Peace is Hell: Why America Struggles to Create Stability After Conflict

In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Doyle Hodges, the executive editor of the Texas National Security Review, sits down with author Dr. Brendan Gallagher to discuss his book, The Day After: Why America Wins the War but Loses the Peace. America has been successful in the battlefield aspects of its military endeavors but has struggled over the last two decades to find lasting political solutions that are acceptable to all parties after the conflict has ended. As Dr. Gallagher says in the introduction, “This is a book about an uncomfortable subject. Why does the most powerful nation in the world achieve triumphant military victories, but botch nearly everything that comes next?” Dr. Gallagher’s perspective is informed by his time as an active duty infantry officer with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The views in his book are his own personal views, and not necessarily those of the Department of Defense, the Army, or any particular Army unit.