Warfare and defence Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Frostgrave The Red King
Book SynopsisThis first supplement for Frostgrave: Second Edition offers a huge campaign filled with new monsters, magic, and treasure.Fires rage throughout the Frozen City as an inhuman army pours out of the cracks between realities. In the distant past, a cabal of city elders sought to save their lives by making a pact with a demon prince and now the Red King has come to collect what he is owed, claiming Frostgrave as his own. Many have already fled before the Red King''s demonic hordes, while others seek to weather the storm, turning their bases into make makeshift fortresses. The wizards of Frostgrave must choose--do they stand and fight, or do they abandon this great repository of mystical knowledge to the ravages of unearthly fire?The Red King is the first supplement designed for Frostgrave: Second Edition. In this sprawling, epic campaign, wizards will be pushed to their limits, fighting not only against one another and the perils of the Frozen
£18.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Malplaquet 1709
Book SynopsisIn 1709, after eight years of war, France was on her knees. There was not enough money left in the treasury to pay, equip or feed the army and a bad harvest led to starvation throughout the kingdom. Circumstances had worsened to the point that King Louis XIV was forced to offer to end the War of Spanish Succession on humiliating terms for his country. However, the allied powers Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire refused Louis' offer, believing that one more successful campaign would utterly destroy French power. This book examines the campaign of 1709, culminating in the battle of Malplaquet, which would prove Louis' enemies disastrously wrong. Led by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, the allied armies achieved a tactical victory but it was a hollow one. The allies suffered 23,000 casualties to the French 11,000 in what was the bloodiest battle of the 18th century. The scale of casualties shocked Europe and led to a reversal of fortuneTable of ContentsOrigins of the Campaign Chronology Opposing Commanders Opposing Forces Opposing Plans The Opening Moves The Battle of Maplaquet Aftermath The Battlefield Today Further Reading Index
£14.39
Clarity Press Highway to Hell
Book Synopsis
£17.70
September Publishing My War Gone by, I Miss it So
Book SynopsisMy War Gone By, I Miss It So is a uniquely powerful piece of writing, unparalleled in the genre. Ex-infantry officer Anthony Loyd arrived in the Balkans hoping to become a war correspondent. He wanted to see `a real war', and in Bosnia he found one. The cruelty and chaos of the conflict both appalled and embraced him - the adrenaline lure of the action perhaps the loudest siren call of all. In the midst of the daily life-and-death struggle among the Serbs, Croatians and Bosnian Muslims he was inspired by the extraordinary human fortitude he discovered. But returning home, empty and craving adrenaline, he faced his own frailties until he could bear it no longer.Trade Review'An extraordinary memoir of the Bosnian War ... savage and mercilessly readable ... deserves a place alongside George Orwell, James Cameron and Nicholas Tomalin. It is as good as war reporting gets. I have nowhere read a more vivid account of frontline fear and survival. Forget the strategic overview. All war is local. It is about the ditch in which the soldier crouches and the ground on which he fights and maybe dies. The same applies to the war reporter. Anthony Loyd has been there and knows it' Martin Bell, The Times | 'A truly exceptional book, one of those rare moments in journalistic writing when you can sit back and realise that you are in the presence of somebody willing to take the supreme risk for a writer, of extending their inner self. I finished reading Anthony Loyd's account of his time in the Balkans and Chechnya only a few days ago and am still feeling the after-effects ... I read his story of war and addiction (to conflict and heroin) with a sense of gratitude for the honesty and courage on every page' Fergal Keane, Independent | 'Not since Michael Herr wrote Dispatches has any journalist written so persuasively about violence and its seductions in all of war's minutiae of awful detail ... an account that demystifies war and the war reporter and strips them bare before the reader' Peter Beaumont, Observer | 'Undoubtedly the most powerful and immediate book to emerge from the Balkan horror of ethnic civil war ... far more revealing and convincing than anything recounted to camera by visiting journalists and politicians' Antony Beevor, Daily Telegraph | 'An astonishing book ... a raw, vivid and brutally honest account of his transition from thrill seeker to concerned reporter' Philip Jacobson, Daily Mail | 'Chilling ... a true picture into the brutality of war and should be required reading for all those politicians who use phrases such as "collateral damage" and "surgical strikes"' John Nichol, Daily Express | 'Both beautiful and disturbing' Wall Street Journal | 'Part war memoir, part coming-of-age tale and part junkie diary, it's a raw account of the hypnotic lures of violence, heroin and danger' Carla Power, Newsweek | 'This is more than just despatches from the front. There's bloodred-vivid descriptions of the fighting, sure, but there's also the dark poetic insight of a man who's seen humanity at its worst. Loyd spares us nothing - not brains spilling out on the street, not his own bleak despair, not even the jokes - and he deserves a medal for it' Maxim | 'Magnificent ... a stench of blood, excrement, mortar-fire, slivovitz and human bestiality emanates from these pages' Ben Shephard, Literary Review | 'Battlefield reportage does not get more up close, gruesome, and personal ... The fear and confusion of battle are so vivid that in places, they rise like acrid smoke from the page' New York Times | 'Loyd's strongest writing is in his descriptions of carnage - of the sound and smell of shellfire; of the sexual release of blasting away with an automatic machine gun ... This is pure war reporting, free from the usual journalistic constraints that often give a false significance to suffering. And Loyd waxes eloquent on the backblast of his war time, a heroin addiction that begins before his arrival and becomes the only way he can survive his breaks from the fighting' Salon | 'First-rate war correspondence ... [in] the great tradition of Hemingway, Caputo, and Michael Herr' Boston Globe | 'My War Gone By, I Miss It So moves at the pace of a thriller. Why bother reading war fiction when you can read such intense reporting?' LA Weekly | '[Loyd] has written an account of its horrors that will wipe out any thoughts you might have had that we have reached the limit of the worst human nature has to offer. The monstrosities he describes are beyond belief. But the book is also compelling for what it tells us about fear' National Geographic Adventure | 'A testament to his honor and courage. And while it would be impossible for one man to tell the whole story, his book shines with small truths and larger, philosophical ones about life and war' New York Post | 'My War Gone By is a brutal yet sensitive story which addresses both the nature of addiction and the experience of war. I was struck by Anthony's work and words, experiences, and for me his is an important voice and an important book.' Tom Hardy
£9.89
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC SixDay War 1967
Book SynopsisOn one day in June, the balance of air power in the Middle East was turned upside down by perhaps the most ruthlessly effective air superiority campaign in history Operation Moked, or Focus. In 1967, the Israeli Air Force was outnumbered more than two to one by the jets of hostile Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Operation Focus was Israel's ingenious strike plan to overturn the balance. At 0745hrs on June 6, Israeli jets hit Egypt's airfields simultaneously, first bombing runways and then strafing aircraft. Another 20 follow-up missions were already in the air, initially scheduled to hit every five minutes. This new history of Operation Focus explains how the concept for Focus was devised and meticulously planned, the astonishing rate of serviceability and turnaround speed it required from ground crews, and how the relentless tempo of strikes shattered one air force after another. It is the story of how Israel's vTable of ContentsIntroduction /Chronology /Attacker's Capabilities /Defender's Capabilities /Campaign Objectives /Order of Battle /The Campaign /Analysis /Conclusion /Bibliography /Index
£15.29
Georgetown University Press Intelligence and Surprise Attack: Failure and
