About : The Author : Contact : Terms Of Use

Petraeus’ Book Recommendation

by Christopher R. Albon on April 8, 2010

stoneschools.jpg

Earlier this week, Tom Ricks’ Best Defense blog posted an interview with General David Petraeus. In the interview, the CENTCOM Commander was asked what books he recommended to his staff. His answer:

The last one I recommended was Stones into Schools. Beyond that, at present, we’re focused on a number of official reports/analyses; they’re keeping us occupied for the time being.

This is an unconventional choice for one of America’s top military minds, considering the book’s full title is “Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan“. I cannot imagine Patton recommending a book on improving the lives of children in his battlespace. Of course, I am not complaining. It is great to see that Petraeus looks outside the military-intellectual box for insights into soft power. Now, if only he read Conflict Health.

Christopher R. Albon is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.

Want more? Subscribe to Conflict Health through RSS or email.

Tagged as: Afghanistan, Petreus, Smart Power, Soft Power

{ 1 comment }

1 Jim Dolbow April 9, 2010 at 3:09 pm

How cool! I just bought that book last week. Will definitely move it way up because of this important recommendation.

Comments on this entry are closed.