Military Review English Edition July-August 2015 | Page 121

BOOK REVIEWS

“automated” killing systems (i.e., no human-in-the-loop
decision making).
The book is well written. The author provides abundant research notes, cites appropriate legal frameworks,
and indicates where the United States stands with
respect to each of them. The flow of the information
is logical, and most chapters begin with an overview
of the issue. It provides a well-documented discussion that uses credible research facts and then usually
finishes with a concluding paragraph that elaborates on
the friction points.
I highly recommend this book for military officers.
It provides discussion of the appropriate legal and
moral issues, and it makes the reader consider the
second- and third-order effects created by some of
our unique weapon systems and how those effects will
likely impact our ability to employ such weapons in
the future.
Lt. Col. George Hodge, U.S. Army, Retired,
Lansing, Kansas

MY LIFE AS A FOREIGN COUNTRY: A Memoir
Brian Turner, W.W. Norton & Company, New York,
2014, 224 pages

T

he wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have
generated many personal memoirs and will
continue to do so. Many of these memoirs
have clearly captured the human dimension of the
wars. Others have been crafted in ways that provide
readers with distinctive perspectives of war. To date,
I have not found any which combine both of these
aspects as well as Brian Turner’s superb memoir, My
Life as a Foreign Country.
The foundation for Turner’s memoir is his tour
in Iraq from 2003 to 2004. During that period, Sgt.
Turner served as an infantry team leader in the 2nd
Infantry Division. From this foundation, he expands
into various other aspects of his life and those of others.
It is a view which readers will find unique in regard to
other war memoirs they may have read.
The uniqueness of Turner’s volume lies in many
areas. First, Turner is a highly acclaimed poet. He has
received much praise for his previously published books
of poetry focused on the impact of war. Because of his
MILITARY REVIEW  July-August 2015

talents in crafting poetry, every word he utilizes seems
to have meaning. Consequently, I found myself slowly
digesting each paragraph and page. It is clearly one of
the best written volumes I have read in many years.
Second, throughout his memoir, he interweaves
the military experiences of his family. He relives his
father’s experiences during the Cold War. He retells the
stories of his uncle, who fought in Vietnam. He re-creates the actions of his grandfather during World War
II. Readers readily discover the influence of Turner’s
family in his life. For many, it will also reaffirm that war
itself has changed little over the past decades.
Finally, he envisions the thoughts of those he encounters during war. He addresses the Iraqi civilians who try
to live their lives through the chaos. Turner strives to
understand the bomb makers and suicide bombers who
attempt to kill or main him and his fellow soldiers. He
also tries to comprehend the enemies who fought against
his relatives. In total, Turner’s decision to intersperse this
analysis adds incredible value to the book.
The most powerful portion of the memoir is Turner’s
reflections on life after Iraq. As with anyone who has
fought in combat, it is an experience that forever changes
one’s life. Turner shares how war has affected him and
his life. He also reflects on how he copes with the mental
aspects of the impact of war. Certainly, one of these ways
is to express his emotions and feelings in written form.
Every war has those select memoirs that define that
war. In the years to come, My Life as a Foreign Country
will unquestionably be one of those select volumes.
Brian Turner has crafted a volume that is superbly
written, gripping, and clearly unique. It captures a soldier’s perspective of war and war’s inevitable impact on
the rest of his life. This is a book that will impact every
reader, and its words not soon forgotten.
Rick Baillergeon, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

ARMED STATE BUILDING: Confronting State
Failure, 1898-2012
Paul D. Miller, Cornell University Press, Ithaca,
New York, 2013, 264 pages

T

he author is a former White House National
Security Council staffer and Deputy National
Security Advisor staffer for Iraq and
119