War and the art of governance : consolidating combat success into political victory / Nadia Schadlow.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-308) and index.

The American denial syndrome -- The early years : improvisation -- The Mexican War -- The Civil War and reconstruction -- The Spanish American War -- The Rhineland -- World War Two : building an organization -- Italy -- Germany -- Japan -- Korea -- The Cold War : illusive lessons -- The Korean War -- The Dominican Republic -- Panama -- Afghanistan, Iraq, and lessons for the future -- Afghanistan -- Iraq.

Success in war ultimately depends upon the consolidation of political order. Consolidating the new political order is not separate from war, rather Nadia Schadlow argues that governance operations are an essential component of victory. Despite learning this the hard way in past conflicts from the Mexican War through Iraq and Afghanistan, US policymakers and the military have failed to institutionalize lessons about post-conflict governance and political order for future conflicts. War and the Art of Governance distills lessons from fifteen historical cases of US Army military intervention and governance operations from the Mexican War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Improving outcomes in the future will require US policymakers and military leaders to accept that the political dimension is indispensable across the full spectrum of war. Plans, timelines, and resources must be shaped to reflect this reality before intervening in a conflict, not after things start to go wrong. The American historical experience suggests that the country's military will be sent abroad again to topple a regime and install a new government. Schadlow provides clear lessons that must be heeded before next time.