Book SynopsisHow can the United States avoid a future surprise attack on the scale of 9/11 or Pearl Harbor, in an era when such devastating attacks can come not only from nation states, but also from terrorist groups or cyber enemies? Intelligence and Surprise Attack examines why surprise attacks often succeed even though, in most cases, warnings had been available beforehand. Erik J. Dahl challenges the conventional wisdom about intelligence failure, which holds that attacks succeed because important warnings get lost amid noise or because intelligence officials lack the imagination and collaboration to "connect the dots" of available information. Comparing cases of intelligence failure with intelligence success, Dahl finds that the key to success is not more imagination or better analysis, but better acquisition of precise, tactical-level intelligence combined with the presence of decision makers who are willing to listen to and act on the warnings they receive from their intelligence staff. The book offers a new understanding of classic cases of conventional and terrorist attacks such as Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, and the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The book also presents a comprehensive analysis of the intelligence picture before the 9/11 attacks, making use of new information available since the publication of the 9/11 Commission Report and challenging some of that report's findings.Trade ReviewA defining book in understanding intelligence failure. It deserves to be a text studied heavily by students of intelligence, practitioners and policymakers. -- Kristian Gustafson International Studies Review Where this book breaks new ground is in the examination of warning of terrorist attack, an area where there is comparatively (and surprisingly) little in the way of scholarly research and publication ... Professor Dahl has produced a well-written and thought provoking book that provides well-researched analysis of what makes warning intelligence work. It is a worthy addition to the scholarly literature on indications and warning and 'Intelligence failure.' Proceedings A seminal work of original scholarship and should be a part of every community and academic library Security Studies & Intelligence collection. Midwest Book Review It encourages the comparison of cases of intelligence failure and success and thus fills an important gap in existing literature on intelligence failures and paves way for future research. Furthermore, it provides a valuable dataset on unsuccessful terrorist attacks against Americans and American targets for future research ... It is an important book and in time will find its place among other classic and prominent works on the phenomenon of surprise attacks. Intelligence and National Security Too many assume failure is inevitable, but [the author] shows that it isn't and explains how to make intelligence far more reliable to avoid future surprise attacks. The IntelligencerTable of ContentsIntroduction: Breaking the First Law of Intelligence Failure 1. Why Does Intelligence Fail, and How Can It Succeed? Part I: The Problem of Conventional Surprise Attack 2. Pearl Harbor: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom3. The Battle of Midway: Explaining Intelligence Success4. Testing the Argument: Classic Cases of Surprise Attack Part II: The Problem of Terrorist Surprise Attack 5. The East Africa Embassy Bombings: Disaster Despite Warning6. New York City: Preventing a Day of Terror7. The 9/11 Attacks: A New Explanation8. Testing the Argument: Why Do Terrorist Plots Fail? Conclusion: Preventing Surprise Attacks Today Appendix: Unsuccessful Plots and Attacks against American Targets, 1987-2012 Notes Bibliography Index
£21.60
HarperCollins Publishers Nein
Book SynopsisFrom bestselling and prize-winning author Paddy Ashdown, a revelatory new history of German opposition to Hitler.Ashdown has a great gift for narrative history. He unearths little known stories and places them in context with great dexterity.His new book throws fresh and important light on a crucial topic.' JONATHAN DIMBLEBYIn his last days, Adolf Hitler raged in his bunker that he had been betrayed by his own people, defeated from the inside. In part, he was right. By 1945, his armies were being crushed on all fronts, his regime collapsing with many fleeing retribution for their crimes. Yet, even before the war started, there were Germans very high in Hitler's command committed to bringing about his death and defeat.Paddy Ashdown tells, for the first time, the story of those at the very top of Hitler's Germany who tried first to prevent the Second World War and then to deny Hitler victory. Based on newly released files, the repeated attempts of the plotters to warn the Allies about HiTrade Review‘A powerful account of an extraordinary story.’ The Times ‘A fine account.’ 5*, Daily Telegraph ‘It moves at the pace of a thriller and it’s real’ Nick Ferrari, Sunday Express ‘Fascinating and fast moving’ Literary Review ‘No doubt many more books will be written about the war, but I hope this becomes a model for them since, though the heroism of our boys is stirring stuff, history only makes real sense if you can see it from all sides.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Paddy Ashdown has sifted the facts from the myths to write a fascinating and very personal account.’ Independent ‘Ashdown’s insights and his extensive research in an impressive range of archives will ensure that yet another work on the subject will not be required in the foreseeable future.’ Times Literary Supplement 'Paddy Ashdown has a great gift for narrative history. He unearths little known stories and places them in context with great dexterity. His new book throws fresh and important light on a crucial topic.' Jonathan Dimbleby 'One cannot read too much about the 1930s to inoculate against its evils, so I recommend Paddy Ashdown’s excellent new book 'Nein!' … Ashdown writes movingly about the repeated attempts of German patriots to warn the Allies about Hitler and to frustrate or assassinate him … A roll call of heroism … Ashdown brings them together in a compelling narrative of a decade of resistance to evil at the heart of ‘European civilisation’.' Lord Adonis
£9.99
MIT Press Weapons in Space
Book Synopsis
£54.15
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd I, Warbot: The Dawn of Artificially Intelligent
Book SynopsisAn Economist Best Book of 2021 Artificial Intelligence is going to war. Intelligent military systems are already reshaping conflict—from the chaos of battle, with pilotless drones and robot tanks, to the headquarters far from the action, where generals and politicians use technology to weigh up what to do. AI changes how we fight, and even how likely it is that we will. Warbots will be faster, more agile and more deadly than today’s crewed weapons. New tactics are already emerging, but much deeper thinking is needed. When will an intelligent machine escalate, and how might you deter it? Can robots predict the future? And what happens to the ‘art of war’ as machines become creative? An international campaign against ‘killer robots’ hopes to ban AI from conflict. But the genie is out—autonomous weapons are too useful for states to outlaw. Still, crafting sensible rules for our warbots is possible. This fascinating book shows how it might be done.Trade Review'I, Warbot is an important reminder that military AI is not purely a technological feat, but also a ground for reckonings on the ethics of warfare and creative strategy. In advocating thoughtful regulation of autonomous systems, Payne offers his counterpoint to the Asimovesque robot overlords of science fiction: ‘War will remain something that is done by, and to, humans.' -- International Affairs
£14.24
Agenda Publishing Warmonger: Vladimir Putin's Imperial Wars
Book SynopsisRussia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a war long in the making and is the latest in a series of military interventions that have showcased Vladimir Putin’s deadly imperial ambitions and the ruthless and bloody strategies that serve his vision of a greater Russia. Putin’s Russia wants its empire back and it has taken the events in Ukraine for the West to finally realize it. Alex Bellamy examines the road to Ukraine 2022 and charts the path from Chechnya, Putin’s first war which helped propel him to the presidency, through to conflict in Georgia, Crimea, the South Caucasus and Syria. He shows the central role war has played in Putin’s rule and how it has helped craft a new social contract between president and people grounded in a shared vision of Russian national identity. For anyone wanting to understand the hows and whys of the war in Ukraine, Alex Bellamy’s clear and insightful analysis is a must-read.Trade ReviewAll of Putin's cruel wars in one book. Read it. -- John Sweeney, author of Killer in the KremlinAn accessible guide to the last 30 years of the history of Russia and its victims. Alex Bellamy demonstrates clearly how Putin's entire reign has been building up to Russia's war on Ukraine. -- Keir Giles, author of Russia's War on EverybodyTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Collapse 2. Chechnya 3. Georgia 4. Ukraine I 5. Syria 6. Nagorno-Karabakh 7. Shadows 8. Ukraine II
£18.99
Manchester University Press Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Warfare
Book SynopsisArtificial intelligence and the future of warfare sketches a clear and sobering picture of the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the digitized battlefield, broadening our understanding of critical questions facing decisions-makers today. -- .
