FORGOTTEN WAR WITH MEMORABLE LESSONS TO TEACH:

AUDIO: Victory in Tripoli: How America's War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation (Joshua London, April 6, 2006, Heritage Foundation)

At the dawn of a new century, a newly elected U.S. president was forced to confront an escalating series of unprovoked attacks on Americans by Muslim terrorists sworn to carry out jihad against all Western powers. As timely and familiar as these events may seem, they occurred more than two centuries ago. The President was Thomas Jefferson, and the terrorists were the Barbary pirates. Victory in Tripoli recounts the untold story of one of the defining challenges overcome by the young U.S. republic and reviews every aspect of the first U.S. military campaign through foreign lands.

Standing alone against the pirates, the young nation would learn valuable lessons in cross-cultural diplomacy, diplomatic maneuvering, and the projection of military might as an extension of public policy. This dramatic tale examines the events that gave birth to the Navy and the Marines and re-creates the startling political, diplomatic, and military battles that were central to the conflict … and offers deep insight into issues that remain fundamental to U.S. foreign policy decisions to this day.

We enjoyed Mr. London's book very much, and interviewed him here. You can listen to this lecture on-line.

MORE:
-REVIEW ESSAY: America’s First War on Terror (Andrew G. Bostom, May 4, 2006, FrontPageMagazine.com)

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 4, 2006 4:58 PM