Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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 Revolutions in Military Affairs and the War on Terror: Conversation with Max Boot, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; November 6, 2006, by Harry Kreisler

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our distinguished guest today is Max Boot who is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a columnist for the LA Times. His new book is War Made New: Technology, Warfare and the Course of History 1500 to Today.

  1. Warfare Technology in History ... transforming the military ... gunpowder ... first industrial revolution ... inventions and the military's use of them
  2. Spinoffs from War Technology ... the impetus for the rise of states ... bureaucracy and centralization ... organization of modern life and business ... reprivitization of the military
  3. Twentiety-Century Wars ... WWI technology stalemate ... WWII and the harnessing of resources ... U.S. and U.S.S.R. ... fighting the last war or the next war
  4. The Post - Cold War World ... Soviet downfall in Afghanistan ... U.S. military dominance ... newest technologies quickly superceded ... hierarchies vs. networks ... loss of obvious targets ... terrorism's new level of technology
  5. Beyond Technology: People ... limits of technology ... importance of universities ... cultural understanding ... improvisation vs. bureaucracy in warfare
  6. The Iraq War ... Rumsfeld's transformation put to the test ... lack of planning structures for postwar occupation ... difficulty of nation-building ... Lebanon-Israel war: firepower vs. information war
  7. Conclusion ... labels ... power of American ideals ... nonmilitary resources for transforming the world ... disappointment with handling of the war ... implementation failures despite past business success of leaders ... future of civilian-military relationship in U.S. ... defeat inspires reform
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