BLOOMINGTON, Ind., June 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Exaggerated pretenses and personal gain are just a couple of accusations that have been used by anti-war advocates to describe the causes for invading Iraq. However, such things have been said before. Martin Farenfield examines French history to explore the current war in Iraq and its outcome in his new book, America's Napoleonic Folly (now available through AuthorHouse).
Farenfield compares Napoleon III's incursion into Mexico from 1862 to 1867 to President George W. Bush's regime change invasion of Iraq in this meticulously researched study. America's Napoleonic Folly offers a comparative analysis of U.S. policy on Iraq by illustrating striking similarities to the French intervention. According to Farenfield, both invasions were justified by exaggerated claims. The difference in political climates between "occupier and occupied," in addition to international opposition, made both interventions risky, Farenfield says. However, despite the odds, both Napoleon III and Bush intervened.
"Both (men) trusted the opinions of ideologically driven key cabinet members while ignoring the advice of their foreign policy and military establishments. As a consequence, they both were ultimately duped by scheming emigres who pursued their own goals," Farenfield writes.
He offers multiple pictures of both wars from different angles in order to cover a wide range of subjects. While generally observing the chronological order of historical and recent events, he fuses nine related topics into one comprehensive study. Farenfield's book covers motives for every movement in both wars, such as intervention, guerilla warfare, domestic and foreign policy, civilization clashes and costs incurred. As he draws the parallels together, from the mistakes after the falls of Mexico City and Baghdad that led to guerilla warfare to dissent from people back home, he may have revealed history's answer to the question regarding the outcome of America's efforts in Iraq.
A poignant and detailed historical study, America's Napoleonic Folly shows that the past may hold the answers to the future.
A veteran of nation-building in Bosnia and Kosovo, Farenfield is a graduate of the Moroccan Armed Forces Staff College. He also holds a master's degree in global studies from the University of Denver. America's Napoleonic Folly is his first book.
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