January’s book club book was The Shield of Achilles by Philip Bobbit, which was an interesting look at the history and culture of war in western society. We basically discussed Book I: State of War. I didn’t have time to finish it since I was in SE Asia, and I haven’t decided whether or not to tackle Book II: States of Peace. Bobbit has an impressive knowledge of military innovation through strategy and technology. He is equally knowledgeable about constitutional law and its history. He presents an interesting analysis of what he calls “the long war” (1919-1990). I particularly found part III The Historic Consequences of the Long War interesting for his analysis of The Strategic Choices (of the Market State). He comes across as hawkish and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was a supporter of the current administration’s foreign policy with his attitudes toward war and foreign policy.
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