Lecture of Opportunity | Max Brooks: World War Z

Author Max Brooks discusses his book World War Z, and the real idea it represents, at the U.S. Naval War College's 2009 Lecture of Opportunity.

Dec. 16, 2009.

How well do we learn from history? (2:52)

Is the U.S. the world's policeman or the world's landlord? (5:19)

Can the U.S. afford to isolate itself from the world stage? (9:50)

Adm. Donitz: War of economics. (12:58)

Inadvertent Chinese attack on southern California? (15:19)

The real point of WWZ: The delicate threads of our fragile society. (22:34)

We need leaders who can see connections. (24:32)

Excerpt from book and official website...

Eyewitness reports from the first truly global war...

"I found 'Patient Zero' behind the locked door of an abandoned apartment across town. . . . His wrists and feet were bound with plastic packing twine. Although he'd rubbed off the skin around his bonds, there was no blood. There was also no blood on his other wounds. . . . He was writhing like an animal; a gag muffled his growls. At first the villagers tried to hold me back. They warned me not to touch him, that he was 'cursed.' I shrugged them off and reached for my mask and gloves. The boy's skin was . . . cold and gray . . . I could find neither his heartbeat nor his pulse." -Dr. Kwang Jingshu, Greater Chongqing, United Federation of China

"'Shock and Awe'? Perfect name. . . . But what if the enemy can't be shocked and awed? Not just won't, but biologically can't! That's what happened that day outside New York City, that's the failure that almost lost us the whole damn war. The fact that we couldn't shock and awe Zack boomeranged right back in our faces and actually allowed Zack to shock and awe us! They're not afraid! No matter what we do, no matter how many we kill, they will never, ever be afraid!" -Todd Wainio, former U.S. Army infantryman and veteran of the Battle of Yonkers

"Two hundred million zombies. Who can even visualize that type of number, let alone combat it? . . . For the first time in history, we faced an enemy that was actively waging total war. They had no limits of endurance. They would never negotiate, never surrender. They would fight until the very end because, unlike us, every single one of them, every second of every day, was devoted to consuming all life on Earth." -General Travis D'Ambrosia, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

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Disclaimer: The views expressed are the speaker's own and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Naval War College, the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or any other branch or agency of the U.S. Government.