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, is the focus of Isaiah Wilson's investigation. 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 faced in Iraq can thus be seen as the result of a flaw in how we have viewed the war from its inception, and Thinking Beyond War reminds us that Iraq is just the latest, albeit the most poignant and tragic, case in point. The provided 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 -- Provided by Publisher.

"First published in hardcover in 2007 by Palgrave Macmillan in the United States-- a division of St. Martin's Press, LLC..."--Title page verso.

Pt. I Beyond war : The paradox of the American way of peace -- Modern war, revisited : three generations of modern (western) warfare -- The dawn of post-modern warfare -- On planning : a new postmodern methodology ; Pt. II Lessons in postmodern war : civil-military operations in Northern Iraq : Liberating and reconstruction of northern Iraq -- Patronage politics in northern Iraq : the case of tribal engagement in northern Iraq, June 2003--March2004 ; 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 Pas as prologue : Fighting to change, changing to fight : the lessons of Iraq & implications for army transformation -- Educating holistic warriors ; Epilogue : no more Iraqs? ; Conclusion to the revised edition : rethinking American power.