The 2008 Warlord Loop Reading List

Introduction and reading list posted here with permission of the author and Proceedings.

John M. Collins began to amass military experience when he enlisted in the Army as a private in 1942. Thirty years and three wars later, in 1972, he retired as a colonel. He spent the next quarter century as the leading analyst on military and defense issues at the Congressional Research Service. Seven years ago, he established the Warlord Loop, a by-invitation-only e-mail forum that fosters voluminous, freewheeling exchanges seven days a week. Resultant brainstorming is roughly equivalent to a graduate education in national security at no cost save time expended.

The Warlord Loop's current reading list features two books apiece that a cross section of 300 cosmopolitan members believe would best enable practitioners at every level to prepare for an uncertain future and concurrently help concerned citizens understand salient issues.

This compilation differs from countless competitive lists because contributors include civilian national security specialists along with Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard representatives who range in rank from NCO stripes to four-stars. Males, females, liberals, conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, and nonpartisans touch every point on the public opinion spectrum.

One note -- My two selections were The Village by Bing West and Fiasco by Tom Ricks. Apparently during the editing process, The Village was replaced with Dreams and Shadows by Robin Wright -- a fine book I'm sure -- but not one that I've had the opportunity to read just yet.

Continue on to the 2008 Warlord Loop Reading List.