The professor's studies of war and its political price are must-read volumes for those looking to understand how force and governance are often at odds. As Washington tries to make sense of President Donald Trump’s unprecedented push into Venezuela, his capture of Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro, and his constant chatter about the oil resources of that South American country, I checked in with Tierney—whose books include and The Right Way to Lose a War and How We Fight: Crusades, Quagmires, and the American Way of War—to get a sense of how this moment fits into the larger context of U.S. history and the global consequences for what comes after the initial drive.