Military Review English Edition January-February 2015 | Page 132

investments, and the absence of any internal conflicts,
Qatar’s success will probably continue for the foreseeable future.
Just over 200 pages, the book moves quickly through each of the arguments. Along the way,
Kamrava delves deeply into supporting topics such
as the nation’s history; its political scene; internal
Shia and Sunni relations; everyone’s favorite media
whipping boy, the Arabic-language media network
Al-Jazeera; Qatar’s role as a regional mediator; and the
country’s larger diplomatic efforts. Noticeably absent,
however, is the outright declaration that the major
player in the region is the United States, bar none, and
Qatar’s rise is largely hinged on U.S. acquiescence. Let
us be honest for a moment: Qatar enjoys its global
stature because the United States allows it, oil and
natural gas reserves notwithstanding.
By and large, Qatar provides an in-depth look at this
small nation’s politics, power, and regional and global
influence. Readers glean a thorough understanding of
what makes Qatar operate. As an elite member on the
international scene, Qatar’s influence has been widely
recognized among the global powerbrokers, but not so
much by the general public. After reading it, you gain
a better understanding of why it is hosting the 2022
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
World Cup, why they accepted the Taliban Five, and
why major U.S. universities are flocking to the country.
Considering what is going on in the Middle East today,
military practitioners of all stripes should read this
book over a weekend.
Maj. John L. Hewitt III, U.S. Army, Sumter, S.C.

CONFLICT AND COMMAND: Civil War History
Readers, Volume 1
Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio, 2012,
336 pages

A

s a collection of Civil War History articles,
this text is on time and on target. Owing a
great deal to the generations that came before,
this compilation of articles from the Journal of Civil
War History provides the reader a true primary research source for accounts by those close to the actors
in the drama that was the Civil War. Avid historians
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provide much of the material and introduce concepts
based on selected themes that both orient the reader
and offer additional means to decipher the challenges
of, and rationales for, actions taken during the course of
the war and its immediate aftermath.
This is a compelling collection and the ideal approach to truly embracing the lessons of the most significant period of the nineteenth century in America.
The current edition (Volume I) leaves the reviewer
in great admiration of the different authors, and the
quality of the individual pieces illuminates current
understanding of the Civil War. Considering that we
are in the midst of the 150th anniversary of some of
the most bloody and savage fighting of the war (1864),
the volume provides a timely and outstanding list of
contributors.
One of the most compelling apparent misconceptions unraveled through the reprinting of
original publication material pertains to Maj. Gen.
George McClellan. It has become virtually axiomatic among Civil War historians that McClellan
suffered from the “slows,” a penchant for indecisiveness and inactivity during many vital actions of
the war. A conventional accusation leveled against
him to explain the alleged slowness is an overactive
imagination that greatly expanded his perception
of opposing enemy strength, which in turn led to
continuous requests for reinforcements together
with reluctance to act until such reinforcements
were received. However, the material presented in
this volume proposes an alternate explanation: he
believed and was following the advice provided to
him by the intelligence service supporting him that
was supposed to be reliable.
The additional insight from this compilation
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