Military history: post-WW2 conflicts Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe theme of the book is the creation of tactics for littoral warfare – as opposed to the more common blue ocean perspective. Themes are how NATO perceived the goals of the enemy; the purposes of the NATO organisations, the military instruments they had to organise, the organization of cooperation among units from sovereign states, and how they tested their military capabilities. Research is based on war plans and tactics of the Danish and West German navies and their planned support from air forces. We follow the modernisations of the navies from guns to missiles. Tactical discussions among military top offi cers are laid bare, and intelligence reports about the Warsaw Pact and its military capabilities are presented. Exercises are analysed based on the military reports.

Read more less

Book SynopsisChoreographies of 21st Century Wars is the first book to analyze the interface between choreography and contemporary warfare, a pertinent inquiry since choreography has long been linked to war and military training. Authors from a range of disciplines reconceptualize choreography in the face of this century's never ending wars.Trade ReviewChoreogrphies of 21st Century Wars helps readers to contemplate the potential of choreography as construct and practice to grapple with the complexities and ineffable experience of a world dominated by war. Offering critical insights about the disconnection between our understanding and the realities of war, Choreographies encourages dancer-artists and scholars to explore the potential of choreography to illuminate how we shall live and dance in this world. Living in a state where the Korean War has not yet ended, I appreciate the rigorous analyses of this anthology that helps me to realize and critically comprehend the very real choreographies of war. * Dance Chronicle *Table of ContentsPreface ; Introduction: Contemporary Choreographies of Wars, Gay Morris and Jens Richard Giersdorf ; Chapter 1: Access Denied and Sumud: Making a Dance of Asymmetric Warfare, Nicholas Rowe ; Chapter 2: Questioning the Truth: Rachid Ouramdane's Investigation of Torture in Des Temoins Ordinaires/Ordinary Witnesses, Alessandra Nicifero ; Chapter 3: "There's a Soldier in All of Us": Choreographing Virtual Recruitment, Derek A. Burrill ; Chapter 4: African Refugees Asunder in South Africa: Performing the Fallout of Violence in Every Day, Every Year, I am Walking, Sarah Davies Cordova ; Chapter 5: From Temple to Battlefield: Bharata Natyam in the Sri Lankan Civil War, Janet O'Shea ; Chapter 6: Choreographing Masculinity in Contemporary Israeli Culture, Yehuda Sharim ; Chapter 7: Affective Temporalities: Dance, Media, and the War on Terror, Harmony Bench ; Chapter 8: Specter of War, Spectacle of Peace: The Lowering of Flag Ceremony at Wagah and Hussainiwala Borders, Neelima Jeychandran ; Chapter 9: A Choreographer's Statement, Bill T. Jones ; Chapter 10: Dancing in the Spring: Dance, Hegemony and Change, Rosemary Martin ; Chapter 11: War and P.E.A.C.E, Maaike Bleeker & Janez Jansa ; Chapter 12: The Body is the Frontline, Rosie Kay and Dee Reynolds ; Chapter 13: Geo-Choreography and Necropolitics: Faustin Linyekula's Studios Kabako, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ariel Osterweis ; Chapter 14: Re: moving bodies in the Mexico-USA drug, border, cold, and terror wars ; Ruth Hellier-Tinoco ; Chapter 15: After Cranach: War, Representation and the Body in William Forsythe's Three Atmospheric Studies, Gerald Siegmund ; Chapter 16: The Role of Choreography in Civil Society under Siege: William Forsythe's Three Atmospheric Studies, Mark Franko ; Contributors ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisEvery war has its bridge--Old North Bridge at Concord, Burnside''s Bridge at Antietam, the railway bridge over Burma''s River Kwai, the bridge over Germany''s Rhine River at Remagen, and the bridges over Korea''s Toko Ri. In Vietnam it was the bridge at Thanh Hoa, called Dragon''s Jaw.For seven long years hundreds of young US airmen flew sortie after sortie against North Vietnam''s formidable and strategically important bridge, dodging a heavy concentration of anti-aircraft fire and enemy MiG planes. Many American airmen were shot down, killed, or captured and taken to the infamous Hanoi Hilton POW camp. But after each air attack, when the smoke cleared and the debris settled, the bridge stubbornly remained standing. For the North Vietnamese it became a symbol of their invincibility; for US war planners an obsession; for US airmen a testament to American mettle and valor.Using after-action reports, official records, and interviews with surviving pilots, as well as un

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the tradition of The Chosen Few, a riveting, gritty account of the single Marine battalion that routed the fanatic fighters of Al-Qaeda in Iraq in dangerous Anbar province

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe incredible story of the Green Berets' "hearts and minds" counterinsurgency in Afghanistan's notorious Pech River Valley told by the unit commander who befriended the locals while hunting for terrorists in the dangerous early days of America's war on terror.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEnsure your students have access to the authoritative and in-depth content of this popular and trusted A Level History series. For over twenty years Access to History has been providing students with reliable, engaging and accessible content on a wide range of topics. Each title in the series provides comprehensive coverage of different history topics on current AS and A2 level history specifications, alongside exam-style practice questions and tips to help students achieve their best. The series:- Ensures students gain a good understanding of the AS and A2 level history topics through an engaging, in-depth and up-to-date narrative, presented in an accessible way. - Aids revision of the key A level history topics and themes through frequent summary diagrams- Gives support with assessment, both through the books providing exam-style questions and tips for AQA, Edexcel and OCR A level history specifications and through FREE model answers Trade Review'This book is well written, informative and very useful for anyone doing A-level history. It's relatively interesting in contrast to most textbooks and is highly accessible. Sets a standard for all history textbooks.' * Amazon reviewer *Table of Contents : Chapter 1 Introduction: The United States and Vietnam : 1. Introduction : 2. Overview of the War : 3. Overview of the Debates on the Vietnam War : Chapter 2 Vietnam and Foreigners before 1953 : 1. Ho Chi Minh and Vietnamese Nationalism : 2. The United States and Vietnam, 1941–5 : 3. The Reasons for the Early American Involvement in Vietnam : 4. 'These Situations ... Have a Way of Snowballing' : 5. Key Debates on the Truman Years : Chapter 3 Eisenhower and Two Vietnams : 1. Ho, Giap and the French Failure in Indochina : 2. Dienbienphu – the Debate over American Intervention : 3. The Geneva Conference on Indochina, 1954 : 4. Two Vietnams and Two Leaders : 5. Assessment of Eisenhower’s Policy : 6. Key Debates : Chapter 4 'Vietnam is the Place' – the Kennedy Crusade (1961–3) : 1. Introduction: Kennedy's War? : 2. Kennedy’s Early Ideas about Vietnam : 3. The President and his Advisers : 4. Kennedy’s Actions in the Third World : 5. Kennedy and Diem : 6. Conclusions : 7. Key Debates : Study Guide : Chapter 5 'Johnson's War'? : 1. Why Johnson Continued US involvement in the War : 2. How Johnson Was Able to Escalate the War 3. Why Did Johnson Escalate the American Involvement in: Vietnam? : 4. 'Where Are We Going?' : 5. Historians and 'Johnson's War'? : Study guide : Chapter 6 Why the USA Failed: I – The People in Vietnam : 1. The Vietnamese : 2. The Americans : 3. Key Debates : Chapter 7 Why the USA Failed: II - US Politicians and People : 1. Problems with Johnson’s Aims and Methods : 2. Why and How Johnson was Forced to Retreat : 3. Johnson’s Last Months : 4. Conclusions about Johnson and the War : Study Guide : Chapter 8 1969–73: Richard Nixon – Diplomatic Genius or Mad Bomber? : 1. The Transformation of a Cold Warrior? : 2. President Nixon : 3. 1969–71 : 4. 1972 – Getting Re-elected : 5. Assessment of Nixon’s Vietnam Policy : 6. Key Debates : Study Guide : Chapter 9 Conclusions : 1. Summarising the Debates : 2. The Effects of the War : 3. The Lessons of the Vietnam War : Glossary : Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisDebriefing the President presents an astounding, candid portrait of one of our era’s most notorious strongmen. John Nixon, the first man to conduct a prolonged interrogation of Hussein after his capture, offers expert insight into the history and mind of America’s most enigmatic enemy. In December 2003, after one of the largest, most aggressive manhunts in history, US military forces captured Iraqi president Saddam Hussein near his hometown of Tikrit. Beset by body-double rumors and false alarms during a nine-month search, the Bush administration needed positive identification of the prisoner before it could make the announcement that would rocket around the world.At the time, John Nixon was a senior CIA leadership analyst who had spent years studying the Iraqi dictator. Called upon to make the official ID, Nixon looked for telltale scars and tribal tattoos and asked Hussein a list of questions only he could answer. The man was indeed