£19.00
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Putins War on Ukraine
Book SynopsisEight years after annexing Crimea, Russia embarked on a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022. For Vladimir Putin, this was a legacy-defining missionto restore Russia's sphere of influence and undo Ukraine's surprisingly resilient democratic experiment. Yet Putin's aspirations were swiftly eviscerated, as the conflict degenerated into a bloody war of attrition and the Russian economy faced crippling sanctions. How can we make sense of his decision to invade?This book argues that Putin's policy of global counter-revolution is driven not by systemic factors, such as preventing NATO expansion, but domestic ones: the desire to unite Russians around common principles and consolidate his personal brand of authoritarianism. This objective has inspired military interventions in Crimea, Donbas and Syria, and now all-out war against Kyiv.Samuel Ramani explores why Putin opted for regime change in Ukraine, rather than a smaller-scale intervention in Donbas,
£17.09
Verso Books Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable?
Book SynopsisIn this urgent response to violence, racism and increasingly aggressive methods of coercion, Judith Butler explores the media's portrayal of armed conflict, a process integral to how the West prosecutes its wars. In doing so, she calls for a reconceptualization of the Left, one united in opposition and resistance to the illegitimate and arbitrary effects of interventionist military action.Trade ReviewJudith Butler is quite simply one of the most probing, challenging, and influential thinkers of our time. -- J. M. BernsteinJudith Butler is the most creative and courageous social theorist writing today. Frames of War is an intellectual masterpiece that weds a new understanding of being, immersed in history, to a novel Left politics that focuses on State violence, war and resistance. -- Cornel WestHers is a unique voice of courage and conceptual ambition that addresses public life from the perspective of psychic reality, encouraging us to acknowledge the solidarity and the suffering through which we emerge as subjects of freedom. -- Homi K. BhabhaA trenchant and brilliant book. * Utne Reader *An impressive and challenging book from one of the leading intellectuals of our time. * Diva *Judith Butler strongly upholds the tradition of dissenting voices in America, even in the midst of climate of fear and censorship that comes close at times to McCarthyism * Politics and Culture *Frames of War is an earnest, thought-provoking and uncompromisingly critical work on an issue of singular relevance * Red Pepper *
£12.50
Naval & Military Press Ltd Reibert
£18.65
Everyman On War
Book SynopsisON WAR is the most significant attempt in Western history to understand war, both in its internal dynamics and as an instrument of policy. Since the work's first appearance in 1832 it has been read throughout the world, and has stimulated generations of soilders statemen, and intellectuals from Marx and Bismarck to Raymond Aron.
£19.00
Georgetown University Press Intelligence in the National Security Enterprise:
Book SynopsisThis textbook introduces students to the critical role of the US intelligence community within the wider national security decision-making and political process. Intelligence in the National Security Enterprise defines what intelligence is and what intelligence agencies do, but the emphasis is on showing how intelligence serves the policymaker. Roger Z. George draws on his thirty-year CIA career and more than a decade of teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate level to reveal the real world of intelligence. Intelligence support is examined from a variety of perspectives to include providing strategic intelligence, warning, daily tactical support to policy actions as well as covert action. The book includes useful features for students and instructors such as excerpts and links to primary-source documents, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary.Trade ReviewRoger Z. George draws on his thirty-year CIA career and more than a decade of teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate level to reveal the real world of intelligence. * AFIO Intelligencer *Expertly written, organized and presented. * Midwest Book Review *Students needing an overview of the institutions, functions, and goals of the US intelligence community will be very well served by George's clear, thorough explanations of what intelligence is and how it is used to inform policy. * Choice *[Intelligence and the National Security Enterprise] explores how intelligence contributes and sometimes fails to contribute to the policymaking process. * International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence *[A] finely crafted introduction to intelligence * International Journal of Intelligence & Counterintelligence *This excellent textbook discusses the range of roles and functions of the intelligence community in contributing to U.S. foreign policy in what is termed the U.S. national security enterprise (NSE). * Perspectives on Terrorism *Retired senior CIA analyst and former national intelligence officer, intelligence scholar, and professor Roger George has written a very credible textbook introduction to US intelligence, focused on how it relates to national-level decision-making. * Intelligence and National Security *Table of Contents1. How to Use This Book 2. What Is Intelligence? 3. What Is the National Security Enterprise? 4. What Is the Intelligence Community? 5. From Intelligence Cycle to Policy Support 6. Strategic Intelligence 7. The Challenges of Warning 8. Intelligence Support as Policy Enabler 9. Covert Action as Policy Support 10. The Challenges of the Intelligence-Policy Relationship 11. Intelligence and American Democracy Glossary: Intelligence Terms Index About the Author
£36.00
Georgetown University Press The National Security Enterprise: Navigating the
Book SynopsisThis second edition of The National Security Enterprise provides practitioners' insights into the operation, missions, and organizational cultures of the principal national security agencies and other institutions that shape the US national security decision-making process. Unlike some textbooks on American foreign policy, it offers analysis from insiders who have worked at the National Security Council, the State and Defense Departments, the intelligence community, and the other critical government entities. The book explains how organizational missions and cultures create the labyrinth in which a coherent national security policy must be fashioned. Understanding and appreciating these organizations and their cultures is essential for formulating and implementing it. Taking into account the changes introduced by the Obama administration, the second edition includes four new or entirely revised chapters (Congress, Department of Homeland Security, Treasury, and USAID) and updates to the text throughout. It covers changes instituted since the first edition was published in 2011, implications of the government campaign to prosecute leaks, and lessons learned from more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. This up-to-date book will appeal to students of US national security and foreign policy as well as career policymakers.Table of ContentsForeword to the First Edition by Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.) Preface Introduction: The National Security Enterprise: Institutions, Cultures, and PoliticsRoger Z. George and Harvey Rishikof Part I. The Interagency Process 1. History of the Interagency Process for Foreign Relations in the United States: Murphy’s Law?Jon J. Rosenwasser and Michael Warner 2. The Evolution of the NSC ProcessDavid P. Auerswald 3. The Office of Management and Budget: The President’s Policy ToolGordon Adams, Rodney Bent, and Kathleen Peroff Part II. Key Policy Players 4. The State Department: Culture as Interagency Destiny?Marc Grossman 5. The US Agency for International Development: More Operator than PolicymakerDesaix Myers 6. The Office of the Secretary of DefenseJoseph McMillan and Franklin C. Miller 7 The Military: Forging a Joint Warrior CultureMichael J. Meese and Isaiah Wilson III 8. The Department of the Treasury: Brogues on the GroundDina Temple-Raston and Harvey Rishikof Part III. Intelligence and Law Enforcement 9. Office of the Director of National Intelligence: From Pariah and Piñata to Managing PartnerThomas Fingar 10 Central Intelligence Agency: The President’s OwnRoger Z. George 11. The Evolving FBI: Becoming a New National Security Enterprise AssetHarvey Rishikof and Brittany Albaugh 12. The Department of Homeland Security: Civil Protection and ResilienceSusan Ginsburg Part IV. The President’s Partners and Rivals13. Congress: The Other BranchDavid P. Auerswald and Colton C. Campbell 14. The US Supreme Court: The Cult of the Robe in the National Security EnterpriseHarvey Rishikof Part V. The Outside Players15. Lobbyists: When US National Security and Special Interests CompeteGerald Felix Warburg 16. Think Tanks: Supporting Cast Players in the National Security EnterpriseEllen Laipson 17. The Media: Witness to the National Security EnterpriseJohn M. Diamond Conclusion: Navigating the Labyrinth of the National Security EnterpriseHarvey Rishikof and Roger Z. George List of Contributors Index
£30.40
Rowman & Littlefield Methods of Inquiry for Intelligence Analysis
