Masters of Chaos

The Secret History of the Special Forces

Contributors

By Linda Robinson

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Sep 7, 2005
Page Count
432 pages
Publisher
PublicAffairs
ISBN-13
9781586483524

Price

$18.99

Price

$23.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Trade Paperback $18.99 $23.99 CAD
  2. ebook $11.99 $15.99 CAD

An “intimate, valuable history” (New York Times) of the United States Special Forces from the perspective of the fighters who served in its ranks

Army special force soldiers have been at the forefront of America’s war in Afghanistan and the counterterrorist campaigns of recent years. But little is known about the grave, seasoned individuals from America’s heartland who belong to this secretive unit. Veteran war reporter Linda Robinson gained access to their closed community starting in 2001, travelled with them on the front lines, and interviewed them at their home bases. In Masters of Chaos, she graphically recounts the experiences of this post-Vietnam generation of commandos in Panama, El Salvador, Desert Storm, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq, including details of dramatic, previously untold missions. 

  • "An intimate, valuable history of the Special Forces' last two decades."
    New York Times
  • "A rare glimpse inside the secretive world of the Green Berets and their recent adventures."
    Washington Monthly
  • “Riveting.”
    US News & World Report
  • “Linda Robinson has gone beyond the headlines and the hype to bring us into the Special Forces' brotherhood.”
    James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys
  • "The current era of terrorism demands precisely what the Green Berets have to offer—smarts, flexibility, and expertise in unconventional warfare- and Robinson's Masters of Chaos showcases their activity since the attacks of September 11, 2001"
    Washington Post
  • "An insightful and fascinating account of the training, skill, courage, and sacrifices of the Untied States Special Forces, and their extraordinary contribution to our defense in Iraq and the War on Terror. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the stamina and guts it takes to fight bravely and well in the most dangerous situations." 
    John McCain
  • "Through her own embed experience, extensive interviews, travel, and excellent eye for detail, author Linda Robinson succeeds in presenting the reader with the ground truth of US Special Forces operations." 
    Army Magazine

Linda Robinson

About the Author

Linda Robinson is a senior international policy analyst at RAND. She has been an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Public Policy Scholar at the Wilson Center. Her book about the U.S. Army Special Forces, Masters of Chaos, was a New York Times bestseller; Tell Me How This Ends, which is about the Iraq War, was a Foreign Affairs bestseller and a New York Times notable book. Robinson received the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Reporting on National Defense in 2005. She has conducted field research on special operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Latin America, and elsewhere over the past twelve years.

Learn more about this author