Victory in Tripoli

"As a new century dawned, a newly elected U.S. president was forced to confront a grave threat to the nation - an escalating series of unprovoked attacks on Americans by Muslim terrorists sworn to carry out jihad against all Western powers. Worse still, these fanatics operated under the protection and sponsorship of rogue states ruled by ruthless and cunning dictators. As timely and familiar as these events may seem, they occurred more than two centuries ago. The president was Thomas Jefferson, and the terrorists were the Barbary pirates of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli." "Victory in Tripoli recounts the untold story of one of the defining challenges overcome by the young U.S. republic. This tale examines the events that gave birth to the Navy and the Marines, recounting the harrowing experiences of U.S. seamen held as slaves in North Africa for more than a decade and re-creating the startling political, diplomatic, and military battles that were central to the conflict." "Victory in Tripoli examines every aspect of the first U.S. military campaign through foreign lands - from the spectacular naval heroics of the legendary Stephen Decatur to Eaton's perilous march across the Sahara, from Jefferson's flip-flopping on the use of force to petty squabbles among diplomats that produced dire consequences for the United States. This history offers insight into issues that remain fundamental to U.S. foreign policy decisions to this day."--Jacket.