Book SynopsisThis textbook offers a way of gaining the analytic skills essential to undertake intelligence work. It acquaints students and analysts with how intelligence fits into the larger research framework. It covers not only the essentials of applied research, but also the function, structure, and operational methods specifically involved in intelligence work. It looks at how analysts work with classified information in a security conscious environment as well as obtain data via covert methods.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Intelligence Theory Chapter 2 Intelligence Organizational Structures Chapter 3 The Intelligence Research Process Chapter 4 Clandestine and Covert Sources of Information Chapter 5 Open Sources of Information Chapter 6 Qualitative Analytics Chapter 7 Quantitative Analytics Chapter 8 Geointelligence Chapter 9 Target Profiles Chapter 10 Operational Assessments Chapter 11 Vehicle Route Security Report Chapter 12 Threat Assessments Chapter 13 Vulnerability Assessments Chapter 14 Risk Assessments Chapter 15 National Security Policy Assessments Chapter 16 Appendix—Critical Values of Chi-Square Distribution Chapter 17 About the Author Chapter 18 Index
£41.80
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Shooting Up: A History of Drugs in Warfare
Book SynopsisFrom hallucinogenic mushrooms and LSD, to coca and cocaine; from Homeric warriors and the Assassins to the first Gulf War and today's global insurgents - drugs have sustained warriors in the field and have been used as weapons of warfare, either as non-lethal psychochemical weapons or as a means of subversion. Lukasz Kamienski explores why and how drugs have been issued to soldiers to increase their battlefield performance, boost their courage and alleviate stress and fear - as well as for medical purposes. He also delves into the history of psychoactive substances that combatants 'self- prescribe', a practice which dates as far back as the Vikings. Shooting Up is a comprehensive and original history of the relationship between fighting men and intoxicants, from Antiquity till the present day, and looks at how drugs will determine the wars of the future in unforeseen and remarkable ways.Trade Review'Fascinating, immensely detailed and surprisingly sober ... [A] rich and compendious book.' -Sunday Times; 'In this compelling book about the history and prevalence of alcohol and drugs throughout the history of warfare, Lukasz Kamienski reveals in copious detail the countless ways intoxication, in its various forms, has ... been one of the distinctive features of human life.' -The Guardian; 'Kamienski can be methodical and give detailed figures. Much of his narrative is fascinating, plenty of it is new, and he advances some serious arguments.' -The Spectator; 'A historical sweep from the Battle of Hastings to Waterloo or ancient Greece to Vietnam suggests that war has rarely been fought sober.' - London Review of Books; 'An engaging read ... a harmacopoeia of interesting military history, medical research & cultural anecdote.' - Vice
£15.19
Scribner The Age of Walls
Book Synopsis
£15.30
Manchester University Press Death Machines: The Ethics of Violent
Book SynopsisAs innovations in military technologies race toward ever-greater levels of automation and autonomy, debates over the ethics of violent technologies tread water. Death Machines reframes these debates, arguing that the way we conceive of the ethics of contemporary warfare is itself imbued with a set of bio-technological rationalities that work as limits. The task for critical thought must therefore be to unpack, engage, and challenge these limits. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, the book offers a close reading of the technology-biopolitics-complex that informs and produces contemporary subjectivities, highlighting the perilous implications this has for how we think about the ethics of political violence, both now and in the future.Trade Review‘Schwarz pulls no punches in her epic journey through the technologies of violence. This is a brilliantly written and well-crafted work that will change the way you think about armed conflict.’Noel Sharkey, Emeritus Professor of AI and Robotics, University of Sheffield and Chair of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control ‘Death Machines brings some much-needed philosophical depth to the debate on armed drones. Drawing on authors such as Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault, Elke Schwarz shows how our dependence on technology limits our room for action. Schwarz rightly questions the idea that ethics is a body of fixed rules and precepts already out there, and investigates how the use of armed drones shapes our moral thinking.’Peter Olsthoorn, Associate Professor Military Leadership and Ethics, Netherlands Defence Academy‘In this remarkable new book, Elke Schwarz investigates the terms of the debate concerning lethal autonomous weapons, providing us with an illuminating critique of the biopolitical and technological rationalities that organise, inform, and justify the existing arguments both for and against killer robots. The best defence is a killer critique.’David J. Gunkel, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Northern Illinois University‘Death Machines combines a thoughtful account of Hannah Arendt as a guide to biopolitics and violence with a critique of algorithmic approaches to ethics, and an up-to-the-moment reading of the contemporary state of the art with respect to AI, Drones and Autonomous Weapons Systems. Schwarz’s account is compelling –a fascinating, must-read book.’C J Brown, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science‘Essential reading for those working with or on the issue of drones, autonomy and AI to engage with the ever-increasing use of violent technologies, regarding both the physical death they inflict and the ethical death in the wake of their use.’Joanna Frew, Drone Wars UK‘Schwarz's book should be essential reading for scholars across the fields of (critical) war studies, political theory and political philosophy. Furthermore, the extensive discussion of Arendt's biopolitics will appeal to Arendtian scholars and scholars of biopolitics more widely.’International Affairs -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: The conditioned human1. Biopolitics and the technological subject2. Biopolitical technologies in Arendt and Foucault3. Anti-political (post)modernity 4. Procedural violence5. Ethics as technics6. All hail our robot overlords7. Prescription dronesConclusion: For an ethics beyond technics Index
£22.32
Penguin Books Ltd The Utility of Force Updated with two new
Book SynopsisUPDATED WITH TWO NEW CHAPTERS''One of the most provocative and startling books ever written by a British commander ... an update of the two great thinkers on war and peace, Clausewitz and Sun Tsu, for our time ... it is for anyone interested in the well-being of our world'' Robert Fox, Evening StandardWhy do we try to use military force to solve our political problems? And why, when our forces win the military battles does this still fail to solve those problems? It is because the force lacks utility. From Iraq to the Balkans, and from Afghanistan to Chechneya, over the past fifteen years there has been a steady stream of military interventions that have not delivered on their promise for peace, or even political resolution. The Utility of Force explains this anomaly at the heart of our current international system.''Britain''s outstanding soldier of modern times ... a book that will assure his reputation as a serious and origina
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Netherlands East Indies Campaign 194142
Book SynopsisAt the end of 1941, Imperial Japan targeted The East Indies in an attempt to secure access to precious oil resources. The Netherlands East Indies Campaign featured complex Japanese and Allied operations, and included the first use of airborne troops in the war. This highly illustrated study is one of the less well-known campaigns of the Pacific War.Imperial Japan''s campaigns of conquest in late 1941/early 1942 were launched in order to achieve self-sufficiency for the Japanese people, chiefly in the precious commodity of oil. The Netherlands (or Dutch) East Indies formed one of Japan''s primary targets, on account of its abundant rubber plantations and oilfields--the latter, in particular, was highly prized, given that the colony was the fourth-largest exporter of oil in the world. Japan itself lacked any form of domestic production. The Japanese dispatched an enormous naval task force to support the amphibious landings over the vast terrain of the NetherlandTable of ContentsOrigins of the Campaign Chronology Opposing Commanders Opposing Forces and Orders of Battle Opposing Plans The Campaign Aftermath Further Reading Index
£14.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Late Roman Infantryman vs Gothic Warrior
