Hey unc, this guy is coming to microsoft in a couple of weeks. Do you know anything about him?
The American commander who oversaw the massive military effort in Kosovo and managed the often incompatible demands of NATO's nineteen governments was General Wesley K. Clark. In his book Waging Modern War, Clark recounts not only the events that led to armed conflict, but also the context within which he made the key strategic decisions. He also describes, for the first time, how he walked the tightrope of high diplomacy and military strategy and navigated the crushing restraints of domestic politics. As the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Clark faced a task far more daunting than simply when and where to deploy his forces and weapons. He also had to mediate numerous conflicts that threatened to derail the alliance's efforts against the regime of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic-conflicts between the Europeans and the Americans, between the policy makers and the journalists, between the diplomats and the military men. Clark takes us behind the scenes for an unprecedented view of decision-making in real time, and through his unvarnished account we see:
· The struggle to lead NATO's militaries in fighting a precision war under the glare of the modern media.
· The conflict within NATO about when and how to take a stand against Milosevic, ethnic cleansing, and instability in the Balkans.
· The contest for the direction of U.S. policy between the Pentagon and the State Department.
· Clark's battles with his superiors in the Pentagon over the strategy and tactics of the operation.
The war in Kosovo may have been short in duration, but it was a harbinger of the new realities of war-fighting and war-planning, and Clark offers a blueprint for how the American military infrastructure must adapt if it is to meet the new threats that are likely to emerge in the coming years and decades. Waging Modern War is thus the story not only of war today, and but also of war as it will be fought tomorrow. |