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review“A pungently written combat narrative and a close-range study of a bunch of twentysomething warriors trying to get a handle on who they are.”—Time“Nuanced and grounded in details often overlooked in daily journalistic accounts...A complex portrait of able young men raised on video games and trained as killers.”—The New York Times“A stellar reporting achievement...Think Black Hawk Down or Michael Herr's Dispatches.”—ottawa Citizen“Shockingly honest.”—Entertainment Weekly“Visceral, sometimes shocking...a brutally honest acount of America's latest generation to experiencethe stark, horrifying realities of warfare.”—Boston Herald“Sidesteps Greatest Generation clichés to find the unexpected—a self-described ‘Marine Corps killer’ who listens to Barry Manilow, a corporal who compares a gunfight to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.”—The Washington PostWright wrote about [his] experience in a three-part series in Rolling Stone that was hailed for its evocative, accurate war reporting. This book, a greatly expanded version of that series, matches its accomplishment. Wright is a perceptive reporter...a personality-driven, readable and insightful look at the Iraq war's first month from the Marine grunt's point of view...compelling portraits...a vivid, well-drawn picture.”—Publishers Weekly“The language is blue, the blood red, and the action explosive. This may be the book of the Iraqi engagement.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith the planned withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, the longest conflicts in our nation''s history were supposed to end. Yet we remain at war against expanding terrorist movements, and our security forces have had to continually adapt to a nihilistic foe that operates in the shadows.The result of fifteen years of reporting, Twilight Warriors is the untold story of the tight-knit brotherhood that changed the way America fights. James Kitfield reveals how brilliant innovators in the US military, Special Forces, and the intelligence and law enforcement communities forged close operational bonds in the crucibles of Iraq and Afghanistan, breaking down institutional barriers to create a relentless, intelligence-driven style of operations. At the forefront of this profound shift were Stanley McChrystal and his interagency team at Joint Special Operations Command, the pioneers behind a hybrid method of warfighting: find, fix, finish, exploit, and analyze. Other key figures inTrade Review"An enlightening tour of 21st-century counterterrorism."-Wall Street Journal "Simply stated, also, and suspenseful."-Military Times "[Twilight Warriors] reads like a collection of gripping stories about the host of evolving security, bureaucratic, and resource challenges faced by these 'twilight warriors' and their respective responses to them. These stories are packed with tension, drama, human interest, vivid vignettes, and insightful analyses of a fast-changing threat environment and the remarkable people who are still navigating its uncharted waters. It should appeal to a wide range of readers, from policy wonks and security professionals to scholars of contemporary national and international affairs, and to the attentive reading public."-CHOICE "Kitfield's insightful and timely work highlights the gaps between policy makers and military brass."-Publishers Weekly "A compelling chronological examination of the new intelligence-driven, multiagency counterterrorism model the U.S. military now uses to meet the 'Age of Superterrorism'... Kitfield gets inside the U.S. military 'brotherhood' to produce an engaging and chilling report."-Kirkus Reviews "Twilight Warriors is undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read. A brilliantly written narrative and real world adventure that draws the reader in, and vividly explains how a group of dedicated professionals helped keep our country safe after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. America faces tough days ahead, but we can take inspiration from this wartime fraternity of twilight warriors who, when confronted with unprecedented challenges, operated on the principle of doing what needed to be done, and asking for permission and forgiveness later."-Gen. Dennis Reimer (ret), 33rd Army Chief of Staff "In his book Prodigal Soldiers, James Kitfield masterfully told the tale of how the post-Vietnam generation of officers rebuilt the U.S. military and marched to victory in the Persian Gulf War. Now with the insightful Twilight Warriors, he tells the story of the next generation of American warriors as they confront the challenges of the 21st Century, battling ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other shadowy groups who are determined to take the fight to our own shores, and pose the deadliest threat to the civilized world."-Mark Thompson, TIME Magazine "Twilight Warriors is bar none the best work yet published on the global struggle against terrorism. James Kitfield's riveting narrative reflects 15 years of insider reporting on the soldiers, spies, and special agents who have fought to keep the nation safe, and changed the way America fights. Breathtaking in its insights and revelations on our bitter, ongoing wars of counter-terrorism. Kitfield has hit a home run." -Barry McCaffrey, former General in the US Army "Twilight Warriors provides a uniquely intimate and timely window into the special operations, intelligence and law enforcement counterterrorism efforts of the past two decades. Compelling and insightful, it is the most up-to-date account available of the ongoing war on terrorism. James Kitfield's gripping portraits of the key figures leading this struggle makes this book required reading for anyone wishing to understand the threat that terrorism continues to pose-and what we are doing to defeat it."-Bruce Hoffman, Professor & Director, Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University, and author of Anonymous Soldiers "James Kitfield is one of the United States' leading national security reporters. In Twilight Warriors, he profiles the key players, and delivers a deeply reported and well-calibrated account of the shadowy conflicts that have defined America's post-9/11 wars."-Peter Bergen, author of United States of Jihad: Investigating America's Homegrown Terrorists

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn late March 1975, as the Vietnam War raged, an Australian voluntary aid worker named Rosemary Taylor approached the Australian Embassy seeking assistance to fly 600 orphans out of Saigon to safety. Rosemary and Margaret Moses, two former nuns from Adelaide, had spent eight years in Vietnam during the war, building up a complex of nurseries to house war orphans and street waifs as the organisation that built up around them facilitated international adoptions for the children. As the North Vietnamese forces closed in on their nurseries, they needed a plan to evacuate the children, or all their work might count for little ... Based on extensive archival and historical research, and interviews of some of those directly involved in the events described, Operation Babylift details the last month of the Vietnam War from the perspective of the most vulnerable victims of that war: the orphans it created. Through the story of the attempt to save 600 children, we see h

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the great untold stories of the British services is that of the Royal Navy Submarine Service which entered the fray in World War I with 100 underwater craft. Through World War II, where submariners'' prospects of returning safely from a mission were only 50:50, the Falklands conflict and the sinking of the Belgrano, to present-day elite machines, the Silent Service has played an enormous part in British defence. John Parker''s in-depth investigation is very much personality led with diaries from the early part of the century to substantial first-person testimony from survivors of wartime heroics (when many VCs were won).