Book SynopsisRavaged by civil war and pressure from the Huns to the east, in late summer AD 376 the Gothic tribe of the Theruingi up to 200,000 people under their leader Fritigern gathered on the northern bank of the River Danube and asked the Eastern Roman emperor, Valens, for asylum within the empire. After agreeing to convert to Arian Christianity and enrol in the Roman Army, the Goths were allowed to cross the Danube and settle in the province of Thrace. Far more people crossed the Danube than the Romans expected, however, and with winter approaching, the local Roman commander, Lupicinus, lacked the resources to feed the newcomers and did not possess sufficient troops to control them. Treated poorly and running out of food, the Goths very quickly lost faith in the Roman promises. Meanwhile, other Gothic tribes also sought permission to cross the Danube. The Greuthungi were refused permission, but soon learned that local Roman garrisons had been depleted to supervise the march of thTable of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Marcianopolis, AD 376 The Willows, AD 377 Adrianople, 9 August AD 378 Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index
£12.59
HarperCollins Publishers Battlegrounds The Fight to Defend the Free World
Book SynopsisFrom Lt. General H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor during Trump's administration, a bold assessment of the most critical foreign policy and national security challenges of our age. There has been a shift in power since the end of the Cold War. In Battlegrounds, bestselling author, commander, scholar and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster examines the rising strength of Russia and China, the threat from hostile states Iran and North Korea, the complex battlegrounds in South Asia and the Middle East, and the new arenas of international competition space, cyberspace and emerging technology.How can foreign policy, which has across multiple administrations proved itself outdated, misconceived, inconsistent and poorly implemented, be transformed to face the challenges of today? How can Western countries like America and the UK stay relevant, secure and humane? How can we abandon what McMaster calls Strategic Narcissism' in favour of Strategic Empathy' an approach that reTrade Review‘Indispensable… Battlegrounds provides a comprehensive and expert review of the strategic threats the US faced when the author was in the White House – not only the Chinese challenge but also Russia’s troublemaking everywhere from Syria to cyberspace, and the perennial North Korean and Iranian menaces’TLS Praise for H.R. McMaster’s Dereliction of Duty ‘A stunning book: eloquent and highly effective. The word noble would not be going too far.’Paul Fussell, author of The Great War & Modern Memory ‘Well-written and full of enlightening new details … Significantly adds to the historical record of a great national failure.’Arnold R. Isaacs, Washington Post ‘Carefully researched and vividly narrated, H.R. McMaster's book adds a new and disturbing dimension to an understanding of the decisions that propelled us into the Vietnam war. It should be read by anyone interested in the origins of one of the great tragedies in American history.’Stanley Karnow, Pulitzer Prize-Winning author of Vietnam: A History ‘A book to boggle your mind with new revelations of ineptness, duplicity, and arrogance amongst the senior-most officials of the United States … McMaster pastes all the puzzle pieces together to reveal a plot Shakespearean in its proportions … McMaster's scholarship and presentation is exemplary. The author's arguments are coherent and convincing and important to the historical record.’Peter Arnett, The Washington Monthly ‘An outstanding example of historical research, interpretation, scholarship, and fair-minded analysis.’Donald Kagan, author of On the Origins of War
£10.44
Stanford University Press Regional Missile Defense from a Global
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Kelleher and Dombrowski have produced a serious and significant accounting of the debate, drawing on top-flight experts from around the world and across the political spectrum. They effectively highlight the unique role of regional missile defense in tackling missile proliferation."—Rose Gottemoeller, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security"Regional missile defense is a critical element of strategic stability in an increasingly fragmented global order. During this time of heightened risk of conflict, the United States must continue to pursue regional missile defense for its own security. This book is a must-read for policy makers wishing to understand the role of missile defense in a new strategic age."—Stephen J. Hadley, National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, 2005–2009"Regional Missile Defense from a Global Perspective is a must-read for legislators, foreign policy experts, and academics interested in missile defense public policy. Top experts provide analysis of the different levels of international ally and adversary military investment and integration, address the challenges posed by missile defense technical sophistication, and explain the geopolitical dynamics of nuclear and non-nuclear powers using missile defense to blur the lines between defensive and offensive systems."—Hon. Ellen Tauscher, Chairman, Strategic Forces Subcommittee of HASC, and former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security"Regional ballistic missile defenses have spread to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia in response to the proliferation of theater-range ballistic missiles. This timely and thoughtful volume probes the political, strategic, and financial dimensions of regional missile defense and highlights the unique circumstances and implications of their deployment in different regions of the globe. It should be of great interest to academics and policy makers interested in regional strategic dynamics."—Dean Wilkening, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA"The book provides an excellent review of missile defense that should be required reading for policymakers grappling with nuclear deterrence, proliferation, and missile defense. A policymaker should take the analysis in the book to shape policy countering regional threats, while also keeping capabilities below a threshold that does not drastically reduce nuclear deterrence."—Jeremiah Burgess, H-WarTable of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction chapter abstractMissile defense, and particularly regional missile defense, has returned to the spotlight after nearly a decade of relative obscurity. It has returned to the global policy agenda both because President Obama made regional missile defense a centerpiece of his national security strategy and because Russia's aggressive foreign policy toward Ukraine and elsewhere has soured its relations with Europe and the United States. The new hallmark of Obama's regional missile defense system, the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) scheduled to be operational in 2020, has become a pawn in the larger game of resetting the West's relations with Russia. Current uncertainties about missile defense in the European context have global implications, however, because regional missile defense has been a centerpiece of U.S. strategic diplomacy since the middle of the George W. Bush administration. 1Addressing the Missile Threat: 1980–2008 chapter abstractThis chapter discusses U.S. ballistic missile defense policies and programs through four administrations, from President Reagan through the second President Bush. That history has been one of major change—in basic strategy, military aims, threat definition, technological focus, funding, and U.S. and international political salience. National missile defense (NMD) efforts, aimed at countering strategic ballistic missiles, were particularly subject to dramatic fluctuations over the period. Programs grew or contracted, and were emphasized or terminated, depending on several different factors. Changes in the political environment surrounding NMD were undoubtedly due in large part to the scaled-down ambitions of U.S. NMD efforts. 2U.S. National Missile Defense Policy chapter abstractSince the collapse of the Soviet Union, every U.S. administration has articulated similar missile defense objectives: (1) The United States will defend its homeland from limited ballistic missile attacks, and (2) it will defend U.S. deployed forces from regional missile threats while also protecting our allies and partners. This continuity may seem unremarkable. But it stands in stark contrast to the Cold War, which saw the United States adopt almost every conceivable policy on ballistic missile defense (BMD), ranging from no policy to outright opposition to complete support to the qualified endorsement of limited defenses. It represents an equilibrium between three forces: external threats, domestic politics, and technological and financial realities. The first two forces have tended to put "upward pressure" on BMD programs. The scale of U.S. ambitions has, however, been kept in check by the cost and technical complexity of developing and deploying defenses. 3Theater Ballistic Missile Defense Concepts chapter abstractThe Obama administration has adopted the Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) to guide its deployment of defenses against theater-range ballistic missiles. Under this approach, the United States will deploy missile defense architectures tailored to the needs of specific regions and support the integration of U.S assets with allied resources. It will deploy these capabilities over time, taking advantage of improvements in its sensor and interceptor technologies. The phased approach will also allow the missile defense architectures to adapt vis-à-vis changes in an adversary's capabilities. With the PAA concept, regional ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities will combine with other U.S. military systems in extended deterrence architectures goals. As the United States and its allies deploy more capable systems, and as these systems blend and overlap into a global missile defense architecture, they will affect assessments, among both adversaries and allies, of regional and global stability. 