Beyond Terror: Strategy in a Changing World

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly Insightful and Prescient
Review: This is the most original work on strategy and international relations I have ever read. Peters clearly enjoys taking on sacred cows, but what angers academics, I suspect, is the utterly convincing insights he has acquired in his personal experiences around the world--he doesn't rely on other people's research, but goes out and looks at things for himself--then thinks for himself about what he has seen. And what the author has to say just rings true, whether discussing the roots of American strategic power (some surprising views here) or the proper use of the military. This book is great fun to read (I heard Peters lecture last year--he's slyly entertaining and seductive--he ambushes you with ideas--and knows how to laugh at himself, too). It's also worth underlining several times per page. The author's analysis of the root causes of terrorism ring truer than any other propositions I have encountered, and his take on the future potential of the United States as a hegemonic power demonstrates great integrity--Peters refuses to bend to the political left or the right, and he doubtless angers extremists on both sides of the aisle. If I recall correctly, Peters was a career Army officer. Well, if our Army can produce officers who think at this level of originality, the defense of the republic is in very good hands. I suggest giving this book to your friends--but also to any dreary, self-righteous, party-line academics in need of a comeuppance (or a heart attack). And it's written with a sense of humor, too. Try to find that on a campus these days. Serious, extraordinarily original ideas, elegantly presented. The gentleman can write.
This book is first rate in every respect and a valuable contribution to American strategic thought. It will outlast its critics by a very long stretch. Recommended for all citizens not afraid to think for themselves.