New Glory by Ralph Peters - Essay Example

"New Glory" by Ralph Peter [The of the appears here] [The of appears here] Section A Ralph Peters is a novelist, strategist, as well as commentator. He is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who worked for infantry and intelligence units before becoming a Foreign Area Officer and a global tactical reconnoiter for the Pentagon. He is the writer of twenty books and a number of columns, articles and essays. Ralph Peters has written several bestsellers with international settings and prize-winning historical novels on the subject of the American Civil War. Ralph Peters' "New Glory" subtitled "Expanding America's Global Supremacy" takes the person who reads on a world tour, informs what is erroneous in each region and advises what American course of action should be. He as well looks at a variety of military and foreign policy issues and presents intelligent interpretation. Peters long traveled the world like an Army intelligence officer. In "New Glory," he makes use of his real-world familiarity to convey a State-of-the-World message. In this book Ralph Peters stresses for a realignment of U.S. engagements out of the country and changing its military and political corps in his analysis of national policy. The debate gave emphasis to the value of practical experience and travel in a foreign country. He as well talked about the importance of learning from history, immigration plus human rights. (Ralph Peters, 2005) In this energetic although hardly ever penetrating geo-political screed, the battle lines are ascetically drawn. On one side are Americans, who are so victorious, so influential, so prosperous and so humanitarian that our very subsistence disgraces the failed and failing around the world, helped by the other English-speaking peoples and the promising areas of India, Africa as well as Latin America. Contrasting us is the Islamic Middle East, a kingdom of wickedness and illness of the soul, the global blights of terror campaign and corruption and, most horrible of all, France, a.k.a. that cruel child in the middle of nations, "the cancer at the heart of Europe," "a two-bit Soviet Union" as well as "poisonous snake." America's achievement counts on killing intrepidly when killing is essential, but we have to be cautious in case our ferociousness is undermined by Pentagon court eunuchs who insist that war be cheap plus bloodless. In this book Peters coalesces merciless military adages i.e., attest your conquest by sowing your flag in your dead enemy's eye socket with unprepared disquisitions on Renaissance art as well as the novels of Anthony Trollope. However his mixture of stoic verities, intellectual insinuation and extreme overgeneralizations regarding national character barely amounts to a reliable strategic idea. He wishes America to champion human rights, however as well practice torture and killing where needed, and to make sure that our military operations impose the necessary destruction and pain on the opponent population. (Ralph Peters, 2005) In this book Peters notifies mainly two stories of historical events that find out the way world is at present. In 1509, Portuguese man of wars engaged in a life and death fight with Turkish ships at Diu off the shore in India. The Turks came into view to take control in the early moments of the fight as Lisbon admiral-viceroy Francisco de Almeida saw his son die in the opening torrents. The Portuguese admiral continued his stoic nature and serenely used his sailors' superior abilities on the open Ocean and ripped the Turkish ships to one side. Nor did he take numerous prisoners as he ordered his men in boats to eliminate the survivors combating for their lives in the ocean. Captured prisoners discovered themselves at the receiving end of torture. (Ralph Peters, 2005) The Portuguese, similar to their Spaniard compatriots, battled the Moslem empire for almost a millennium on the Iberian Peninsula and for these combatants; there would be no pity for their Moslem enemies regardless of where they were located. This fight permitted the West to grab control of necessary sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean. The next story contends with Muslim theorist Ulug Begh, who was linked to Timur the Great. Begh was a talented man and all through his life he lived as a leader, scientist, poet, soldier and even as astronomer. The "mad mullahs" of his day killed the enlightened Begh, as his thoughts intimidated the power structure. In the West, Johannes Guttenberg made-up the printing press nearly the same time of Begh's murder. (Ralph Peters, 2005) Guttenberg's printing press provided the West the vehicle wanted to move ahead and progress. The printing press permitted view and ideas long controlled by the authorities to get beyond the best of its day and confront the status quo. In the meantime in East, the Muslim civilization no longer hunted progress. All that was identified was known and there was no requirement for more thoughts. The Muslim world stood still compared to the West from this point onward. (Ralph Peters, 2005) The battle between the Muslim world and the West was a clash that continued over a millennium, and started some three hundred years before the crusades. Peters writes that the crusade was a calamity for the West, however not for the cause often believes. The crusade started as the West's endeavor to recapture the Holy Land, and disunity among the Moslems permitted Christians access in the Middle East. As the crusade continued, Western Christians spent most time attacking their eastern Christian fellow citizen as Muslims. This continuous