4Technical Controversy: Can Missile Defense Work? chapter abstractPerhaps the most important and contentious question regarding ballistic missile defenses is whether can they work. However, the answer to this question is not simple and will depend on many factors, such as the type of defense, the nature of the attacking missiles, the circumstances of the attacks, and the standards by which the success or failure of the defense is judged. Broadly speaking, many supporters of ballistic missile defenses argue that not only can they work but that they have already demonstrated that they will work. On the other hand, critics argue that not only is the effectiveness of defenses unproven but that there are fundamental reasons to believe that they will never be able to function effectively. 5Congress and Missile Defense chapter abstractCongress has been more involved in missile defense than it usually is on national security, but its motivations and impact are often misunderstood. One common misconception is that missile defense was intensely controversial during the twentieth century but now represents a rare area of stable consensus across party lines and between the Executive Branch and Congress. Another is that Congress has been unusually active on missile defense because the public strongly supports it and would punish politicians who did not. A deeper look shows that there is not, and never has been, a consensus about the feasibility and desirability of comprehensive missile defense, nor on related questions such as how nuclear deterrence works and what, if any, role arms control should play in security policy. 6Europe and Missile Defense chapter abstractThis chapter assesses American missile defense initiatives in Europe over the last ten years. Specifically, it reviews missile defense priorities under the George W. Bush administration for a "third site" in Europe and the follow-on initiative for a European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) unveiled by the Obama administration. The chapter examines some of the principal policy debates in Europe concerning missile defense and how these currently shape the evolution toward an integrated NATO ballistic missile defense (BMD) capability. The chapter ends with an overview of issues for future consideration, including how developments in other regions might impact the future evolution of missile defense in Europe. It concludes that missile defense programs in Europe are still in their infancy but strong and that the regional capabilities increasingly serve as political expressions of NATO's pursuit of collective defense. 7Postcrisis Perspectives: The Prospects for Cooperation among the United States, NATO, and Russia on Ballistic Missile Defense chapter abstract 8From Dream to Reality: Israel and Missile Defense chapter abstractThis chapter reviews the evolution of the missile threat against Israel and the emergence of the indigenous Israeli and collaborative U.S.–Israeli missile defense response. It highlights the remarkable success achieved by the Israeli missile defense program, not only in tests and simulations but in combat. It also goes on to briefly analyze some of the vexing dilemmas in its second phase, such as who and what should get a higher level of protection, that have grown precisely as a result of these remarkable technological advances in missile defense. It concludes with a brief discussion of key implications of the Israeli introduction and operation of a multilayered missile defense system. Although some of these dilemmas and implications are specific to Israel, others may have broader relevance for other nations seriously considering the implications of missile defense. 9Ballistic Missile Defense Cooperation in the Arabian Gulf chapter abstractOne of the least well known of the regional missile defense efforts encompasses the Arabian Gulf nations, primarily those allied with or friendly to the United States, who all face a new strategic landscape in the twenty-first century. For almost a decade, the United States has been laboring to construct an integrated and layered missile defense architecture in the Gulf, one that networks the sensors and interceptor missiles of all its Gulf allies and partners into a unified command, control, battle management, and communications system to maximize efficacy and cooperation with American programs nearby. Washington's efforts have encountered numerous hurdles. 10Ballistic Missile Defense in South Asia chapter abstractThis chapter outlines the unique, and still largely nascent, development of ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities in both India and Pakistan. The focus is on each country's indigenous efforts, as well as support that they have sought from foreign suppliers. It then outlines how BMD figures in each country's national security strategies and nuclear doctrines. The chapter then discusses the interactive effect between BMD developments on the one hand and nuclear doctrines, modernization, and potential nuclear weapons use in peacetime, crisis, and war. How external involvement—both supply and cooperation and actions that shape threat perceptions—affects ballistic missile developments is emphasized. In particular, China's role in the Indo-Pakistan dyad, including Beijing's own actions and reactions to U.S. ballistic missile defense developments, has a significant impact 11Chinese Attitudes Toward Missile Defense chapter abstractChina has long viewed U.S. development and deployment of missile defense systems as an important threat to Chinese national security. Specifically, Chinese analysts are concerned that U.S. missile defenses could diminish the credibility of China's growing, but still relatively modest, nuclear deterrent force by threatening to eliminate missiles that would survive a hypothetical disarming first strike against China. Yet even as Beijing continues to object to U.S. missile defense programs on the ground that they are strategically destabilizing, China is developing its own midcourse missile defense intercept technology. This chapter explores Chinese views on missile defense technology and capabilities 12Japan's Ballistic Missile Defense and "Proactive Pacifism" chapter abstractIn early October 2013, the U.S.–Japan Security Consultative Committee (SCC), comprising the heads of defense and foreign ministries in both countries, issued a joint statement. The statement emphasized the centrality of the two countries' alliance in maintaining international peace and security and, more specifically, in providing for the security of Japan through the full range of U.S. military capabilities. The strategic vision was emphatic on the need to significantly upgrade the capabilities of the U.S.–Japan alliance. 13Strategic Dead End or Game Changer? chapter abstractThe purpose of this chapter is to reconstruct the debate about U.S. BMD in these new circumstances. It begins with a description of the new strategic problem for which missile defense is relevant. This is the problem posed by regional actors like North Korea seeking nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them at all ranges, with the hope of creating a relationship of mutual vulnerability with the United States. The chapter then defines the place of BMD in the intended comprehensive approach to this new strategic problem. It goes on to catalogue the particular and specific values of BMD. Turning to the stability topic, it addresses the concerns of Russia and China in the context of technical considerations. The chapter also considers two main counterarguments to the propositions set out here 14Evaluating the Opportunity and Financial Costs of Missile Defense chapter abstractThirty years, and many billions of dollars later, the policy debates raised by President Reagan's "Star Wars" speech continue, with many of the same critiques being applied to a system that is now operational. Nevertheless, many changes have taken place, both in terms of the international political context in which the merits of missile defense are debated, as well as in the very nature of the missile defenses themselves. These changes have not only affected the policy debate but also the debate over the economics of missile defense and, in particular, the question of foregone expenditures, or the opportunity cost, of missile defense budgets. Debates about the viability of missile defense range from capability issues, to cost estimates, to ideologically driven views of the optimum manner in which to pursue strategic stability. It is the last of these three factors that will continue to dominate the antiballistic missile debate. Conclusion: The Future of Ballistic Missile Defense chapter abstractEven with the Obama administration's successes building on the missile defense policies of the Clinton and Bush administrations, there remain questions of comparative strategic impact, cost, and technology like those that derailed the previous periods of missile defense enthusiasm. It is unclear how theater and national approaches to missile defense—especially EPAA, but the other regional arrangements as well—will progress in the face of three major challenges: strategic implications, cost, and technological progress.
