Book Review: Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice

Authors

Brennan Deveraux

Files

Description

Author: John A. Nagl

Reviewed by Major Brennan Deveraux, national security researcher, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College

Today’s force still has plenty to learn about counterinsurgency from Operation Desert Storm. John Nagl’s Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice “a book about counterinsurgency and its journey from the far periphery of US military doctrine to its center, for better and, some would argue, for worse.” The reviewer notes, Nagl’s work “provides a tangible example of the impact junior leaders can have on the service.”

Publication Date

4-8-2025

Keywords

counterinsurgency, Persian Gulf War, professional writing, Iraq, Afghanistan

Disciplines

Defense and Security Studies

Recommended Citation

Brennan Deveraux, Book Review: Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice ( US Army War College Press, 2025),
https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/76