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe bestselling true story of bomb disposal work that won Ivison a George Medal - and started a living nightmare...Trade ReviewThe honesty with which Kevin relays his fear, his overwhelming sense that he is going to die, is impressive... Ivison's writing is unpretentious and accessible -- Patrick Hennessey * Daily Telegraph *Absorbing ... At the heart of the book is a taut, riveting account of the events of a single day - February 28, 2006 - when Ivison rushed to the scene of an IED ambush on a road known as RED ONE * Daily Mail *The chapters of RED ONE that cover the events of February 28 are as gripping, agonising and memorable as any modern military memoir * Sunday Times *RED ONE is plain-spoken, heart-thumping stuff * The Times *Gripping... a gifted writer as well as a genuine hero... I am humbled at what these heroes do for us all * Literary Review *His account of life on the front lines is at times terrifying, but leavened with black humour * Good Book Guide *Humbling, edge-of-the-sunlounger account of courage under fire. * TESCO MAGAZINE *His account of life on the front lines is at times terrifying, but leavened with black humour. * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the recent war in Iraq, the 7th Armoured Brigade, bearers of the Desert Rats insignia, was immediately engaged in some of the fiercest early fighting, ultimately taking Basra for the Allies. The war in Iraq revived public focus on the Desert Rats whose famous battles of World War II helped turn the tide of German dominance.After World War II the Desert Rats re-emerged as part of the NATO forces during the Cold War years, and in other major deployments in the 1991 Gulf War, Bosnia and Kosovo. In this latest of his military histories, John Parker once again draws heavily on the drama of first-hand accounts for a story that is a seminal part of modern military history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA BRACING ACCOUNT OF A WAR THAT IS EITHER MISUNDERSTOOD, FORGOTTEN, OR WILLFULLY IGNORED For Americans, it was a discrete conflict lasting from 1950 to 1953. But for the Asian world the Korean War was a generations-long struggle that still haunts contemporary events. With access to new evidence and secret materials from both here and abroad, including an archive of captured North Korean documents, Bruce Cumings reveals the war as it was actually fought. He describes its origin as a civil war, preordained long before the first shots were fired in June 1950 by lingering fury over Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Cumings then shares the neglected history of America’s post–World War II occupation of Korea, reveals untold stories of bloody insurgencies and rebellions, and tells of the United States officially entering the action on the side of the South, exposing as never before the appalling massacres and atrocities committed on all sides.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Royal Navy''s dramatic race to save the crew of a trapped Russian submarine.5 August 2005. On a secret mission to an underwater military installation 30 miles off the coast of Kamchatka, Russian Navy submersible AS-28 ran into a web of cables and stuck fast. With 600 feet of freezing water above them, there was no escape for the seven crew. Trapped in a titanium tomb, all they could do was wait as their air supply slowly dwindled.For more than 24 hours the Russian Navy tried to reach them. Finally - still haunted by the loss of the nuclear submarine Kursk five years before - they requested international assistance. On the other side of the world Commander Ian Riches, leader of the Royal Navy''s Submarine Rescue Service, got the call: there was a sub down.With the expertise and specialist equipment available to him Riches knew his team had a chance to save the men, but Kamchatka was at the very limit of their range and time was running out. A

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A fast-paced, thrilling account of British heroism, brave men surrounded and fighting against overwhelming odds. This is the real, sometimes shocking, and deeply personal story of modern warfare and PTSD.'' Andy McNab''This hugely timely book reveals in gripping detail the personal stories of its hidden victims - lest we forget.'' Damien LewisTrapped in an isolated outpost on the edge of the Helmand desert, a small force of British and Afghan soldiers is holding out against hundreds of Taliban fighters. Under brutal siege conditions, running low on food and ammunition, he experiences the full horror of combat. As the casualties begin to mount and the enemy closes in, Evans finds both his leadership and his belief in the war severely tested. Returning home, he is haunted by the memories of Afghanistan. He can''t move on and his life begins to spin out of control.Under the Bearskin was previously published as Code Trade ReviewAuthentic. Revelatory. Shocking. Edge-of-the seat heart-thumping dust and blood and sheer guts. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a hidden time-bomb amongst British veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. This hugely timely book reveals in gripping detail the personal stories of its hidden victims - lest we forget. * Damien Lewis *An absorbing, authentic and movingly accurate account of the fight in Helmand and at home. * Patrick Hennessey, author of Kandak and The Junior Officer's Reading Club *Code Black is a tale of our war in Afghanistan told by one of the men who fought there. It is visceral, truthful and, above all, thought-provoking. Code Black is an impressive achievement and a compelling read. * Bernard Cornwell *An excellent read, the pressures of command and combat intercut with the pressure of subsequently trying to make sense of what happened, how he reacted and whether it was worth it. -- Robert Crampton * Sunday Times Magazine *A fast-paced, thrilling account of British heroism, brave men surrounded and fighting against overwhelming odds. This is the real, sometimes shocking, and deeply personal story of modern warfare and PTSD. If you're going to buy one book about the Afghan conflict, make it this one A must read for anyone interested in our soldiers in Afghanistan. * Andy McNab *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Vietnam War ripped America apart and charted the nation''s tumultuous future. In their tens of thousands, young men went off to fight in what was an initially popular war only to face defeat and acrimony as national resolve wavered - and returned home to a nation that reviled them and tried to forget about them. Written by Andrew Wiest, the bestselling author of The Boys of ''67: Charlie Company''s War in Vietnam this book traces the American experience of Vietnam from the war''s popular inception to its morale-crushing and bitter conclusion. Based on rich collection housed at the Center of Military History and at the Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech, Vietnam allows the reader a grunt''s-eye view of the conflict - from the steaming rice paddies and swamps of the Mekong Delta, to the triple-canopy rainforest of the Central Highlands, and to the forlorn Marine bases that dotted the DMZ. The stories contained within these pages detail everything from heroism and battle to heliTable of ContentsIntroduction /1 Who We Were /2 Drop and Give Me 20 /3 Welcome to Vietnam /4 Life and Death in the Nam /5 Combat /6 Loss /7 A World of Hurt /8 Changing Attitudes /9 Freedom Bird /10 Life After Nam /Bibliography /Acknowledgements /Exclusive Extract from The Boys of ‘67 /Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA new supplement bringing Bolt Action to a new period and conflict, the Korean War, with special rules, forces, and scenarios to game this conflict.This supplement for Bolt Action expands the rules-set from its World War Two roots to this new, and truly modern, conflict. Bolt Action: Korea contains all the rules, Theatre Lists, scenarios, and new and exciting units, never seen in Bolt Action before, to wargame this turbulent period of world history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawing on a wealth of previously unseen documents, sourced by Freedom of Information requests, together with interviews with government and intelligence agency officials, Louise Kettle questions whether the British government has learned anything from its military interventions in the Middle East, from the 1950s to the 2016 Iraq Inquiry report.Trade Review'Failing to learn historical lessons is not new.　 