"Twelve authorities draw a general portrait of American military intervention since the end of the cold war by examining specific interventions. Bosnia, Lebanon, Somalia, Afghanistan, Panama, Haiti, the Gulf War, and South Korea.

In the process, this book focuses on the great complexity involved when deciding to enter a conflict; the almost universal circumvention of congressional authority; the ineffectualness of "pinprick" air strikes; and the essentially ad hoc nature of military deployment since the cold war."--BOOK JACKET.