£22.49
Harvard University Press Aeneas Tacticus. Asclepiodotus. Onasander
Book SynopsisThe surviving work of Aeneas (fourth century BC) is on defense against siege. Asclepiodotus (first century BC) wrote a work on tactics as though for the lecture room, based on earlier manuals, not personal experience. Onasander’s “The General” (first century AD) deals with the qualities expected of a general.
£23.70
Hodder & Stoughton A Bridge Too Far
Book SynopsisThe true story of the greatest battle of World War II and the basis of the film of the same name, directed by Richard Attenborough. The true story of the greatest battle of World War II and the basis of the 1977 film of the same name, directed by Richard Attenborough.Trade Review'The most brilliant reporter now alive' * Malcolm Muggeridge, 1973 *'I know of no other work of literature of World War II as moving, as awesome and as accurate in its portrayal of human courage.' * General James A Gavin *
£10.44
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Securing the State
Book SynopsisGovernments recognise that national security in the turbulent conditions of the early twenty-first century must centre on the creation of public confidence that normal life can continue even in the face of threats such as terrorism and proliferation, and of natural hazards such as pandemics and climate change. Based on his own experience in government, David Omand argues that while public security is vital for good government, the effects of bad government will result from failure to maintain the right relationship between justice, liberty, privacy, civic harmony and security measures. His book examines in detail how secret intelligence helps governments to deliver security, but also risks raising public concern over its methods. A set of ethical principles is proposed to guide intelligence and security work within the framework of human rights. Securing the State provides a new way of thinking about the cycle of activities that generates secret intelligence, examines the issues that arise from the way that modern intelligence uses technology to access new sources of information, and discusses how the meaning of intelligence can best be elucidated. The limits of intelligence in enabling greater security are explored, especially in guiding government in a world in which we must learn not to be surprised by surprise. Illustrated throughout by historical examples, David Omand provides new perspectives for practitioners and those teaching security and intelligence studies and for a wider readership offers an accessible introduction to pressing issues of public policy.Trade Review'An invaluable handbook for politicians, intelligence professionals, journalists and anyone else who wants to know what should and should not be done in the name of securing the state in an age of surprise, turbulence and implacably hostile terrorist networks that are more than capable of using the latest technology.' * The Economist *'Few books on national security become instant classics in their field. Sir David Omand's brilliantly insightful and authoritative Securing the State will be one of those. It is one of the most important studies on the role intelligence services play in crafting successful counterterrorism measures by governments, the book's primary, although not sole, focus.' * The Washington Times *'David Omand's superb book is a reminder of why state security is important. ... Every security practitioner should read this book, which distils so much experience gathered at the sharp end of security. Sir David Omand is undoubtedly one of the most able people to have served in British government since the Second World War.' * Times Literary Supplement *'We live today in a complex, unstable and interconnected world which requires expert navigation if it is to be understood. David Omand's career in, and commitment to, the security of the British citizen is beyond peer and here, in a highly readable form, is simply the best available guide to the current challenges to our safety and what needs to be done to mitigate them.' * Rt Hon Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT GCMG, former Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary General of NATO *'A thoughtful, exceptionally well-informed book. Essential reading for anyone seriously interested in the role of intelligence in modern government.' * Sir John Scarlett, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) 2004-2009 *'Anyone considering the complexities of security and intelligence work in the twenty-first century will find David Omand's masterly analysis stimulating and thought-provoking.' * Eliza Manningham-Buller, Director General of the Security Service (MI5) from 2002-7 *
£22.50
Georgetown University Press Maritime Strategy and Global Order: Markets,
Book SynopsisTaken for granted as the natural order of things, peace at sea is in fact an immense and recent achievement -- but also an enormous strategic challenge if it is to be maintained in the future. In Maritime Strategy and Global Order, an international roster of top scholars offers historical perspectives and contemporary analysis to explore the role of naval power and maritime trade in creating the international system. The book begins in the early days of the industrial revolution with the foundational role of maritime strategy in building the British Empire. It continues into the era of naval disorder surrounding the two world wars, through the passing of the Pax Britannica and the rise of the Pax Americana, and then examines present-day regional security in hot spots like the South China Sea and Arctic Ocean. Additional chapters engage with important related topics such as maritime law, resource competition, warship evolution since the end of the Cold War, and naval intelligence. A first-of-its-kind collection, Maritime Strategy and Global Order offers scholars, practitioners, students, and others with an interest in maritime history and strategic issues an absorbing long view of the role of the sea in creating the world we know.Trade ReviewIt is a highly scholarly book on the role navies play both in war and peace. The authors’ scholarship is unmatched. It should be required reading in universities and military academies. * Washington Book Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction Daniel Moran and James A. Russell Part I: Long War-Long Peace1. The Pax Britannica and the Advent of GlobalizationAndrew Lambert2. The Great Disorder: Maritime Strategy in the World Wars, 1914-1945Daniel Moran3. The Cold War at SeaGeoffrey Till Part II: Regional Security4. Middle Sea: The MediterraneanGiuseppe Schivardi5. Maritime Strategy in the South China SeaAlessio Patalano6. The Arctic: From Frozen Desert to Open Polar Sea?Klaus Dodds7. The Indian OceanJames A. RussellPart III: Architecture8. The Warship since the End of the Cold WarLarrie D. Ferreiro9. The Influence of Law on Maritime StrategySteven Haines10. Mahan Revisited: Globalization, Resource Dependency, and Maritime Security in the Twenty-First CenturyMichael T. Klare11. Intelligence, Information, and the Leverage of Sea PowerJohn Ferris Conclusion: Maritime Strategy and the Next World Order Daniel Moran List of Contributors Index
£26.55
McGill-Queen's University Press A Thirst for Wine and War
