Overview

Much can be learned today about the nature of irregular warfare, the author argues, from the experiences of the United States and the other protagonists in Central America during the final decade of the Cold War. This strategy and policy analysis examines the origins, dynamics, and termination of the Sandinista insurrection in Nicaragua, the Salvadoran government's decade-long counterinsurgency against the FMLN guerrillas, and the Contra insurgency against the Sandinistas. Todd Greentree establishes the historical, political, and conceptual relationship between U.S. involvement in the Central American wars, the Vietnam War, and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then develops a general analytical framework for understanding the fundamental and recurring nature of insurgency, counterinsurgency, and intervention. Greentree cites U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s as clearly demonstrating the costs, risks, and limits to intervention and the use of force in internal conflicts and warns that the consequences of such involvement must not be forgotten.

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9781591143437

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Crossroads of Intervention is a superb examination of the Central American wars of the 1980s. Greentree brilliantly describes the mixed motives, unintended consequences, and moral dilemmas of these wars, and persuasively brings to light their status as a bridge between Vietnam and Iraq. Military strategists keen on learning more about irregular warfare will find rich rewards in this study. Greentree knows the region intimately and has a knack for asking-and answering persuasively-the larger questions. Briskly written and eminently readable, this work belongs on the bookshelf of all students of American foreign and military policy. -David Hendrickson, Professor of Political Science, Colorado College

In the author's view, U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s clearly demonstrated the limits of intervention and use of force in internal conflicts. He believes that much can be learned today from our experience in those cases because, while U.S. aims were achieved, the operations had no tangible impact on the greater purpose -- the Cold War overall. -Proceedings Between Vietnam and Iraq, the United States was involved in another set of now-forgotten conflicts in Central America during which it was forced, painfully, to re-learn the principles of insurgency counterinsurgency warfare. Crossroads of Intervention tells this tale in a gripping fashion, and demonstrates the essential continuity in the nature of these conflicts. It's only too bad that this book had not been available before the start of the Iraq War. -Francis Fukuyama, Bernard Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and Director, International Development Program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Crossroads of Intervention is a superb examination of the Central American wars of the 1980s. Greentree brilliantly describes the mixed motives, unintended consequences, and moral dilemmas of these wars, and persuasively brings to light their status as a bridge between Vietnam and Iraq. Military strategists keen on learning more about irregular warfare will find rich rewards in this study. Greentree knows the region intimately and has a knack for asking-and answering persuasively-the larger questions. Briskly written and eminently readable, this work belongs on the bookshelf of all students of American foreign and military policy. -David Hendrickson, Professor of Political Science, Colorado College Crossroads of Intervention is a superlative book, even-handed, succinct, and laced with shrewd judgments. Todd Greentree demolishes the cliches that both the left and the right have devised to describe American involvement in the wars that battered El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s. The result is a model of good scholarship, with considerable relevance to present-day U. S. foreign policy. -Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War

Between Vietnam and Iraq, the United States was involved in another set of now-forgotten conflicts in Central America during which it was forced, painfully, to re-learn the principles of insurgency counterinsurgency warfare. Crossroads of Intervention tells this tale in a gripping fashion, and demonstrates the essential continuity in the nature of these conflicts. It's only too bad that this book had not been available before the start of the Iraq War. -Francis Fukuyama, Bernard Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and Director, International Development Program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Crossroads of Intervention is a superb examination of the Central American wars of the 1980s. Greentree brilliantly describes the mixed motives, unintended consequences, and moral dilemmas of these wars, and persuasively brings to light their status as a bridge between Vietnam and Iraq. Military strategists keen on learning more about irregular warfare will find rich rewards in this study. Greentree knows the region intimately and has a knack for asking-and answering persuasively-the larger questions. Briskly written and eminently readable, this work belongs on the bookshelf of all students of American foreign and military policy. -David Hendrickson, Professor of Political Science, Colorado College Crossroads of Intervention is a superlative book, even-handed, succinct, and laced with shrewd judgments. Todd Greentree demolishes the cliches that both the left and the right have devised to describe American involvement in the wars that battered El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s. The result is a model of good scholarship, with considerable relevance to present-day U. S. foreign policy. -Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War In the author's view, U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s clearly demonstrated the limits of intervention and use of force in internal conflicts. He believes that much can be learned today from our experience in those cases because, while U.S. aims were achieved, the operations had no tangible impact on the greater purpose -- the Cold War overall. -Proceedings

