The Day After: Why America Wins the War but Loses the Peace

 Drawing on interviews with civilians and military officials, Army Lt. Col. Brendan R. Gallagher *17 argues that America’s seeming inability to secure peace lies with the lack of a coherent plan for the “day after.” We often find early military success, then find ourselves caught between a desire to foster a democracy and to pull out troops as soon as possible. The Day After: Why America Wins the War but Loses the Peace (Cornell University Press) probes this situation and questions whether we can learn from our mistakes in future battles.