Western Military Strength

Paper Summary:

The paper describes "Carnage and Culture" as a conservative view of Western military history that asserts that Western military might is superior to and cannot be defeated by non-Westerners. The paper examines Hanson's reasons why certain fundamentals of Western society and culture make this the case. The paper discusses how Hanson believes that the war in Iraq is not only winnable, but that victory is a certainty. The paper contends that, on the contrary, current events are teaching us that in many ways the war on Iraq has already been lost.

From the Paper:

"Hanson, author of The Western Way of War (1989) and The Other Greeks (1995), has chosen nine battles fought by the West against various non-Western enemies that prove, as Hanson claims, why Western cultures have been able to field armies and navies capable of routing numerically superior enemies all across history. Seven of these battles were victories for the West. Of the other two, one is the ruinous Roman defeat at Cannae in 216 B.C, and the other an offensive in the late stages of the Vietnam War in 1968 - a strategic victory overseas that became a political defeat at home in the United States. Each of these battles is lovingly recreated - and some critics claim re-imagined in favor of the author's speculations - as Hanson spells out his thesis; that the Western war machine is superior, and that it is the personal politics of the individual that make it so."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Burnham, G., Lafta, R., Doocy, S., & Roberts. L. "Mortality after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq: A Cross-sectional Cluster Sample Survey." The Lancet. Retrieved November 23, 2006. URL: http://www.thelancet.com/webfiles/images/journals/lancet/s0140673606694919.pdf
• Hanson, V.D. Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power. New York: Anchor Books, 2001.
• Hanson, V.D. "The Caricature and Reality of George Bush." Retrieved November 23, 2006. URL:. http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson052305.html
• Hanson, V.D. "The Perfect Storm of Hating Bush." Retrieved November 23, 2006. URL: http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson092904.html

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