As Louise Kettle demonstrates in this absorbing account history is full of enough tantalising clues about the future that government should take heed, but it rarely has in the past and probably won’t in the future.　 As Kettle ably shows, this is a serious mistake and until someone sits up and takes notice, the mistakes of the past will become the mistakes of the future.' - Michael Goodman, King's College LondonTable of Contents1. Learning from History; 2. No End of a Lesson – Suez 1956; 3. More like Korea – Jordan 1958; 4. Suez in Reverse – Kuwait 1961; 5. A Re-Run of Port Stanley – The Gulf 1990–1; 6. Afghanistan Part Two – Iraq 2003–9; 7. Failing History or Lessons Learned?; Notes; Index.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller' Lee ChildIn the summer of 2007 the British Army's 662 Squadron deployed its most potent weapons system in combat for the very first time - the iconic Apache attack helicopter. This is the definitive story of the aircraft and of the crew who fly her, and of their baptism of fire in the battle for Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Under the call-sign Ugly, four of the Army Air Corps' finest pilots flew a relentless series of missions during their 100-day deployment, stretching the aircraft, and themselves, to the limit. Apache Dawn recounts these operations from the perspective of the aircrew, plus the soldiers on the ground who owe their lives to the Apaches' intervention during the white-hot heat of battle. Bestselling author Damien Lewis has been given unprecedented access to the pilots of the Apache Attack Squadrons - an elite band of warriors operating at the very limits of modern warfare. Apache Dawn is their story, and it is one of untold bravery and resilience against all odds.'As good as any thriller I have ever read' Freddie Forsyth'Reveals a true story of British courage and daring' The Sunday Times'Riveting' Richard & Judy Show'The most dramatic story of a secret wartime mission ever' News of the World

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis groundbreaking book provides the first systematic comparison of America’s modern wars and why they were won or lost. John D. Caldwell uses the World War II victory as the historical benchmark for evaluating the success and failure of later conflicts. Unlike WWII, the Korean, Vietnam, and Iraqi Wars were limited, but they required enormous national commitments, produced no lasting victories, and generated bitter political controversies. Caldwell comprehensively examines these four wars through the lens of a strategic architecture to explain how and why their outcomes were so dramatically different. He defines a strategic architecture as an interlinked set of continually evolving policies, strategies, and operations by which combatant states work toward a desired end. Policy defines the high-level goals a nation seeks to achieve once it initiates a conflict or finds itself drawn into one. Policy makers direct a broad course of action and strive to control the initiative. When they make decisions, they have to respond to unforeseen conditions to guide and determine future decisions. Effective leaders are skilled at organizing constituencies they need to succeed and communicating to them convincingly. Strategy means employing whatever resources are available to achieve policy goals in situations that are dynamic as conflicts change quickly over time. Operations are the actions that occur when politicians, soldiers, and diplomats execute plans. A strategic architecture, Caldwell argues, is thus not a static blueprint but a dynamic vision of how a state can succeed or fail in a conflict.Trade ReviewCaldwell, a defense analyst, offers up a strategic survey of America’s major wars since 1941 to determine why the U.S. was victorious in WWII but has not meet its objectives in the major wars since. . . . [For] those who are interested in but have not read deeply on military strategy, this will be illuminating. * Publishers Weekly *Excellent! Fills an important void in our understanding about policy, strategy, and operations. -- H. R. McMasterReaders can learn from and enjoy every page of this book, which displays the rare ability to seize immediately upon the essence of military questions. Unfortunately, not many of our generals—and far fewer of our elected leaders—have Caldwell’s talent for prescribing the necessities of victory and proscribing the causes of defeat. In masterful summaries that are equal parts history and analysis, he takes us on a truly professional tour of our wars since 1941, allowing us to share his great gift for strategic clarity. -- Mark HelprinAs interesting a book as it gets. . . . The central problem the author addresses is the unsatisfying outcome to the conflicts after 1945. This is something few of us who witnessed the World War think about. Why has the good Uncle become such a patsy? . . . Caldwell offers a set of guidelines about how to think about involvement in any continuing or future conflict. They make a lot of sense. First and foremost is to align an overseas mission goal with America’s core interests and how to achieve that goal. If alignment fails, however, the mission risks failure beyond America’s control. * Takimag *Table of ContentsMaps, Figures, and Table Preface Acknowledgments PART I: STRATEGIC ARCHITECTURES: INTRODUCTION PART II: WORLD WAR II 1 Battle of Britain: Winning by Not Losing 2 Battle of the Atlantic: Protecting the Maritime Lifeline 3 Invasion of Russia: Hitler’s Strategic Mistake 4 Battle of El Alamein and Operation Torch: Cracking German Invincibility 5 Battles of Midway and Guadalcanal: Regaining Initiative in the Pacific 6 Strategic Bombing Offensive: Breaking German Airpower 7 Invasion of Italy: Deciding to Fight Somewhere in Europe in 1943 8 D-Day and the Battle for Normandy: Retaking the Continent 9 Battle for the Rhine: Attacking Germany’s Vitals 10 Battle of Okinawa and the Bombing of Japan: Ending the War 11 The Strategic Architectures of World War II PART III: THE KOREAN WAR 12 Battle of the Pusan Perimeter: Getting the Most Out of a Bad Situation 13 Inchon—Operation Chromite: MacArthur’s Masterstroke 14 Crossing the 38th Parallel and Driving North to the Yalu: The Risks of Overreaching 15 Operations Ripper and Killer: Recovery and Frustration 16 The Strategic Architectures of the Korean War PART IV: THE VIETNAM WAR 17 Battle of the Ia Drang Valley: Not Fighting the Decisive Battle 18 Bombing Campaign and High-Tech Initiatives: Operations Rolling Thunder and Igloo White Airpower and Technology Indecisive 19 The Pacification Program (1967–1968): Failing to Change Behavior 20 The Tet Offensive (1968): Strategic Disaster 21 Vietnamization: Never a Winning Strategy 22 The Final Years (1969–1975): The Losing Path 23 The Strategic Architectures of the Vietnam War PART V: THE IRAQI WARS 24 Iraqi War I, Persian Gulf War: Defeating Saddam, Losing Politically 25 Iraqi War II, Thirteen-Year Air Conflict: The Limits of Airpower 26 Iraqi War III, Invasion of Iraq: Winning without an Endgame 27 Iraqi War IV, the Insurgency and the Surge (2007–2008): Relearning Counterinsurgency 28 Iraqi War V, the Rise of ISIS: A New, More Violent Enemy 29 The Strategic Architectures of the Iraqi Wars PART VI: STRATEGIC ARCHITECTURES: THE ENDGAME Acronyms and Selected Glossary Notes Selected Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the early days of the Afghanistan war, Jeff Stern was scouring the streets of Kabul for a big story. He was accompanied by a driver, Aimal, who had ambitions of his own: to get rich off the sudden infusion of foreign attention and cash.In this gripping adventure story, Stern writes of how he and Aimal navigated an environment full of guns and danger and opportunity, and how they forged a deep bond.Then Stern got a call that changed everything. He discovered that Aimal had become an arms dealer, and was ultimately forced to flee the country to protect his family from his increasingly dangerous business partners.Tragic, powerful, and layered, The Mercenary is more than a wartime drama. It is a Rashomon-like story about how politics and violence warp our humanity, and keep the most important truths hidden.