A Book Every Military Strategist and Politician Should Read

WASHINGTON, October 6, 2009--Eight years after 9/11 and in the shadow of two protracted U.S. military campaigns in the Middle East, the enemy is not only undefeated but emboldened and resurgent. What went wrong--and what should we do going forward?  This is the subject of a new book by Elan Journo, analyst with the Ayn Rand Center.

“Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism” shows how our own policy ideas led to 9/11 and then crippled our response in the Middle East. Journo makes the case for an unsettling conclusion: By subordinating military victory to perverse, allegedly moral constraints, Washington’s policy has undermined our national security.

We need a new moral foundation for our Middle East policy. That new starting point for U.S. policy is the moral ideal championed by the philosopher Ayn Rand: rational self-interest. Implementing this approach entails objectively defining our national interest as protecting the lives and freedoms of Americans--and then taking principled action to safeguard them. The book lays out the necessary steps for achieving victory and for securing America’s long-range interests in the volatile Middle East.

To learn more about the book, or read an excerpt, visit: http://winningtheunwinnablewar.com/

 
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Elan Journo is available for interviews. To interview Mr. Journo or book him for your show, please e-mail media@aynrandcenter.org

For more articles by Elan Journo, and his bio, click here.