Review of "Endless War," by Ralph Peters

 Review of

Endless War, by Ralph Peters, ISBN 9780811705509

Five out of five stars

Cynical, realistic treatise on wars

 When I was working as a software developer and we were having meetings there were times when very imaginative statements were made regarding the features to be added and the time it would take to implement them. I would often raise questions as to whether the plan was realistic and my concerns would sometimes be received by the comment, “Charlie, you are so cynical.” My response was often, “I prefer the term ‘experienced’.”

 In this series of essays, Peters expresses opinions that are both cynical and experienced. He uses the events of history to convincingly argue that war and conflict is a fundamental component of the human condition. He takes a hard view concerning religious strife arguing that religious conflict is based on emotion, so it foolish to think that such conflicts can be reasoned to conclusion.

 Using history all the way back to the ancient Greeks, Peters points out that where conflict is possible, it will generally happen. Wars end when both sides are exhausted or when one side overwhelms the other. Peters cites many examples of what the main thesis of the book is: when you go to war, do so with maximum force with a clear objective. Killing as many of your adversaries as quickly as possible is the way to minimize casualties over the long term.

 Peters is contemptuous of most of what is now the national security apparatus in the United States. From the halls of academia to the halls of a Congress that are largely purchased to the military officers that toe the line to the defense contractors that make massive amounts of money producing military equipment. He sees most of it as counter-productive in the goals of U. S. national security.

 This book is one of the most interesting that I have read. The points are strong and backed up by history. Peters spares no one in his criticisms of how America had been fighting wars over the last ten years. I was particularly impressed with his statements about Afghanistan and the absurd notion that it will ever be a cohesive nation or even if it will ever come close to being a country that has risen out of a feudal state. Those of us that know the history of that region and the cynical actions of the Pakistani security forces knew very early that the United States would someday be leaving in a hurry and with the conservative forces back in power. Peters in essence predicted the result of the U. S. presence in Afghanistan.