Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict
By Michael T. Klare. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 0-8050-5575-4.

Much of human history is the history of war, and the 21st century will be no different except, perhaps, for the causes of future wars. Although ethnic, religious, and nationalistic conflicts may erupt in war, author Michael Klare contends that wars of the future will be fought over natural resources like oil, gas, minerals, and water.

In his book Resource Wars, Klare describes how nations will fight for access to supplies of vital and rapidly dwindling natural resources. The author provides an excellent geopolitical lesson on the sources, locations, vulnerabilities, and limitations of resources; conflicts over ownership; and how power is represented not by mighty armies but by "economic dynamism and the cultivation of technological innovation."

Military strength must be balanced by a strong economy, and Klare shows how a developed nation's access to natural resources is the only way to ensure its survival. He focuses on oil, natural gas, valuable minerals, timber, and water as being essential for national security.

For example, the United States is the leading consumer of oil and gas, and it uses almost 30 percent of all human-used raw material each year. This consumption makes it vulnerable if the flow is disrupted.

Klare argues convincingly that resource competition will play an increasing role in international conflicts, citing the finite availability of critical resources for which current demand cannot be sustained. Protecting the sources of critical materials, as well as the transportation routes of those products, is changing military doctrine and force allocation for many nations. In one case study, Klare examines current resource conflicts over oil in the Caspian Sea region, where the United States and Russia have very different views about how to exploit oil resources.

Most illuminating is Klare's description of the global competition for freshwater. Essential to life and food production, freshwater constitutes less than 3 percent of the earth's total water supply. He looks closely at water crises in the Nile, Jordan, Tigris-Euphrates, and Indus river systems—areas where the population has outgrown its freshwater supply.

Klare's arguments are clearly presented, and he paints a provocative picture of the future of war and the significant role of international competition for shrinking resources.

Business Is Combat: A Fighter Pilot's Guide to Winning in Modern Business Warfare
By James D. Murphy. Regan Books. ISBN 0-06-039325-4.

We have business leadership tips from Attila the Hun, Ulysses S. Grant, and even "Star Trek," and now James Murphy offers the fighter pilot's view.

Murphy was a reserve fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force for eight years. Now he runs a motivational consulting firm, and this book serves as an unabashed push for his business.

Murphy is an enthusiastic cheerleader for the Air Force's training, values, and organizational work ethic. He explains how to "be fighter pilot strong and savvy in the world of business." He describes how the Air Force develops discipline, dedication, and leadership principles that can be used in the business world. After all, Murphy says, "Ultimately, business and combat come down to absolutes: winning or losing."

Among other subjects, Murphy stresses establishing clear corporate standards of performance, teamwork, common goals, and group and individual power. He asserts the importance of training and preparation, because success does not happen by accident or luck.

Murphy also discusses the value of intelligence about a competitor, how to organize your assets for execution of your plan, and how to recognize and minimize the hazards of task saturation and burnout.

Murphy's approach is common sense, and veterans easily will identify with his suggestions. Nonveterans, however, may tire of the endless fighter-pilot war stories and be disappointed with the lack of depth and thin guidance for business use.

—Reviews by William D. Bushnell

Member Books

Fiction

Bluebird in Paradise Cove: A Dan Sylvester Adventure. By Lt. Col. Harry A. Mann, USAF-Ret. Writer's Showcase. ISBN 0-595-20177-6.

Dear Lizzie: A Civil War Novel with the Letters that Tell the Story! By Col. William Jacobs, USAF-Ret. Converg Publishing. ISBN 0-9706546-0-X.

The Red Hand: a Matt Berkeley Novel. By Capt. William B. Kerr, USN-Ret. 1st Books Library. ISBN 0-75963-378-9.

Nonfiction

Winning in Fast Time: Harness the Competitive Advantage of Prometheus in Business and Life. By Col. John A. Warden III, USAF-Ret., and Leland A. Russell.  

Desert Storm signaled a new era in military strategy. Warden, credited by Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf as the architect of that operation’s air campaign, shows how the lessons from the Gulf War also can revolutionize civilian businesses. Warden brings his tried-and-true battle strategies to the corporate world. He considers businesses, like countries, to be complex and sensitive systems that need frequent updating and defending. His insights offer help and hope to managers struggling with the current economic downturn and political turmoil.

Venturist Publishing. 8233 Old Federal Road, Montgomery, AL 36117. (334) 272-9800. sales@venturist.com. ISBN 0-9711591-4-9. 224 pp. $24.95 plus postage.

Torpedoed: An American Businessman's True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Imprisonment in Russia, and the Battle to Set Him Free. By Capt. Edmond D. Pope, USN-Ret., and Tom Shachtman.  

