The U.S. Mission in Somalia

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the book "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War" as a detailed and emotional look into an unsuccessful U.S. mission in Somalia. The paper explains the author's thesis that the mission was flawed from the start, as was the command that led to the mission in the first place. The paper portrays how this is more than an important historical account of what happened in Somalia in 1993. The paper discusses how it shows the flaws and inefficiencies of the military and provides many questions as to the wisdom of becoming involved in skirmishes like the one in Somalia.

From the Paper:

"Bowden relates the actions of several "chalks" of soldiers sent into Mogadishu to kidnap two high-ranking lieutenants in General Aidid's Habr Gidr Clan insurgent army. The Army Rangers assigned to the task seem well prepared and trained for the mission, but from the first, everything falls apart and the soldiers are stranded in Mogadishu without backup or rescue. The author's thesis for the book is simple, the mission was flawed from the start, and so was the command that led to the mission in the first place. He notes, "In Washington a whiff of failure is enough to induce widespread amnesia," (331), which indicates his cynicism regarding the mission and the Washington reaction to withdraw the troops just days after the Black Hawk Down raid."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. "Mark Bowden: Biography." AtlanticMonthly.com. 2007.http://www.theatlantic.com/about/people/mbbio.htm
• Mark Bowden. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999.

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