Ten years after invading Afghanistan, NATO remains bogged down in a seemingly intractable conflict. But how did an alliance intended for the territorial defense of Europe end up in South Asia in the first place? And why has NATO moved from defense to nation-building since the end of the Cold War? The Good War offers an original and insightful exploration of these questions and argues that NATO, led by the United States, now seeks to instill democracy into 'failed states' as a way of providing for global security. While this is an amiable goal, the outcome is the paradox of endless liberal wars of intervention that will ultimately fail to produce quick results when fool hardy western ideas meet the reality of life in places such as Afghanistan. Rather than strengthening democracy abroad, this weakens democratic institutions in both the US and Europe. Combining his academic interests with his policy work, M.J. Williams has written a book that is theoretically informed and thought provoking, but also relevant to those actually working on these issues in the field.