American Nation-Building

Nation-building efforts by the United States and the international community have led to both success and failure, overwhelming support and debilitating controversy. Some are motivated by national security interests; others by humanitarian concerns. They seem to have exploded since the end of the Cold War but in fact have long been used as a foreign policy tool.
What they all have in common is a substantial investment of troops, treasure and time. There is no formula—each operation is unique, with lessons to be learned and trends noted. Examining the history of America’s experience, this book describes the mechanisms behind what often appears to be a haphazard enterprise.

Kevin Dougherty, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, is the assistant commandant for leadership programs and an adjunct professor at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.

Robert J. Pauly, Jr., is an associate professor of international development at the University of Southern Mississippi, focusing on U.S. foreign policy, national security and the Greater Middle East.

Kevin Dougherty and Robert J. Pauly, Jr.

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 240
Bibliographic Info: 13 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9796-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2821-9
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 5
1. ­Nation-Building in Context 9
2. The Cases for and Against ­Nation-Building 16
3. Altruistic ­Nation-Building: Somalia 30
4. ­Self-Interested ­Nation-Building: Roosevelt’s Corollary 44
5. Sequencing Security: The Philippines and Germany 57
6. Armed Resistance to ­Nation-Building: The U.S. South during Reconstruction 71
7. ­Nation-Building at the Local Level: Vietnam 94
8. ­Nation-Building at the National Level: Iraq 112
9. ­Nation-Building and Civil Society: Mitchelville 131
10. The American Government as ­Nation-Builder: USAID in Afghanistan 149
11. NGOs and IGOs as ­Nation-Builders: Bosnia 172
12. The Future of Nation–and ­State-Building 189
Chapter Notes 199
Bibliography 219
Index 229