""Between Vietnam and Iraq, the United States was involved in another set of now-forgotten conflicts in Central America during which it was forced, painfully, to re-learn the principles of insurgency counterinsurgency warfare. Crossroads of Intervention tells this tale in a gripping fashion, and demonstrates the essential continuity in the nature of these conflicts. It's only too bad that this book had not been available before the start of the Iraq War.""-Francis Fukuyama, Bernard Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and Director, International Development Program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University ""Crossroads of Intervention is a superb examination of the Central American wars of the 1980s. Greentree brilliantly describes the mixed motives, unintended consequences, and moral dilemmas of these wars, and persuasively brings to light their status as a bridge between Vietnam and Iraq. Military strategists keen on learning more about irregular warfare will find rich rewards in this study. Greentree knows the region intimately and has a knack for asking-and answering persuasively-the larger questions. Briskly written and eminently readable, this work belongs on the bookshelf of all students of American foreign and military policy.""-David Hendrickson, Professor of Political Science, Colorado College ""Crossroads of Intervention is a superlative book, even-handed, succinct, and laced with shrewd judgments. Todd Greentree demolishes the cliches that both the left and the right have devised to describe American involvement in the wars that battered El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s. The result is a model of good scholarship, with considerable relevance to present-day U. S. foreign policy.""-Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War ""In the author's view, U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s clearly demonstrated the limits of intervention and use of force in internal conflicts. He believes that much can be learned today from our experience in those cases because, while U.S. aims were achieved, the operations ""had no tangible impact"" on the ""greater purpose"" -- the Cold War overall.""-Proceedings

In the author's view, U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s clearly demonstrated the limits of intervention and use of force in internal conflicts. He believes that much can be learned today from our experience in those cases because, while U.S. aims were achieved, the operations had no tangible impact on the greater purpose -- the Cold War overall. -Proceedings Crossroads of Intervention is a superlative book, even-handed, succinct, and laced with shrewd judgments. Todd Greentree demolishes the cliches that both the left and the right have devised to describe American involvement in the wars that battered El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s. The result is a model of good scholarship, with considerable relevance to present-day U. S. foreign policy. -Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War Between Vietnam and Iraq, the United States was involved in another set of now-forgotten conflicts in Central America during which it was forced, painfully, to re-learn the principles of insurgency counterinsurgency warfare. Crossroads of Intervention tells this tale in a gripping fashion, and demonstrates the essential continuity in the nature of these conflicts. It's only too bad that this book had not been available before the start of the Iraq War. -Francis Fukuyama, Bernard Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and Director, International Development Program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Crossroads of Intervention is a superb examination of the Central American wars of the 1980s. Greentree brilliantly describes the mixed motives, unintended consequences, and moral dilemmas of these wars, and persuasively brings to light their status as a bridge between Vietnam and Iraq. Military strategists keen on learning more about irregular warfare will find rich rewards in this study. Greentree knows the region intimately and has a knack for asking-and answering persuasively-the larger questions. Briskly written and eminently readable, this work belongs on the bookshelf of all students of American foreign and military policy. -David Hendrickson, Professor of Political Science, Colorado College

In the author's view, U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s clearly demonstrated the limits of intervention and use of force in internal conflicts. He believes that much can be learned today from our experience in those cases because, while U.S. aims were achieved, the operations had no tangible impact on the greater purpose -- the Cold War overall. -Proceedings Crossroads of Intervention is a superlative book, even-handed, succinct, and laced with shrewd judgments. Todd Greentree demolishes the cliches that both the left and the right have devised to describe American involvement in the wars that battered El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s. The result is a model of good scholarship, with considerable relevance to present-day U. S. foreign policy. -Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War Crossroads of Intervention is a superb examination of the Central American wars of the 1980s. Greentree brilliantly describes the mixed motives, unintended consequences, and moral dilemmas of these wars, and persuasively brings to light their status as a bridge between Vietnam and Iraq. Military strategists keen on learning more about irregular warfare will find rich rewards in this study. Greentree knows the region intimately and has a knack for asking-and answering persuasively-the larger questions. Briskly written and eminently readable, this work belongs on the bookshelf of all students of American foreign and military policy. -David Hendrickson, Professor of Political Science, Colorado College Between Vietnam and Iraq, the United States was involved in another set of now-forgotten conflicts in Central America during which it was forced, painfully, to re-learn the principles of insurgency counterinsurgency warfare. Crossroads of Intervention tells this tale in a gripping fashion, and demonstrates the essential continuity in the nature of these conflicts. It's only too bad that this book had not been available before the start of the Iraq War. -Francis Fukuyama, Bernard Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and Director, International Development Program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

Author Information

Todd Greentree was a Foreign Service officer in El Salvador, Angola, and other conflict countries and now serves as a brigade political adviser in Afghanistan. His home is in Santa Fe, NM.

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