Casebooks & Policy Issues
The "American Empire" in the Middle East
Max Boot, Book #4148, $10
"This may turn out to be one of those hinge moments in history-events like the storming of the Bastille or the fall of the Berlin wall-after which everything is different."-Max Boot on the war in Iraq.
In this challenging and thought-provoking look at the war in Iraq and America's role in the Middle East, Boot argues that preemptive war is nothing new and most wars that Americans have fought have been "wars of choice." Nor, he asserts, is there anything new about wars in which U.S. troops act as "social workers." Contrary to popular myth he argues, more often than not, America has fought wars without a vital national interest, without significant popular support, without a declaration of war, and without an exit strategy. And the world, he says, is a better place for it.
Max Boot is a senior fellow in national securities studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and a contributing editor to the Weekly Standard. This series of three talks at Berkeley are drawn from, and expand on, his new book, The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power.
Strategy, Ethics, and the War on Terrorism
Albert C. Pierce, Book #4040, $15.95
In two long, thoughtful essays, Albert Pierce, the first director of the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy, explores the shifting terrain where strategy and ethics collide in the war on terrorism. The third piece of this important work is a detailed case study of the United States' ill-fated intervention in Haiti. Pierce, a professor of military strategy at the National War College, is currently directing a multi-year project on ethical challenges and the future of conflict.
Lessons from the Iraq War
Robert H. Scales, Jr., 78 pages, Book #4164, $10
A decorated soldier and a distinguished scholar, Major General Robert H. Scales, Jr. USA (ret.) is the author of Certain Victory, the official account of the Army in the Gulf War, and Firepower in Limited War, a history of the evolution of firepower doctrine since the end of the Korean War. In 1995 Scales created the Army After Next program, which was the Army's first attempt to build a strategic game and operational concept for future land warfare. This volume, Lessons from the Iraq War, is drawn from a series of talks Scales gave in the Spring of 2004 as the Nimitz Memorial Lecturer at UC, Berkeley. He offers an insider's analysis of and insight into the Iraq war. Casting his observations forward, Scales reflects on what these events augur for the future of warfare and how the American military will adapt to what it has learned.
Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action-Interactive Case Study Curriculum for Multicultural Dispute Resolution
Nancy Erbe, 185 pages, Book #4113, $24.95
"Many case studies in conflict resolution are only results oriented, which limits students and instructors from exploring the true-to-life complexities of the field. The studies in this text are process oriented. No preselected answers or results are provided, which models the obvious nature of actual conflict resolution. These case studies lead readers to challenge their own ethical awareness, instincts, and knowledge. They pose difficult, pertinent questions whose responses require careful reflection and research, such as 'Are you aware of different cultural perceptions regarding "interruption"?' and 'How does intimidation look, sound, and feel?' Case studies force readers to confront issues, both personal and impersonal, that they will inevitably encounter in real life conflict resolution scenarios.
"Being process oriented, the case studies presented in the text are helpful for instructors and students in many parts of the world. The principles debated and reflected upon are relevant to more than just the 'western' style mediator-they are applicable in numerous professional and cultural settings and prepare students for conflict resolution involving diverse actors, interests, and communication styles.
"After experiencing the realities of working in conflict resolution and peace building in the Balkans, I . . . have found [Nancy Erbe's unique lesson plans] reflected, more than any other classroom I was a part of, the realities of working in the field, and the difficulties of working with concepts such as 'violence,' 'peace,' and 'nonviolent conflict resolution' with individuals of different cultures."
-- Daniel Perez, Fulbright Scholar, Albania
"Professor Nancy Erbe introduces different levels and dimensions of conflicts, ranging from interpersonal to interethnic to international ones and offers valuable tools for mediators and arbitrators. The focus is on the fact that more and more global violence is interethnic or intergroup by nature and how 'citizen diplomacy' or what came to be known as 'second track diplomacy' by individuals and nonstate actors might bring about peaceful resolutions. The approach seems promising, especially with issues that have become intractable and where traditional international dispute resolution mechanisms can do little in terms of bringing critical social and political change."
-- Tenzin Bhuchung, Rotary World Peace Scholar
California Casebooks are a joint project of IGS and the Center for California State Studies at CSU, Sacramento. This project produced both California Public Management Casebook and Making Government Work. These two California casebooks may be purchased as a set for $35.
California Public Management Casebook
Barry Keene, ed., 245pp, Book #3915, $21.95
Our hopes for a better world depend on attracting to government leaders who not only have good intentions, but the wisdom to see the difference between good intentions and good public policy and the political skills to see that the best of their intentions become law. These cases help students understand and appreciate the realities of public service. -- Former State Senator Barry Keene
Free teaching tips! Teaching With Cases (zipped WordPerfect 9 file, or right-click and use "Save Link as..." to save a plain Wordperfect file)
Making Government Work: California Cases in Policy, Politics, and Public Management
Barry Keene, ed., 210 pages, Book #3966, $21.95
Shaping public policy in a huge, diverse state like California is seldom easy. Those who hold power can rarely wield it without restraint. There are political rivals, interest groups, and wavering allies. Making Government Work teaches how to achieve public policy goals by thinking and acting politically.
Perspectives on Humanitarian Military Intervention, George R. Lucas, Jr., 84pp, Book #3990, $15.95
General Zinni, who has been involved in a dozen humanitarian interventions, bases his response on his experiences in Somalia from 1992 to1995. His gritty, on-the-ground approach, published here for the first time, raises sharp new questions about the moral and ethical concerns posed by Dr. Lucas. Part of the Nimitz Lecture Series, this unique colloquy will help focus the reflections of military and civilian scholars and policymakers, students of military science, and future military officers on the great moral challenges and choices that interventionism poses for the American public and for its political and military leadership.
Minoritized Space: An Inquiry into the Spatial Order of Things
Michel Laguerre, 152pp, Book #3877, $15
In order to have ethnic minorities one must create a minoritized space, argues Laguerre. He provides a conceptual framework for the mechanisms that produce this minoritized space, the way it operates, and the technology of its reproduction, and explains how and why the spatial question is intrinsic to the minority question and crucial to our reevaluation of minority status in America.
Economic Earthquakes: Converting Defense Cuts to Economic Opportunities
Patrick Lloyd Hatcher., 221pp., Book # 3575, $21.95
In the 90s, California's economy bounced back after a decade of sharp cuts in defense spending. In three excellent case studies, Hatcher explains how out-moded military bases were converted into community productive assets.
