This book is a reexamination of the Persian Gulf War by a number of academic and military historians to determine what we did right, what we did wrong, and how our performance could have been improved. This study addresses the questions: Why did the war happen? Was the Gulf War a vindication of Vietnam? Did the American military really learn anything from the war in Vietnam? Did they really adapt? What did the Allies actually win in the Gulf War, if anything?

Finally, have we learned anything from the Gulf War? Some authors conclude that in retrospect many analysts have become convinced that, despite its military successes, the United States garnered little of worth from the Gulf War. Others believe a great deal was achieved, and others have withheld final judgement.