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by Bryan N. Groves (Author)
Many still see the Vietnam War catastrophe as the ultimate cautionary tale for US presidents faced with wartime decisions. A singular focus on Vietnam, however, overlooks the seismic shift in strategy following attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001. WhenPresidents Fight the Last War: The Oval Office, Sunk Costs, and Wartime Decision-Making since Vietnam is a groundbreaking work that draws on high-level interviews and archival materials to show how recent presidential decisions to cut losses or double down on military conflicts abroad have been made with the goal of avoiding either another Vietnam or another 9/11.
Offering five case studies, author Bryan N. Groves examines presidencies from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama and explains how commanders in chief have chosen to escalate or de-escalate major conflicts based on what they stood to gain--or, more importantly, lose--in the process. As Groves reveals, in spite of the different contexts, policies, and priorities that defined these administrations, all shared a remarkably similar approach to war adjustments.
When Presidents Fight the Last War provides a unique look inside the Oval Office throughout a half century of inflection points while offering vital insights and predictive tools to handle future sunk cost scenarios.
Author Biography
Bryan N. Groves, Special Forces Colonel and Army Strategist, was the US Army representative on the Secretary of Defense's 2025 National Defense Strategy writing team and led the development of the 2022 National Military Strategy for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He holds a PhD in national security policy from Duke University. His articles have been published by the Modern War Institute as well as in Presidential Studies Quarterly, Strategic Studies Quarterly, Real Clear Defense, Studies in Conflictand Terrorism, and other outlets.
