Author: Scott Manning

Those studying political and military history will inevitably come across the term “grand strategy.” Books on grand strategy are becoming more prevalent nowadays, but the basic concept is not always clear to laymen, but it can be crucial in understanding historical outcomes. For example, to explain why America never lost a single battle during the…

It is a common misperception that only recent wars have been politically controversial. When the House and Senate voted 69% and 77% respectively in favor of the Iraq War Resolution in 2002, this was not the first time Congress was divided on starting a war. In the summer of 1812, the House and Senate voted…

I am making my way through Jeremy Black’s Rethinking Military History (2004). Now that I can own a copy that costs less $89, I am ready to rethink. In it, Black sees a problem among American leaders in that if they do study history, they rarely venture further back than World War II. Indeed, despite…

In reading the introduction to The Past as Prologue (2006), Williamson Murray puts forth some succinct, yet profound thoughts on history. His overall thesis is that studying military history is critical for not only officers, but for state leaders as well. Murray immediately recognizes that “current senior leaders seem to have neither the time nor…

I was only 10 years old during the Persian Gulf War, but my parents were familiar with the scene. They grew up during the Vietnam era during which my dad even had a brief stint in the Air Force before troop levels began to wind down along with his career in the military. They were…