Force of Choice: Perspectives on Special Operations (Queens Policy Studies Series) Book

Schultz and Dew examine case studies of Somali, Chechen, Afghan and Iraqi resistance to conventional military forces, and why understanding their culture, organization and motivation is necessary in engaging them as adversaries or as participants in any peacekeeping or stabilization project. This is pretty basic stuff with a lot of necessary historical back story, and it veers into romanticizing and admiring tribal behaviors like having their war camps away from the village "to preserve village traditions" and only really getting brutal against outsiders like the Russians, neither of which really engages the internal power dynamics of these groups. This book was, however, very useful as a reminder to the countless ding dongs who have laboriously explained to me that they and their AR-15s are essential for fighting a government armed with Predator drones that the societies which have successfully accomplished stalemates are those in which they're already used to ruthlessly subordinating themselves to harsh discipline in the name of tribal honor codes, and able to endure incredibly harsh physical conditions over the long haul, all of which would fall apart at the First Battle of the Wal-Mart Parking lot.