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn That Time tells the story of the American experience in Vietnam through the life of Michael O'Donnell, a promising young poet who became a soldier and helicopter pilot in Vietnam. O'Donnell wrote with great sensitivity and poetic force about his world and especially the war that was slowly engulfing him and his most well-known poem is still frequently cited and reproduced. Nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honour, O'Donnell never fired a shot in Vietnam. During an ill-fated attempt to rescue fellow soldiers, O'Donnell's helicopter was shot down in the jungles of Cambodia where he and his crew remained missing for almost 30 years. In telling O'Donnell's story, In That Time also tells the stories of those around him, both famous and ordinary, who helped to shape the events of the time and who were themselves shaped by them. The book is both a powerful personal story and a compelling, universal one about how America lost its way in the 1960s.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSequel to the acclaimed Such a Lovely Little War: growing up Vietnamese in swinging London as the Vietnam war intensifies.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA refreshingly bold and informed analysis of the developments that led to the Nigerian Civil War.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFeminist Christine Delphy co-founded the journal Nouvelles questions féministes with Simone de Beauvoir in the 1970s and became one of the most influential figures in French feminism. Today, Delphy remains a prominent and controversial feminist thinker, a rare public voice denouncing the racist motivations of the government's 2011 ban of the Muslim veil. Castigating humanitarian liberals for demanding the cultural assimilation of the women they are purporting to "save," Delphy shows how criminalizing Islam in the name of feminism is fundamentally paradoxical. Separate and Dominate is Delphy's manifesto, lambasting liberal hypocrisy and calling for a fluid understanding of political identity that does not place different political struggles in a false opposition. She dismantles the absurd claim that Afghanistan was invaded to save women, and that homosexuals and immigrants alike should reserve their self-expression for private settings. She calls for a true universalism that sacrifices no one at the expense of others. In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, her arguments appear more prescient and pressing than ever.Trade ReviewFrance's most exciting feminist writer. -- Simone de BeauvoirShe writes with an extraordinarily clear-eyed passion . Delphy's words are persuasive. * Telegraph *Christine Delphy cuts through ideology like a knife. Her critical analyses of the justifications for the 'war on terror' are sharp, accurate and anger-inducing. Her ability to hone in on the contradictions that sustain racism and sexism and perpetuate exclusion is second to none. Delphy's insight and materialist approach lends her arguments a rare clarity-she deserves to be much more widely recognized in the anglophone world. -- Nina Power, author of One Dimensional WomanDelphy's sharp analyses serve as a corrective to widespread, unproductive ways of thinking about migration, racism, imperialism, and war. [Her] noteworthy contribution is to insistently connect geopolitical issues to constructions of feminist identity and French identity. Delphy's uncompromising critique of her feminist countrywomen's complicity with imperial war and national(ist) racism grows not only out of anti-imperialist, anti-racist commitments but, even more fundamentally, out of the belief that this complicity is antithetical to the feminist project she cherishes. * Journal of the Society for Contemporary Thought and the Islamicate World *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAnd Bring the Darkness Home is a haunting exploration of how the mental scars of war destroyed an international cricket career, tore a family apart and left destitute a man who seemed to have it all. Tony Dell was the only Test cricketer to fight in the Vietnam War. His journey to the summit of the game, playing for Australia against England in the Ashes, was as unlikely and meteoric as any in cricket history. His descent was painful and harrowing. It was in his mid-60s, living in his mother's garage, that he learned the truth about what had led him on a path of self-destruction. A diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder allowed him to piece together the ruins of his life and also to search for answers, for himself and the thousands of other sufferers. The restlessness and urgency that once drove him to the top of the game was turned on authorities who refused to learn the lessons from history. PTSD robbed Tony Dell of memories of his playing career and left a palpable sense of loss. It also gave him a life-changing mission.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEvening Standard's January 2019 Book of the WeekThe gripping story of one woman's war against ISIS on the frontlines of Syria.Joanna Palani made headlines across the world when her role fighting ISIS in the Syrian conflict was revealed. She is one of a handful of western women who joined the international recruits to the Kurdish forces in the region and this is the first time her extraordinary story has been told. Inspired by the Arab Spring, Joanna left behind her student life in Copenhagen and travelled to the Middle East in order to join the YPJ - the all-female brigade of the Kurdish militia in Syria. After undergoing considerable military training, including as a saboteur and sniper, Joanna served as a YPJ fighter over several years and took part in the brutal siege of Kobani. Despite her heroism, she was taken in to custody on her return to Denmark for breaking laws designed to stop its citizens from joining ISIS, making her the first person to be jailed for joining the international coalition. In this raw and unflinching memoir, Joanna not only provides an eye-witness account of this devastating war but also reveals the personal cost of the battles she has fought on and off the frontlines.Trade ReviewThere is something rather magnificent about this 25-year-old... Palani is a force of nature. * Evening Standard, Book of the Week *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNerve agents are the world’s deadliest means of chemical warfare. Nazi Germany developed the first military-grade nerve agents and massive industry for their manufacture—yet, strangely, the Third Reich never used them. At the end of the Second World War, the Allies were stunned to discover this advanced and extensive programme. The Soviets and Western powers embarked on a new arms race, amassing huge chemical arsenals. From their Nazi invention to the 2018 Novichok attack in Britain, Dan Kaszeta uncovers nerve agents’ gradual spread across the world, despite international arms control efforts. They’ve been deployed in the Iran–Iraq War, by terrorists in Japan, in the Syrian Civil War, and by assassins in Malaysia and Salisbury—always with bitter consequences. 