warring among Christians wane the Byzantine Empire, the last settlement of Christians against Moslem infringement in Central Europe. One time the Byzantine Empire finally distorted, the Turks marched into Central Europe straight to the gate of Vienna. (Ralph Peters, 2005) Also in this book Peters analyze the fight of Vienna in 1683, a battle that resolute the destiny of Central Europe. The destiny of the West hung in the balance; also it took the tall Polish King Jan Sobieksi to accumulate the West. Whereas the Catholic Poles stood by their Austrian brothers, France King Louis XIV had previously done an agreement with the Turkish Sultan not to interfere in the battle. France was completely eager to permit much of Central Europe fall in the hands of the Moslem Turks, if it intended that France would control the rest of Europe. As Peter's witticism, "He set a pattern from which the policy of France has rarely strayed." (Ralph Peters, 2005) The Polish bravery and cleverness saved Vienna, and made certain the ultimate decline of the Ottoman Empire, and the retreat of the Turks from Europe. Peters concluded, "Christendom saved by a Polish king. Poland's thanks was dismemberment n the next century, as rulers of Austria, Russia, and Prussia partitioned its territory, and drove its heroes abroad to fight for freedom elsewhere in Europe or Americas." (Ralph Peters, 2005) In New Glory he discusses that the old Europe is deteriorating fast, and the Middle East has previously failed. The United States have to give attention to the Southern Hemisphere. Peters leaves France, Germany and even leaves Russia into the past. He notices the future in places like South Africa, India, Indonesia, Mexico as well as Brazil. To show the future, he says, the United States must export its own revolutions to these regions its revolutionary looms to religious broadmindedness, human rights and particularly women's rights. "If we could summon any dead and buried 'strategist' to help us understand the Middle East's dysfunction," he inscribes, "we wouldn't want to conjure Carl von Clausewitz. We'd need to revive the spirit of Sigmund Freud. The War of Terror is a global struggle to decide the fate of women. Islam's great weakness is that it's afraid of the girls." (Ralph Peters, 2005) Until the United States obtains cracking on an alternate for oil, Americans will be fastened to the dead horse of the Middle East. Peters observes hope for Islam on the perimeter, in places like Indonesia. Factual, he expects that things work out in Iraq and after that in neighboring states. However if not, he is eager to write the region off, once we no longer want its oil. To put forth its power in these southern regions, the United States needs to find again Alfred Thayer Mahan, the nautical thinker who uttered what had been noticeable for centuries: He who controls the sea controls the world. In addition while Peters is going about reforming the Navy, he would disintegrate the Air Force, which he calls sadly corrupt. Similar to lots of conservatives, Peters has no use for the United Nations. However like the majority liberals, he has little use for unilateralism. His way out: undermine the United Nations by amplification of other institutions, or even constructing new ones say, an Alliance of Democratic Nations. Not those liberals will bob at everything in this book. Peters believes that liberty of speech has gone too far on the Internet. He utters that, at a number of point, U.S. soldiers are going to have to kick the bucket a few rounds at Al-Jazeera film crews. Furthermore he makes no bones regarding his feeling that the merely way to cope with Islamist terrorists is to kill them. Still, it is not easy to set to one side a book with a chapter that starts this manner: "Whenever the State Department issues a travel warning for any location in Southeast Asia I know exactly what I'll find when I get there: Australians drinking beer around the pool." (Ralph Peters, 2005) As Peters' novels have revealed, he has an ear for the superb tempo of iambic pentameter. In this book, he entitles Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe "a president for life who deals in death." In telling technology, he articulates, The Internet creates authenticity. Of confront from Islamist terrorism, he declares, we will not lose our souls by combating back. (Ralph Peters, 2005) Section B Review #1 Mr. Peters says that America has a future as great as its past if it is willing to be intelligent, flexible, and fresh in its approaches to the complexities in the present world. He advocates moving away from our traditional ties to Europe because of their ossification and inwardness. They are too corrupt to do anything but to continue their decay. Instead, Peters advocates that America turn to building positive relations with South America and Africa, to work on influencing the non-Arab Muslims in Asia and India, and to rely on positive economic development with these groups rather than sheer military force. (Amazon 33rd Review, 2005) The author says that in the present War on Terror, which must be fought, we have not been fierce enough. We need to break the enemy and destroy him until he sues for peace. If all we want is to fight to bring them to the table to talk our enemy wins because not losing is enough to achieve their aims. Mr. Peters has no use for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He also thinks that the Air Force has been far too influential in military planning. We spend far too much on its projects that contribute almost nothing to our ability to actually wage war. The expensive weapons have to stay too far