The Man on Horseback Book

The book is very much a product of its time period, but some (but limited) applications to today's information age. Much of the book consists of definitions to terms that Samuel uses in later passages. The irony is that Samuel doesn't seem to incorporate some of the principles regarding the disposition of the military to intervene into the actual interventions examined. He emphasizes the political culture of a country and dispositions seem to be an afterthought - despite spending a good deal of time discussing them. One key idea he presents, that I believe has much applicability today, is the mobility of ideas within a society being a reflection of the level of political culture. In today's information age, ideas can have a huge amount of mobility. The other part of the book that's difficult is the lack of context Samuel provides regarding many of his examples - he's a smart guy and has a breadth and depth of understanding much deeper than mine, so it was hard to understand what he was talking about at time. That all said, the text provided an interesting take on the analysis and circumstances of military interventions and a legitimate critique of Huntington's work. That said...it addressed military intervention...not necessarily the role of the military in politics or civil-military relations...