"Why was there a deliberate plan to fight the war in Iraq but none to win the peace? This question, which has caused such confusion and consternation among the American public and been the subject of much political wrangling over the past two years, is the focus of Lt. Col. Isaiah Wilson?s investigation. Director of the American politics, policy, and strategy program at West Point, Wilson points to a flaw in the government?s definition of when, how, and for what reasons the United States intervenes abroad. It is a paradox in the American way of peace and war, he explains, that harkens back to America?s war loss in Vietnam. The dilemma we face today in Iraq, the author says, is the result of a flaw in how we have viewed the war from its inception, and Wilson reminds us that Iraq is just the latest, albeit the most poignant and tragic, case in point. His exploration of this paradox calls for new organizational and operational approaches to America?s intervention policy. In challenging current western societal military lexicon and doctrine, Wilson offers new hope and practical solutions to overcome the paradox once and for all. -- Publisher description.

Pt. I Beyond war : The paradox of the American way of war and peace -- Modern war revisited : three generations of modern war-fare -- The dawn of the postmodern age of war -- On planning : a new methodology for postmodern war-fare ; Pt. II Lessons in postmodern war : civil-military operations in Northern Iraq : The liberation and reconstruction of northern Iraq -- Patronage politics in Northern Iraq : the case of tribal engagement in Northern Iraq, June 2003-March 2004 ; Pt. III Lessons gathered but not yet learned : My Iraq war : a postscript -- Whither Mosul? : the story of transition failure and the rise and fall of Northern Iraq ; Pt. IV Past as prologue : Fighting to change, changing to fight : the lessons of Iraq on army transformation, under construction -- Educating holistic warriors ; Epilogue : No more Iraqs?