What the two great modern revolutions can teach us about democracy todayThe American and French revolutions presented the world with two very different visions of democracy. Although both professed similar Enlightenment ideals of freedom; equality; and justice and set similar political agendas; there were also fundamental differences. The French sought a complete break with a thousand years of history; the Americans were content to preserve many aspects of their English heritage. Why did the two revolutions follow such different trajectories? And what lessons do they offer us about democracy today? In lucid narrative style; Dunn captures the personalities and lives of the great figures of both revolutions; and shows how their stories added up to make two very different events.
#849706 in Books Bantam 2005-09-27 2005-09-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.34 x 1.32 x 6.29l; 1.55 #File Name: 0553804022400 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good detailed accountBy ClemAs I write this review; the United States of America is still shell shocked by the brutal terrorist killings that occurred in San Bernardino; California in November 2015. Sadly; the country doesn’t appear to be united. President Obama and the far left think that stricter gun laws can prevent such atrocities whereas those on the far right; including presidential candidate Donald Trump; are essentially wanting to ban all Muslims from the United States. War is hell.I only say this because the whole Iraq mess seemed to culminate from the terrorist attacks on 9/11. We went to war believing Saddam Hussein was hoarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. Since most agree that we had faulty intelligence and no weapons were found; what could we do now that we’ve committed ourselves? Well; the good news is that Hussein was toppled from power; and forced to flee (he was eventually found; and systematically executed). The Iraqi people rejoiced; and our 24 hour news coverage showed a jubilant population celebrating in the streets while ransacking his ubiquitous palaces and statues that wallpapered Baghdad.The problem was; what happens next? Here’s where most people; excluding the political astute; simply were clueless. Many believed that we could “destroy†Iraq and then somehow rebuild the backwards country to resemble the state of Vermont. Those who know better knew better.This book puts us right in the middle of the nastiest place in Iraq; the ugly grime-filled city of Fallujah. This is the last place where anyone would want to be during a war. A bit like the Siberian Front in World War II. What author Bing West manages to do is tell a very thorough account of the frontlines during this calamity that begin in April 2003. He spends equal time talking about the battles with several of the key players on the ground; as well as many involved in the military and political leadership. The author shows us that there’s a very big disconnect going on here.Fortunately; this is not a “Pro War†nor an “Anti-War†book. The author manages to focus on war; and any war is extremely unpleasant. While reading; I couldn’t help draw many parallels to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. A big criticism of that war is that it seemed as though the U.S. wanted the South Vietnamese to win the war more than the South Vietnamese did. Such seems to be the case here. Even with Saddam Hussein gone; you can’t expect a nation that has been embroiled in a set way of living to suddenly throw all the shackles off and embrace democracy. Even after Saddam is gone; there are rife political sides; and most still hate America. A sad analogy: If you adopt a five-year-old dog that has been abused and tormented its whole life; that dog will never be “normalâ€; no matter how much love you shower upon it.So America really wants to help. Money is spent. Money is given to Fallujah and Iraq. Lots of money. That will inspire them. Right? Nope. So we give more money. More decisions are made; more disagreements between leaders; more frustrated marines on the battlefield. etc. etc. You have to admire the marines for wanting to get the job done. They know they have the manpower to obliterate this hell-hole; and they’re highly motivated after seeing all of the injustice and nastiness firsthand. But we can’t fight wars that way anymore. Not with CNN reporting every move we make. Sadly; casualties in a war always expand beyond the enemy on the frontlines. Buildings get bombed containing innocent civilians; and the 24 news networks are quick to make these the lead stories; which then drives up animosity for any conflict. So President Bush knows he has to be careful. One needs to only remember the Abu Gharib prison story that made headlines during all of the Fallujah crap. Most Americans can probably tell you more about that incident than they can the whole Fallujah episode because; let’s face it; a story about prisoners being unjustly tortured makes sensational headlines.Hindsight tells us that even though we were finally “successful†in Fallujah; nothing has really changed. Imagine turning on your kitchen lights at 2 a.m. and seeing 100 cockroaches. If you’re lucky; you can kill about 5 of them; but the rest will scurry under the surface; multiply; and be back the next night. And the cockroaches in Fallujah have guns and homemade bombs. Like Vietnam; we may have dropped a lot of bombs and killed far more of the enemy than what we lost; but until you break the psyche of the enemy (as we did with Germany and Japan); you can never really say that you’ve “won†the war. We were never able to accomplish that in Iraq; and Fallujah was where this was at its ugliest.A good; but depressing read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Definitely a winner of a bookBy Eddie WannabeeThere you have it. A book that basically tells how under appreciated our armed forces are in the conflict called Iraq. Like opening a can of worms; trying to step in to bring the powerful forces of democracy to a region where perhaps that kind of notion can not be understood. Of course; the ones who have to deal with all the violent resistance fro the insurgents; is the faithful US Armed Forces; where the Marines seem to always take front stage; not to discredit all the other members of the finest force of this world. This book is written by absolutely one of the best there ever was; a writer that knows and feels for our soldiers as much as anyone could. This is one book that should be read by anyone who might think the life over there is easy; the consequences of being there not too challenging. I happen to love our Armed Forces; and it hurts to know all the suffering our troops have gone through; having to deal with the politics that corrupt all military campaigns. Too many roadblocks created by those who sent them there in the first place; but one thing remains very clear: there are countless enemies disguised as regular people; and I can understand that the fight in Fallujah was no easy job; for the backstabbing that takes place outside of the tight units that got the job; would be enough to make the back of one's hair stand up. Instead of being able to go there in full force; too many restrictions governing the missions; for what will the world say if the poor population of Fallujah; who seemed to be very pleased with the bodies of Americans hanging in their bridge; complained of military abuse on the part of the invading army every chance they could voice their discontent. This book was as good as one is going to get in this modern war that started what it seems now a long time ago. 4.5 Stars.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. " It wasn't quite as bad as StalingradBy Charles KovacsI hope this book is required reading for all infantry officers; and preferably for all others as well because it covers seamlessly a long campaign from the strategic to the operational to the tactical level; right down to individual squads and even the individuals. As the sub-title states; the campaign is the Battle for Fallujah; but this was actually several battles with distinct phases and it took over a year. Bing West starts with a brief and exceptionally lucid introduction; then explains the intricate command relationship on Iraq as well as the complexities of politics which involved major political; religious and tribal divisions. This section is indispensable for an understanding of what was happening in Iraq after we took Baghdad and destroyed the Baathist regime.There is then the seamless move to the battles; not just in Fallujah; but Ramadi and Sadr City as well. All of these were battles for cities; i.e. street fighting or as it is now called "operations in the urban terrain." It wasn't quite as bad as Stalingrad; Berlin and Budapest in WWII; but then the US forces engaged rarely exceeded an infantry regiment or brigade against high odds; albeit made up of untrained; but often fanatical fighters. The descriptions of these engagements are both hair-raising and exciting; this was a book hard to put down; even knowing the end.There is a constant switching between the fighting and the "big picture" view and this is essential for gaining a knowledge of how the United States conducted its occupation and nation-building in Iraq. In fact; even in spite of many missteps; this turned out to be successful by the end of 2008 and started deteriorating afterwards when Pres. Obama announced the withdrawal of US troops.Be that as it may; there were missteps enough in 2003-4 and the author describes them in detail but without acrimony or hyperbole. Indeed; he is careful to write history objectively; with personal views/conclusions limited mainly to the last chapter. I found it difficult to disagree with them. The author; by the way; is eminently well qualified for the subject by way of his service in the USMC and the Defense Department.This is actually rather a short book; but it contains two long excerpts from Bing West's other books on Iraq and I am planning to buy both; although the excerpts by themselves are very useful.
