War Front to Store Front, an inspiring new book by Paul Brinkley, ’89, ’91, recounts the story of a mission sponsored by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. It will be available in bookstores on February 18th.
Mark your calendar to attend the book launch:
Feb 18th: Informal lecture 3-4PM; Book Signing 4-6PM
The Bush School of Government - Annenburg Conference Center
If you are unable to attend and have a question, Paul Brinkley invites you to submit your question on TexAgs and he will choose up to 6 with the widest appeal for the TexAgs audience and answer them on the forums.
As Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Brinkley established and led a team of civilian business leaders, geologists, and agriculture experts embedded with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Addressing the shortcomings of the federal bureaucracy in providing civilian support to the troops, Brinkley tapped into the resources of Texas A&M, drawing upon the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture led by Dr. Ed Price, fielding dozens of agriculture faculty and technologists, enabling the restoration of farms throughout Iraq, creation of modern curricula for colleges of agriculture, and the establishment of two new colleges of agriculture in Afghanistan.
Eventually expanding to incorporate efforts in Pakistan, Rwanda, and Sudan, Brinkley and his organization of hundreds of business volunteers struggled against bureaucratic policies to revolutionize foreign aid by leveraging America’s strength—its private sector. In doing so, his team demonstrated success in the midst of failure, and created hundreds of thousands of jobs in areas long written off by the civilian bureaucracy as hopeless.
This engaging account details:
Reviews - Testimonials from Key Thought Leaders:
“Paul Brinkley helped engineer one of the few success stories in America’s occupation of Iraq. He built on that success in Afghanistan and now has reflected on both experiences—and more—in this intelligent, interesting, and important book.” —Fareed Zakaria
"America's military and civilian leaders agree—our country's national security challenges and geopolitical objectives cannot be achieved by firepower or diplomacy alone. Economic progress, jobs, and opportunity are indispensable to winning the peace and securing our nation. Understanding this reality and driven by a passion to serve, Paul Brinkley and his colleagues took great personal, career, and financial risks to help a war-torn country build a modern economy.
"Brinkley tells a compelling, page-turning story. But it's no fairy tale. Readers will share not only the vision and the importance of the cause, but also the many frustrations and roadblocks experienced along the way. This is an important book—there is much here that inspires, but also many important lessons and insights that Americans and their government need to learn and heed." —Thomas J. Donohue, President & CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“War Front to Store Front is two intertwined tales: one, a fascinating account of how U.S. businesses can play a new and crucial role in stabilizing America’s overseas conflict zones, and another, a rollicking yarn about Brinkley’s team of young Americans dodging bullets and bomb blasts to accomplish their unique mission from the Tigris River to the Hindu Kush. A terrific read!” —Milt Bearden, former CIA Station Chief, author of The Black Tulip, and co-author with James Risen of The Main Enemy
"Paul Brinkley’s commonsense approach to rebuilding Iraqi business and industry to provide jobs, incomes, and goods to meet the country’s needs, and to drain insurgencies of manpower and motive, is one of the most significant civilian efforts ever undertaken during warfare. Mr. Brinkley’s brave and relentless engagement of U.S. military and civilian leaders and of Iraqis and Afghans at every level of government and industry—from farms, villages, and the front lines of battle to the U.S. Capitol, give him a breadth of knowledge and perspective like no leader in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan. His is an essential record to be read, debated, and relied upon by military and development specialists for decades to come." —Edwin Price, Professor of Agriculture and Founding Director of Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Texas A&M University
The book is currently available on Amazon, BarnesandNoble, BooksAMillion
[This message has been edited by TexAgs staff (edited 2/17/2014 5:54p).]
Mark your calendar to attend the book launch:
Feb 18th: Informal lecture 3-4PM; Book Signing 4-6PM
The Bush School of Government - Annenburg Conference Center
If you are unable to attend and have a question, Paul Brinkley invites you to submit your question on TexAgs and he will choose up to 6 with the widest appeal for the TexAgs audience and answer them on the forums.
As Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Brinkley established and led a team of civilian business leaders, geologists, and agriculture experts embedded with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Addressing the shortcomings of the federal bureaucracy in providing civilian support to the troops, Brinkley tapped into the resources of Texas A&M, drawing upon the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture led by Dr. Ed Price, fielding dozens of agriculture faculty and technologists, enabling the restoration of farms throughout Iraq, creation of modern curricula for colleges of agriculture, and the establishment of two new colleges of agriculture in Afghanistan.
Eventually expanding to incorporate efforts in Pakistan, Rwanda, and Sudan, Brinkley and his organization of hundreds of business volunteers struggled against bureaucratic policies to revolutionize foreign aid by leveraging America’s strength—its private sector. In doing so, his team demonstrated success in the midst of failure, and created hundreds of thousands of jobs in areas long written off by the civilian bureaucracy as hopeless.
This engaging account details:
- Fascinating insights of the inner workings of American government and its largest bureaucracy—the U.S. Department of Defense
- Vivid descriptions of a group of business leaders who sought to change how the Pentagon did business, and who wound up in a war zone, including a firsthand experience of a terrorist attack
- Detailed account of the American business model for foreign development that can improve the lives of war-ravaged citizens, at far less cost than existing military and foreign aid programs
- Inside details on the real business climate in Iraq, before and after Saddam Hussein, as well as its political landscape
- Detailed analysis of the future of Afghanistan, economically and politically, and how its democratic institutions struggle to gain a foothold
- Thorough breakdown of lessons learned in the Middle East and U.S. efforts to translate them to African nations, including Rwanda and Sudan.
Reviews - Testimonials from Key Thought Leaders:
“Paul Brinkley helped engineer one of the few success stories in America’s occupation of Iraq. He built on that success in Afghanistan and now has reflected on both experiences—and more—in this intelligent, interesting, and important book.” —Fareed Zakaria
"America's military and civilian leaders agree—our country's national security challenges and geopolitical objectives cannot be achieved by firepower or diplomacy alone. Economic progress, jobs, and opportunity are indispensable to winning the peace and securing our nation. Understanding this reality and driven by a passion to serve, Paul Brinkley and his colleagues took great personal, career, and financial risks to help a war-torn country build a modern economy.
"Brinkley tells a compelling, page-turning story. But it's no fairy tale. Readers will share not only the vision and the importance of the cause, but also the many frustrations and roadblocks experienced along the way. This is an important book—there is much here that inspires, but also many important lessons and insights that Americans and their government need to learn and heed." —Thomas J. Donohue, President & CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“War Front to Store Front is two intertwined tales: one, a fascinating account of how U.S. businesses can play a new and crucial role in stabilizing America’s overseas conflict zones, and another, a rollicking yarn about Brinkley’s team of young Americans dodging bullets and bomb blasts to accomplish their unique mission from the Tigris River to the Hindu Kush. A terrific read!” —Milt Bearden, former CIA Station Chief, author of The Black Tulip, and co-author with James Risen of The Main Enemy
"Paul Brinkley’s commonsense approach to rebuilding Iraqi business and industry to provide jobs, incomes, and goods to meet the country’s needs, and to drain insurgencies of manpower and motive, is one of the most significant civilian efforts ever undertaken during warfare. Mr. Brinkley’s brave and relentless engagement of U.S. military and civilian leaders and of Iraqis and Afghans at every level of government and industry—from farms, villages, and the front lines of battle to the U.S. Capitol, give him a breadth of knowledge and perspective like no leader in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan. His is an essential record to be read, debated, and relied upon by military and development specialists for decades to come." —Edwin Price, Professor of Agriculture and Founding Director of Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Texas A&M University
The book is currently available on Amazon, BarnesandNoble, BooksAMillion
[This message has been edited by TexAgs staff (edited 2/17/2014 5:54p).]