above the battlefield to provide the true air support needed to aid the men on the ground. Peters holds to the doctrine that war is awful and bloody and must be won by men driving the enemy from the field through violence and slaughter. It is ugly, but it is what war is about. To this end he advocates the abolition of the Air Force and to divide its assets between the Navy and the Army and to revive the Army Air Corps. (Amazon 33rd Review, 2005) Mr. Peters want America to succeed, prosper, and add to its glory in the world. Whether or not he has the right prescription is up to you. This is a very different kind of discussion, but quite interesting and very much worth reading. (Amazon 33rd Review, 2005) Review #2 Ralph Peter's view of the world is one that Satan would surely admire. Ralph cares about one country in this world and that is the United States. The way he talks about the Middle East is so over generalized and actually pretty funny. If anyone takes this book seriously, for the love of God find help. Just like all the other insane fascist, his view of Afghanistan and Iraq are inhumane. No one seems to get that fighting terrorist with violence is like trying to get rid of drugs by just throwing people into prisons. Ralph Peters will have a lot to answer to after death. (Andrew, 2005). Review #3 New Glory is an entertaining read. However, Peters seems to have a grudge against Rumsfeld and his "Neo-Con" advisors. This book is perfect for those who love the United States but hate the Bush Administration. Unfortunately for Peters, the people who love the United States usually don't hate the Bush Administration (disagree with, maybe, but hate, no) and those that hate the Administration usually don't love the United States (effusive protestations, not withstanding). (S. Ryan "Loser", 2005) Section C Ralph Peters has written an outstanding book that presents challenging food for thought. You can in no way lay blame on the writer of writing in a monotonous or dreary style. Whole book demonstrates the reliability and intelligibility of mind of an individual who exhibits an American sense of temperance, strong commonsensical and a vigorous, unwaverable hopefulness. In this bleak age of al-Qaeda, Hurricane Katrina, al-Zarqawi as well as the Iraq War, Ralph Peters' new book unquestionably notifies us to remain optimistic. The 20 essays enclosed within this great book talk about self-control and commonsensical in our planned approach to the world we share with billions of others. He argues for the assassination of this Islamic extremist or that, but truthfully this is a War on Terror we are fighting, and do such incorrigible souls like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Osama bin Laden in actual fact have to to walk this Earth. Ralph Peters as well presents amusing, contemptuous analysis of our European Allies and the Islamic world. What makes this book really; most of Peter's writings so excellent are that besides everything else, parts of it are utter funny. The on the whole message in New Glory is to stay optimistic as we look to the future. America can still develop numerous influential alliances in this new century; however we have to do so with common sense, self-control, and value for our partners instead of this high-nosed conceit we have showed recently and the American kindness that has made our country a great and unblemished bonfire of freedom in this world. We must get back to being the good Americans that the devastating core of this country previously is, and our leaders have to stop creating this image of Americans as invasive and interfering gluttony driven political hacks. He constantly travels alone to places our diplomats fright to walk and comes back with fresh and perceptive views on the world. A lot of the book contends with his analysis of the war on terror as well as as an experienced person of both lasting liberty in Afghanistan and Iraqi independence. His condemnations of what went crooked in both campaigns are spot on. He is as well overwhelming in his commentary in accordance with the "anti war left". Ralph Peter's only true faithfulness is to the United States and the soldiers, Airmen, Sailors also Marines who serve. The majority Americans knows this; one wishes our politicians would go through this book and after that show more testicular strength in their conducting our two Middle Eastern incursions. One of the most motivating parts of the book was his take on Africa. Not like several of our spotlessly clean international studies community who imitate each other, Ralph Peters takes an unpredicted position when he rejects to write Africa off as a basket case. His optimistic analysis for this troubled continent was conceivably the most astonishing thing in this book. For some drawn out, "New Glory" goes astray into a number of pages of abstraction. And Peters has little to say on the subject of two challenges that lots of Americans see alarming: China as well as the outsourcing of labor that shoots from globalization. But possibly that figures. Thus for all of its thunder and lightning I must say that "New Glory" is a work of hopefulness, written by a writer sheered in history and religious studies and geopolitics and also even in fine art. Reference: Amazon 33rd Review (2005). A very different prescription for expanding America's global supremacy, August 25, 2005 Andrew (2005). Heartless; Amazon Review; September 15 (Atlanta GA) Ralph Peters (2005). New Glory: Expanding America's Global Supremacy (Hardcover); Sentinel HC S. Ryan "Loser" (2005). Author has great 20/20 hindsight; Amazon Review. September 29, (Dallas, TX) Read More