Lack of restraint in Washington's Middle East ventures has exacted a high price in life and treasure that might have been mitigated by appeal to the experience of the long-standing practice of opening second fronts. Examples show the potential for surprising powerful enemies and reveal the causes of success and failure. Careful study could guide future U.S. thrusts in an age that continues the post-World War II trend toward limited-objective conflicts and is characterized by public risk and casualty aversion. A lot of the same dynamics occur in second front operations, and to the degree the United States continues a policy of shaping the rest of the world, it should use the restraint and wisdom demonstrated in historic examples.

Kenya's role as a stabilizer in East Africa is buttressed by its apparent ability to move toward greater energy independence in concert with developing its democratic institutions. The rural electrification program is helping unlock Kenya's tremendous economic potential and must draw on energy diversification, supported by strong public ownership through education and involvement in decisionmaking. The government can attract the private sector through deregulation and a business-friendly tax policy. Citizen education will create skills and enable technology transfer, which are vital to public buy-in and to averting further deforestation, desertification, and political unrest.

Operation Odyssey Dawn used civilian social media accounts, verified by traditional intelligence-gathering mechanisms, to stay on top of an elastic situation in Libya without the direct accounts a land component generally enjoys, demonstrating how Facebook and Twitter offer an expanding asset to the Intelligence Community. The transition from the Joint Task Force to a coalition effort under NATO was streamlined to virtual seamlessness with these same tools. Communication was effective and timely in operations already in progress. U.S. professional military education and training emphasis on fluidity and shrewd use of all available media suggest a new operational paradigm. Problems including foreign disclosure protocols and the communication hardware on USS Mount Whitney indicate the need to continue improving protocols for information-sharing.