues and even why they choose the section of the government that they did. The book did have some undertones of why the military men were more cautious because of the Vietnam War but I did not fully buy into that given the time distance and the Gulf war Victory. Overall this was a wonderful book that is full of spot on personality review and good details on why certain policies were followed. I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Good account of events
Review: Halberstam does an effective job of recounting the happenings in the Balkans, but his account of domestic affairs is a little left leaning. He gushes over Clinton's political abilities contrasting them with GHW Bush who he thinks just didn't understand America after the cold war. The account of the Clinton foreign policy (or lack of one) is even handed and he made me want to meet Richard Holbrook who comes across as a skilled negotiator and shrewd politician. A couple omissions and some of the wording are a little left of center or at least a little less than objective when comparing and contrasting the two parties. He recounts Clinton's victories in both elections without mentioning Perot at all. He also refers to those that led the Republican trouncing in '94 as "religious fundamentalists" and "zealots". All in all a pretty good book, just ignore the partisan lean.
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