While the book rests on the backbone of the Vietnam experience, it aspires to go beyond the confines of that particular war and lead the reader to question an American foreign policy that has, especially since 2001, been militarily driven. The harm done to American and allied soldiers and to the indigent peoples and societies of the countries the U.S. has so thoughtlessly invaded has secured no advantage to the U.S. or any other country. The author delves into the human physical and psychological cost of war and implicitly makes the case for diplomacy over force, restraint, and modesty over hubris. He establishes the importance of cause to the combatant's ability to fight winningly and to remain psychologically sound in battle and afterward.

It is especially relevant today because it connects the human and societal consequences of the decisions made in and around that war with the recent squandered ventures in the Middle East.