CQ Press When America Fights: The Uses of U.S. Military Force

When, where, how, and to what end American force will be applied in this new century is a matter of intense debate and controversy. When America Fights takes a hard look at the United States' military involvement in the post-cold war era, especially a growing number of peacekeeping operations. Are U.S. national interests served by this deployment of forces abroad? What types of forces are needed and when should they be employed? At what point can we proclaim "mission accomplished" and withdraw? Snow uses the deployment in Kosovo as a primary example, but refers back to the role of U.S. troops in Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti, and Iraq, extrapolating from those operations in an effort to theorize about the future uses of military force. Snow looks at the likely future patterns of violence-paramilitary activities, terrorism, and internal wars-and then suggest the direction policy might take and the difficulties associated with the difference objectives, thereby framing the alternatives in a way that fosters classroom debate and discussion. About the Author Donald M. Snow is professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Alabama and received his Ph.D. from Indiana University. He is the author or coauthor of more than two dozen books on defense policy and international relations, including International Relations: The Changing Contours of Power (2000); The United States Foreign Policy: Politics Beyond the Water′s Edge (with Eugene Brown, 1999); and The Shape of the Future: World Politics in a New Century, 3rd ed. (1999). Snow has served a visiting professor at the U.S. Army, Naval, and Air War Colleges and the Air Command and Staff College.