America’s Role in Nation-Building: From Germany to Iraq by James Dobbins et al. RAND (http://www.rand.org), 1700 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, California 90407-2138, 2003, 263 pages, $35.00 (softcover). Available at http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1753.
Without a doubt, we need a book like America’s Role in Nation-Building. Ever since the Bush administration executed regime change, first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq, both supporters and critics of these operations have bolstered their arguments with historical analogies—or at least claims of such analogies. So any work that promises a systematic examination of previous American efforts at “nation building”—thus providing a meaningful starting point for real comparison and lessons learned across cases—has great value. The authors, who include former US ambassador James Dobbins, went to the trouble of convening a broadly representative and impressive panel to discuss the situation on the ground in Iraq. This effort to better link the lessons of the past to the present circumstances there only enhances the book’s usefulness to readers interested in issues concerning the occupation and reconstruction of that country.
For the most part, the authors effectively and informatively walk readers through seven cases (Germany, Japan, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, in that order). Their facts and figures seem reliable, although one can wonder about Afghanistan’s place in the “historical” case studies, and they take a balanced, pragmatic perspective. The lessons learned, though somewhat generic, accurately reflect the case studies, which consistently link operational questions and factors to a broad view of reconstruction that includes not only the reestablishment of security and order, but also economic/political reconstruction and development over time. Following a rather mechanical but useful summary of the comparisons across the seven cases, the contributors examine the situation in Iraq at the time of this writing (mid-2003) and the country’s likely needs and challenges in the medium term. The book deserves particular praise for maintaining continuity in its discussion about the broad range of issues one must consider when assessing Iraq; the discussion also includes an excellent treatment of economic challenges.
The study does have its flaws, some simply the product of trade-offs. For example, no expert would find sufficient coverage of his or her area, field, or case in America’s Role in Nation-Building. But one expects this of a book that tries to provide an effective and usable summary of seven different historical cases in order to better inform an eighth. Furthermore, the lessons learned, by and large, seem intuitive and often very broad—again, the result of extrapolating general lessons from particular events. As long as the findings remain relevant to policy questions of the day, it seems unfair to criticize them if they fail to surprise us. Take, for example, the book’s observation that a strong correlation exists between the number of troops deployed on the ground and a reduction of postconflict casualties. At first glance, such a broad statement seems unassuming, but this logic results in a recommendation that the United States and its supporting allies would need to deploy between 258,000 and 526,000 troops through 2005 to maximize success and minimize casualties—a point that has great significance in terms of policy.
Two issues, however, qualify as weaknesses—not trade-offs. The first involves the definition of nation building itself. The entire work proceeds from the premise that nation building equals democratization and that any US-led mission since 1945 which involved a serious effort at establishing a democracy, no matter how minimal, qualifies for inclusion in the book. This questionable assumption equates the occupation of Germany or Bosnia with the operations in Somalia and Haiti in terms of the value of lessons learned. The authors do point out the unique circumstances of both nation-building failures in Somalia and Haiti, but that does not seem to weaken the value of these cases to the study as a whole—either in terms of historical comparisons or assessments of present-day Iraq. Second, despite having made the conscious choice to use the term nation building, along with its social and cultural connotations, as opposed to democratization or state building, along with their more functional implications, the book then takes a decidedly functional approach to nation building. Indeed, the authors mention cultural, historical, or social variables only when doing so supports their arguments. Witness, for instance, the assertion that the United States has significant experience with nation building in Muslim countries, a stance that basically places the socioeconomic realities and political cultures of Bosnia, Somalia, and Iraq on an equal footing. Very few people with any familiarity with these countries would make such a claim. Neither weakness proves fatal, but together they demonstrate the limits of this type of sweeping, collective, and aggregate study in terms of applicability to any given case.
More than likely, many readers will find this book quite helpful. Such an audience would include individuals not familiar with the historical analogies currently being tossed around; those interested in comparing the Bush administration’s policy in Iraq to a broad set of lessons and proposals regarding occupation, reconstruction, and democratization; and anyone pondering the direction of US efforts in Iraq. None of them, however, should view America’s Role in Nation-Building either as a single source of historical insight or as a primer on how to conduct occupation or democratization in Iraq.
Dr. Lewis K. Griffith
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
Book Reviews | Home Page | Feedback? Email the Editor