America's Dirty Wars: Irregular Warfare From 1776 to the War on Terror

Russell Crandall (Davidson College). America's Dirty Wars (Cambridge University Press, 2014).

"This book examines the long, complex experience of American involvement in irregular warfare. It begins with the American Revolution in 1776 and chronicles big and small irregular wars for the next two and a half centuries. What is readily apparent in dirty wars is that failure is painfully tangible while success is often amorphous. Successfully fighting these wars often entails striking a critical balance between military victory and politics."

—Publisher's website