In an incredible story of duplicity, secrets, and lies, Pope tells for the first time the real story of what led to his becoming the first American since Francis Gary Powers to be convicted of espionage in Russia. Pope’s book combines a gripping account of his arrest, trial, and 253-day imprisonment with a deeply disturbing look at today’s Russia where you can trust no one, and everything is for sale. With a large dollop of espionage-insider information and secret submarine warfare technology, this enthralling memoir reads like an espionage novel come to life.

Little, Brown and Company. 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.  (212) 522-6909. Heather.fain@littlebrown.com. ISBN 0-316-34873-2. 304 pp. $25.95 plus postage.

American Generalship: Character is Everything: The Art of Command. By Capt. Edgar F. Puryear Jr., USAF.  

What does it take to become a successful, high-level leader in America’s armed forces? To do more than wear the stars emblematic of your position at the top of the military pyramid — to excel in your service to our country? In order to answer this question, Puryear has interviewed more that one hundred four-stars including many of the high-level commanding generals of World War II (Eisenhower, Bradley, Spaatz, Le May) and virtually all post-war Army and Air Force chiefs of staff, as well as many chairmen of the joint chiefs. The result is a major contribution to ensuring that our leaders of the future will be able to learn the enduring lessons — many paid for in blood — of the leaders of the past.

Presidio Press Inc., 505 B San Marin Drive, Ste. 300, Novato, CA 94945-1340. (415) 898-1081 x17. mail@presidiopress.com. ISBN 0-8914658-7. 374 pp. $34.95 plus postage.

They'll Remember Our Son. By Ginger K. Nelson.  

This inspirational biography tells of Nelson’s son who, although born with Down’s syndrome, lives and learns through his successes and failures. The overall sentiment is that Danny’s smile and personality make him an ordinary hero who has accomplished some extraordinary things in his life. He constantly gives inspiration to others and with this hope, his mother wrote this book so that his story might inspire many more people.

America House Book Publishers, P.O. Box 151 Frederick, MD 21705. (877) 333-7422. www.publishamerica.com. ISBN 1-58851-603-2. 166 pp. $19.95 plus postage.

Red-Tailed Peacemaker. By Lt. Col. Lawrence J. Bellarts, USAF-Ret.  

Bellarts shares his first-hand experiences as a pilot in three wars: World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War — from 1941 to 1968. Bellart flew in combat conditions in all three wars and was involved in many situations with varying degrees of danger. Also included are comments regarding some little known events that occurred in those years.

Binford & Mort Publishing, P.O. Box 91580, Portland, OR 97291-0580. (503) 844-4960. ISBN 0-8323-0544-8. 100 pp. $15.95 post paid.

The Last Hookers: From Nazi Germany to Vietnam They Lived, They Loved, They Died. By Lt. Col. Carle E. Dunn, USA-Ret.  

Dunn brings to life worldwide events that led America into the Vietnam War. From President Truman to President Nixon, he shines light into the dark corners of the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the White House. Based on fact, he traces events from Germany, Japan, Great Britain, France, North and South Vietnam, and the United States that made America’s involvement in Southeast Asia unavoidable.

1^st Books Library, 2595 Vernal Pike, Bloomington, IN 47404. (888) 280-7715. ISBN 0-75965-592-8. 657 pp. $20.50 plus postage.

History of Arizona's Clifton-Morenci Mining District—a personal approach, Volume I: The Underground Days. By CWO2 Theodore L. Cogut, USA-Ret., and Bill Conger.  

In the 1860s, cavalry troops found gold next to a place later named “Morenci,” which would become the largest copper-producing mine in North America. Hard-won mining and ore processing improvements would follow. This book covers the mine’s history from the discovery of ore up through the Great Depression.

Mining History, P.O. 1319, Thatcher, AZ 85552. (520) 299-1949. ISBN 0-9675347-0-4. 267 pp. $29.45 post paid.

Dear Poppa: The World War II Berman Family Letters. Compiled by Ruth Berman, edited by Judy Barrett Litoff.  

David, Betsy, and Sammy Berman were nine, six, and four years old in May 1943 when the U.S. Army sent their father, Dr. Reuben Berman, to Europe. Over the next two and a half years, the children regularly gathered around their mother, Isabel, in their Minneapolis home, while she typed exactly what they wanted to say to their father. This collection captures the anxiety and loss that children experienced when their fathers left for war.

Minnesota Historical Society Press. 345 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul MN 55102-1906. (800) 647-7827. ISBN 0-87351-357-6. 317 pp. $18.95 postpaid.

Duffer's Breakthrough: To Quit or to Quest. By Capt. Rex S. Coryell, USN-Ret.

The plight of two duffers who, discouraged with their game, distill the galaxy of golf swing tips to a functional few with remarkable success.

Golf Foundation of Wisconsin Inc., 8989 N. Port Washington Road, Ste 205, Milwaukee, WI 53217. (414) 540-3830. ISBN 0-9701183-0-9. www.gfw.org.  $12.95 plus postage.