'Toxic' recounts the grisly history of these weapons of mass destruction: a deadly suite of invisible, odourless killers.Trade Review‘[Kaszeta] reminds us that even with an international convention banning them, the threat of chemical weapons being used outside conventional warfare is ever-present … [his] book is informative.’ -- Nature‘Kaszeta has a difficult theme but he avoids both jargon and the intricacies of the science. …You feel part of the discussion, helped through the complexities and invited to turn back to previous pages to better understand a line of history or thinking.’ -- The Scotsman'Extremely useful.' -- Eliot Higgins, 'Books That Made Me', Sunday Times South Africa‘Dan Kaszeta weaves an extraordinary narrative from the secret history of some of the deadliest substances ever created. From the plains of north Germany to the suburbs of Damascus he explains the development and use of nerve agents, employing his own deep knowledge, telling detail, and deadpan humour.’ -- Mark Urban‘Impeccably researched and engagingly written, Toxic tells a fascinating, dark tale, which has a chilling resonance for our own times.’ -- Roger Moorhouse, historian, and author of 'The Devils’ Alliance: Hitler’s Pact with Stalin, 1939-1941' and 'First to Fight: The Polish War 1939'‘This is an accessible, well written and very useful book on a difficult and contentious topic. Offering a dispassionate account of the inception of nerve agents, Kaszeta does a great service by gathering up the history of these chemicals into one authoritatively written volume.’ -- Dr Matthew Ford, University of Sussex, author of 'Weapon of Choice: Small Arms and the Culture of Military Innovation'‘From Sarin to Novichok, the twenty-first century demonstrates that the use of nerve agents … is an increasing threat to civilian populations across the world. … How we reached this moment should not be forgotten, and nor should that history be twisted by conspiracists pursuing their own agendas.’ -- Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, the open-source investigative journalism website‘Brings to life this macabre and secretive subject like never before ... the investigatory work demonstrated by Kaszeta is clear and second to none. … [A] highly thought-provoking and entertaining read.’ -- The RUSI Journal

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Gripping ... A terrific action narrative' Max Hastings 'Reads like a Tom Clancy thriller, yet every word is true ... This is modern warfare close-up and raw' Andrew Roberts Bestselling and Orwell Prize-winning author Toby Harnden tells the gripping and incredible story of the six-day battle that began the War in Afghanistan and how it set the scene for twenty years of conflict. The West is in shock. Al-Qaeda has struck the US on 9/11 and thousands are dead.Within weeks, UK Special Forces enter the fray in Afghanistan alongside the CIA's Team Alpha and US troops.Victory is swift, but fragile. Hundreds of jihadists surrender and two operatives from Team Alpha enter Qala-i Jangi – the 'Fort of War' – to interrogate them. The prisoners revolt, one CIA man falls, and the other is trapped inside the fort. Seven members of the SBS – elite British Special Forces – volunteer for the rescue force and race into danger and the unknown.The six-day battle that follows proves to be one of the bloodiest of the Afghanistan war as the SBS and their American comrades face an enemy determined to die in the mud citadel.Superbly researched, First Casualty is based on unprecedented access to the CIA, SBS, and US Special Forces. Orwell Prize-winning author Toby Harnden recounts the gripping story of that first battle in Afghanistan and how the haunting foretelling it contained – unreliable allies, ethnic rivalries, suicide attacks, and errant bombs – was ignored, fueling the twenty-year conflict to come.Trade Review'Gripping ... A terrific action narrative' -- Max Hastings'Reads like a Tom Clancy thriller, yet every word is true ... This is modern warfare close-up and raw' -- Andrew Roberts'Meticulously researched and told with page-turning pace and power' * Waterstones, Politics Books of the Year *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this book, first published in Hebrew in 1975 and now available in English for the first time with an introduction by Noam Chomsky, Amnon Kapeliouk traces the policies and attitudes that led to the 1973 Arab-Israel war. He describes the multiple diplomatic overtures from Egyptian presidents Nasser and Sadat after 1967 that Israel ignored or contemptuously rejected, as well as the complacent attitude that had become fully entrenched in the Israeli military establishment. On the political level, the triumvirate of Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan and Israel Galili feature prominently as a study in arrogance and incompetence. Kapeliouk also notes the protest movement that arose among active-duty soldiers as well as veterans in the wake of the war demanding political accountability for the failures of the war. Finally, the book examines Israel's policy of colonizing the territories occupied in 1967, starting with the Golan Heights and later spreading to the West Bank ("Judaea and Samaria") and the Sinai - a policy that did much to convince the leaders of Arab states that war was their only option.Introduced by Noam Chomsky and Irene Gendzier.Trade ReviewAmnon Kapeliouk's Not by Omission demonstrates conclusively that the 1973 Arab-Israeli War did not have to happen. Israel's dismissal of every Egyptian peace overture gave Egyptian President Anwar Sadat no option but to launch a war if he hoped to regain the Sinai Peninsula, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Nonetheless, the arrogant over-confidence of Israel's military leadership that Arab armies would not dare to attack Israel so soon after their devastating defeat left Israel unprepared for war. The most impressive achievement of Not by Omission is that is based on publicly available documentation - newspaper reports and 42 published pages (out of 1,500) of the report of Israel's National Commission of Inquiry into the failures of the military. That is to say, diligent Hebrew-reading observers could have drawn conclusions similar to those Kapeliouk reached in real time. Why didn't they? -- Joel BeininThis superb analysis of the fateful policies of the Israeli political leadership that almost produced a national disaster in 1973 retains a crucial relevance 20 years after its original publication, and deserves the widest readership. It convincingly demonstrates that Israel rejected a golden opportunity after the 1967 War to achieve peace with its Arab neighbors as well as regional stability because of its unwillingness to forego further expansionist territorial ambitions. -- Richard A. FalkAvailable in English for the first time, the late Amnon Kapeliouk's study of the pivotal 1973 Yom Kippur/Ramadan War is a significant contribution to the field of Middle East Studies and deserves to be read widely. A critical yet intimate examination of Israel's political and military leaders and thinkers, Not by Omission, analyzes their failures and why they occurred, and how, for a time, they changed Israel and the Arab world particularly after Israel's stunning victory in the 1967 war. An important work full of prescient insights that remain as relevant today as when they were first written nearly 50 years ago. -- Sara Roy, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard UniversityAmnon Kapeliouk was a courageous Israeli journalist and writer who placed the Palestinians at the centre of his work. Long before it became fashionable, he argued that the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 was unsustainable, morally and politically, and that, without a just peace, Israelis would face an uncertain future. Kapeliouk's most influential book was Lo Mehdal (Not By Omission, 1975) explaining why the 1973 war was not just an error of Israel's tactical intelligence, but was based on an entire misconception of Arab grievances and the determination to right them. -- Ian Black * Guardian *Amnon Kapeliouk, one of the oldest active journalists in Israel, worked for Al HaMishmar and Yedioth Aharonoth, as well as Le Monde and Le Monde Diplomatique. He was also known for his close ties to Yasser Arafat and other leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization. * Haaretz *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom Angola and Liberia to Iraq and the Congo, wars have taken place in resource rich countries full of poor people. In Wars of Plunder Philippe Le Billon explores how resources have shaped recent conflicts, and what the international community has tried to do about it. Focusing on key resources-oil, diamonds, and timber-he argues that resources and wars are linked in three main ways. First, resource revenues finance belligerents, a trend that has become all the more conspicuous since the withdrawal of Cold War foreign sponsorship in the late 1980s. Although the 'War on Terror' has redefined military assistance and the internationalisation of war, many belligerents continue to rely on and profit from 'conflict resources'. Second, resource exploitation generates conflict. As global demand for raw materials has sharply increased, competition over critical resources such as oil has resulted in a flurry of 'resource conflicts', from local community struggles against mining multinationals to regional and international tensions. Third, economic shocks and poor governance sharply increase the risk of war (the 'resource curse'). While today's resource boom is a major economic opportunity for resource rich but poor countries, reliance on resource exports often implies sharp economic downturns. Not all resources are the same, however, and effective responses are at hand. Sanctions, military interventions and wealth sharing have helped bring an end to conflicts, yet only deeper domestic and international reforms in resource governance can stop the plunder.Trade Review'The bottom line is that Wars of Plunder represents a near-exhaustive study of the relationship between resources and conflict. In light of its command of a vast literature and its wealth of descriptive details it should be given a prominent place on the bookshelf of any researcher in related fields and should be the first book read by any new student of the field.' * H-War, H-Net reviews *'Le Billon's uncovering of the complexities involved in resource conflict makes this book a valuable contribution to the discussion of intrastate violence ... Highly recommended.' * Choice *'This impressive book will be a very significant contribution to its field. It does a remarkable job of summarizing a multifarious, and often complex, body of literature without oversimplifying it ... and reveals a prodigious amount of reading by the author as well as the breadth of field research he has pursued over many years.' * Dr Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Oxford University *'For anyone interested in war economies and what to do about them, this book is a real 'must-read'. From Angola to Cambodia, from oil to timber, the author draws on two decades of scholarly research and field experience to paint a remarkable picture of the complex resource-conflict nexus: concise, and yet nuanced and comprehensive.' * Gilles Carbonnier, professor of development economics at the Graduate Institute / Geneva and editor-in-chief of International Development Policy *'Le Billon has written a deep, nuanced, analytically rich exploration of the many ways that oil, diamonds, and timber are intertwined with violent conflict. This is an important book for both scholars and activists.' * Michael L. Ross, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Shapes the Development of Nations *'The complexity of contemporary resource wars is elegantly unpacked in this lucid investigation of geography and violence. It shows how resources are entangled in complicated geopolitical economies which require careful policy initiatives rather than simple moral certainties. This simply is the "must read" volume for anyone concerned to understand these issues in depth.' * Simon Dalby, Carleton University *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThere is a widespread belief that the Taliban and al-Qaeda are in many respects synonymous, that their ideology and objectives are closely intertwined and that they have made common cause against the West for decades. Such opinions have been stridently supported by politicians, media pundits and senior military figures, yet they have hardly ever been scrutinised. This is all the more surprising given that the West's present entanglement in Afghanistan is commonly predicated on the need to defeat the Taliban in order to forestall further terrorist attacks worldwide. The relationship between the two groups and the individuals who established them is undeniably complex, and has remained so for many years. Links between the Taliban and al-Qaeda were retained in the face of a shared enemy following the invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks, an adversary that was selected by al-Qaeda rather than by the Taliban, and which led the latter to become entangled in a war that was not of its choosing. This book is the first to examine in detail the relationship from the Taliban's perspective based on Arabic, Dari and Pashtu sources, drawing on the authors' many years experience in southern Afghanistan, the Taliban's heartland. They also interviewed Taliban decision-makers, field commanders and ordinary fighters while immersing themselves in Kandahar's society. Van Linschoten and Kuehn's forensic examination of the evolution of the two groups allows the background and historical context that informed their respective ideologies to come to the fore. The story of those individuals who were to become their key decision-makers, and the relationships among all those involved, from the mid-1990s onwards, reveal how complex the interactions were between the Taliban and al-Qaeda and how they frequently diverged rather than converged. An Enemy We Created concludes that there is room to engage the Taliban on the issues of renouncing al-Qaeda and guaranteeing that Afghanistan will deny sanctuary to international terrorists. Yet the insurgency is changing, and it could soon be too late to find a political solution. The authors contend that certain aspects of the campaign, especially night raids and attempts to fragment and decapitate the Taliban, are transforming the resistance, creating more opportunities for al-Qaeda and helping it to attain its goals.Trade Review'This book is one of the best informed, most sophisticated and most insightful works yet to appear on the Afghan Taliban and their relationship to Al-Qaeda. It makes a brilliant contribution to Afghan historiography, and should be compulsory reading for Western policymakers working on Afghanistan today.' -- Professor Anatol Lieven, King's College London'Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the war in Afghanistan. In offering a forensic dissection of the relationship between al Qaeda and the Taliban, over many years, it offers bad news, and good news: that, in taking on the Taliban, we may be fighting the wrong enemy in the wrong country; but that the Taliban may be open to a negotiated settlement - provided America gets on with it.' -- Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, British Ambassador to Kabul 2007-2009, Special Representative for Afghanistan'Ignore anybody claiming to be an expert on the Taliban or al Qaeda if they have not read An Enemy We Created. Most books on the subject are written without fieldwork, by people lacking the language skills, the courage, the integrity or the dedication of these two authors. Thanks to their Arabic, Dari and Pashtu skills as well as their groundbreaking and unprecedented fieldwork, Strick van Linschoten and Kuehn have written the essential book on the subject. Say nothing about the region until you have read it!' -- Nir Rosen, author of Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America's Wars in the Muslim World and Fellow at New York University's Center on Law and Security'A fascinating look deep into the shifting interactions of the Taliban and Al Qaeda by authors who have lived close to the persons they study. Their conclusions about the radicalisation of the younger generation of the Afghan Taliban and the unintended consequences of NATO military actions are directly relevant to policy considerations of today's war in Afghanistan.' -- Ronald Neumann, Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan 2005-2007'One of the key justifications of the escalation of the war in Afghanistan is the (supposedly) unshakable link between Al Qaeda and the Taliban. So far, studies addressing this question have generally been written with a limited understanding of the Taliban movement. Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn, who recently edited the memoirs of Mullah Zaeef, My Life With the Taliban, here offer a major contribution to the understanding of the complex and changing relationship between the two movements. Specialists in the field will find an erudite and balanced work based on multiple interviews with key players and a deep knowledge of local politics. But, beyond academia, their conclusions should be part of the discussion about the current strategy. If the Taliban are not controlled or even under the influence of Al Qaeda, a negotiated settlement becomes a reasonable goal. One can only hope that Washington will listen to these knowledgeable voices and start understanding the real nature of the Taliban movement.' -- Gilles Dorronsoro, visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Professor at the Sorbonne University (Paris)'Finally, someone has taken on the often-repeated but not-much-sourced assumption that every group hiding in the Afpak mountains is more or less the same thing, that Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as well as Al Qaeda and Pakistani sectarians and jihadists are all part of a big 'terrorism syndicate'. This is not only wrong but also dangerous since policies are conceived on this basis. Strick van Linschoten and Kuehn provide plenty of material, amongst it a lot that has never been scrutinised before, and they do it from knowing what they are talking about from inside the country, not from behind Hesco walls. It is a gold mine for people who really want to know. Can the Obama administration spend some atoms of its Afpak budget to buy a couple of hundred copies and distribute it amongst those involved in the upcoming policy review?' -- Thomas Ruttig, Co-director and Senior Analyst of Afghanistan Analysts Network'Anybody who wants to stop the bloodshed in Afghanistan and Pakistan, anybody who wants the conflict to finally break from its feverish climb to new heights of violence, must study the relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda. We need to understand the difference between people who want to kill infidels all over the world, and those who merely want to be left alone. Making peace with the latter will help us survive the former. This excellent work represents the first serious examination of this crucial and mysterious relationship, at least in the unclassified realm, and deserves a close reading by students of the war.' -- Graeme Smith, Emmy-award winning journalist for The Globe and Mail'The authors' research and scholarship make a powerful case and their book is likely to become the definitive text on the matter.' -- Jonathan Steele in International Affairs'[Strick van Linschoten and Kuehn] bring the empathy and experience of old chroniclers such as Caroe but none of the romantic condescension towards the "wily Pathan". ... Their central thesis in An Enemy We Created is that "the issue of international terrorism from within Afghanistan's borders may not necessarily be as big a potential problem as is currently believed". That is because, like Tenet, we have persistently overestimated the degree of intellectual and operational agreement between two strains of jihad - one local and contingent, the other global and unyielding. These were forged in parallel during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. But, as Strick van Linschoten and Kuehn demonstrate, they had radically different influences.' -- Financial Times'A significant contribution to the history and understanding of the problems in Afghanistan.' -- Asian Affairs'[T]his book offers a rich, evidence-based contribution to the field, significant for its level of detail and the uncovering of new and valuable sources. The authors convey a welcome clarity of insight so often missing from press coverage, and which those who direct policy would do well to listen to.' -- South Asia Research

Read more less

Book SynopsisWarlords are charismatic military leaders who exploit weak central authorities in order to gain control of sub-national areas. Notwithstanding their bad reputation, warlords have often participated in state formation. In Empires of Mud Giustozzi analyses the dynamics of warlordism in Afghanistan within the context of such debates. He approaches this complex task by first analysing aspects of the Afghan environment that might have been conductive to the fragmentation of central authority and the emergence of warlords and then accounts for the emergence of warlordism in the 1980s and subsequently. He accounts for the phenomenon from the 1980s to today, considering Afghanistan's two foremost warlords, Ismail Khan and Abdul Rashid Dostum, and their political, economic, and military systems of rule. Despite the intervention of Allied forces in 2001, both of these leaders continue to wield considerable power. The author also discusses Ahmad Shah Massoud, whose 'system' incorporated elements of rule not dissimilar from that of the warlords. Giustozzi reveals common themes in the emergence of warlordism, particularly the role of local military leaders and their gradual acquisition of 'class consciousness,' which over time evolves into a more sophisticated, state-like, or political party-like, structure.Trade Review'Assesses the dynamics of warlordism... [It offers] a chilling prognosis for those who believe that the solution to stabilizing Afghanistan will come only from the top down - - by building strong central government institutions. Although creating a strong centralized state, assuming it ever happens, may help ensure long-term stability, it is not sufficient in Afghanistan. The current top-down state-building and counterinsurgency efforts must take place alongside bottom-up programs, such as reaching out to legitimate local leaders to enlist them in providing security and services at the village and district levels. Otherwise, the Afghan government will lose the war.' -- Foreign Affairs'Giustozzi has written a masterful account of the dilemmas of state-building in Afghanistan and his concluding words should be heeded when he warns that he doubts that strong national leadership will emerge in a context of external intervention in Afghanistan.' -- International Affairs'The first book to provide a political sociology of warlordism in Afghanistan; its purpose is to understand in detail how warlord polities work, expand and disintegrate. Empires of Mud will become required reading, both for academics and policy-makers studying the phenomenon of warlordism, and for those with a specialist interest in Afghanistan.' -- Dr Jonathan Goodhand, School of Oriental and African Studies'Antonio Giustozzi's books and articles on Afghanistan are uniformly penetrating, and this work is no exception. The issue of warlordism in conflict is one of the most challenging that one can confront in both conceptual and practical terms, and he has contributed significantly on both fronts. Empires of Mud is an enlightening study which in its detailed appraisal of two major Afghan cases adds valuably to the literature on developments in that country since the communist coup of April 1978 sent Afghanistan into a tailspin from which it is yet to recover.' -- William Maley, Australian National University

Read more less