Book SynopsisTo maintain morale amongst soldiers in the wretched trenches of World War I, the French army provided regular rations of wine and other alcohol that became a defining feature of French soldiers’ experience. A Thirst for Wine and War explores the French army’s strategic distribution of alcohol as a method of emotional and behavioural control.Trade Review“This book not only contributes substantially to the history of intoxicants and their consumption, but it also extends well beyond these topics to expand our understanding of the histories of France, of the Great War, and of war more generally. It is hard to see the events of the First World War in France in quite the same way after reading this work.” Richard S. Fogarty, University at Albany, SUNY and author of Race and War in France: Colonial Subjects in the French Army, 1914–1918
£30.60
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Vietnam War Booby Traps
Book SynopsisDuring the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong were frequently unable to hold their own in stand-up fights against US and allied forces who were superior in strength, firepower, mobility, and logistics. They relied instead on traditional guerrilla warfare tactics including small-scale hit- and-run attacks, ambushes, terrorist actions, and precision attacks against bases. These included one of the oldest of guerrilla weapons the boobytrap.Booby traps could be made in large numbers in village workshops and jungle camps using locally available materials as well as modern munitions. The VC were adept at making booby traps invisible' in the varied terrain of Vietnam, often emplacing them in locations and surroundings totally unexpected by their enemies. Booby traps could be incredibly simple or startlingly complex and ingenious, ranging from pointed sticks to command-detonated submerged floating river mines. Besides a wide variety of booby traps, they also used land and water mines, bothTable of ContentsIntroduction Non-Mechanical Booby Traps Mechanical Or Non-Explosive Booby Traps Hand Grenades As Booby Traps Explosive Booby Traps And Mines The Military Use Of Booby Traps Free World Forces’ Mines And Booby Traps Conclusion Bibliography Index
£13.49
University Press of Kansas Japans Imperial Army Its Rise and Fall 18531945
Book SynopsisPopular impressions of the imperial Japanese army still promote images of suicidal banzai charges and fanatical leaders blindly devoted to their emperor. Edward Drea looks well past those stereotypes to unfold the more complex story of how that army came to power and extended its influence at home and abroad to become one of the world's dominant fighting forces.
£26.36
MP-KAN Uni Press of Kansas The Roots of Blitzkrieg Hans von Seeckt and
Book SynopsisBetween 1919 and 1933, German military leaders created the Reichswehr, a new military organisation built on the wreckage of the old Imperial Army. This book traces the crucial transformations in military tactical doctrine, organisation and training that laid the foundations for the Nazi Blitzkrieg.
£25.60
Heritage House Publishing Co Ltd Code Name Habbakuk: A Secret Ship Made of Ice
Book SynopsisIn late 1942, Britain was desperate to win the ongoing Battle of the Atlantic. German U-boats had sunk hundreds of Allied ships containing millions of tons of cargo that was needed to continue the war effort. Prime Minister Churchill had to find a solution to the carnage or the Nazis would be victorious. With the support of Churchill and Lord Louis Mountbatten, eccentric inventor and amateur spy Geoffrey Pyke proposed a dramatic project to build invincible ships of ice--massive, unsinkable aircraft carriers that would roam the mid-Atlantic servicing fighter planes and bombers on missions to protect shipping from predatory U-boat wolf packs. This is the fascinating story of the rise and fall of Project Habbakuk and how an outlandish inventor, the British Navy, the National Research Council of Canada and a workforce of conscientious objectors tested the bizarre concept in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, far from the theatre of war.
£9.89
Oxford University Press War in Human Civilization
Book SynopsisWhy do people go to war? Is it rooted in human nature or is it a late cultural invention? How does war relate to the other fundamental developments in the history of human civilization? And what of war today - is it a declining phenomenon or simply changing its shape? In this truly global study of war and civilization, Azar Gat sets out to find definitive answers to these questions in an attempt to unravel the ''riddle of war'' throughout human history, from the early hunter-gatherers right through to the unconventional terrorism of the twenty-first century. In the process, the book generates an astonishing wealth of original and fascinating insights on all major aspects of humankind''s remarkable journey through the ages, engaging a wide range of disciplines, from anthropology and evolutionary psychology to sociology and political science. Written with remarkable verve and clarity and wholly free from jargon, it will be of interest to anyone who has ever pondered the puzzle of war.Trade ReviewAn immensely ambitious work covering not only history but archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, demography and economics, to name but a few... its weight of learning is borne aloft by the author's enthusiasm for his subject and takes his readers with it. If only there were more scholars like this! * Michael Howard, TLS Books of the Year *There's any amount of fascinating insight to be found in this big and enormously ambitious interdisciplinary study. * The Scotsman *A book of extraordinary ambition, erudition and range... Every student of war will be obliged to engage with this remarkable piece of scholarship. * Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, King's College, London *A work of extraordinary scope and formidable erudition... Gat definitively unravels the riddle of civilization and war. * Professor Robert J. Lieber, Georgetown University *A towering and triumphant achievement... acute, scholarly, and wide-ranging: it is certainly one of the most important works on the subject written since 1945. Gat is at the top of his brilliant form, linking a variety of disciplines in a rich and comprehensive study of this most pertinent of issues. * Professor Richard Holmes *Table of ContentsPART 1: WARFARE IN THE FIRST TWO MILLION YEARS: ENVIRONMENT, GENES, AND CULTURE ; 1. Introduction: The Human 'State of Nature' ; 2. Peaceful or War-like: Did Hunter-Gatherers Fight? ; 3. Why Fighting? The Evolutionary Perspective ; 4. Motivation: Food and Sex ; 5. Motivation: the Web of Desire ; 6. 'Primitive Warfare': How Was It Done? ; 7. Conclusion: Fighting in the Evolutionary State of Nature ; PART 2: AGRICULTURE, CIVILIZATION, AND WAR ; 8. Introduction: Evolving Cultural Complexity ; 9. Tribal Warfare in Agraria and Pastoralia ; 10. Armed Force in the Emergence of the State ; 11. The Eurasian Spearhead: East, West, and the Steppe ; 12. Conclusion: War, the Leviathan, and the Pleasures and Miseries of Civilization ; PART 3: MODERNITY: THE DUAL FACE OF JANUS ; 13. Introduction: the Explosion of Wealth and Power ; 14. Guns and Markets: the New European States and a Global World ; 15. Unbound and Bound Prometheus: Machine Age War ; 16. Affluent Liberal Democracies, Ultimate Weapons, and the World ; 17. Conclusion: Unravelling the Riddle of War ; Endnotes ; Index
£34.67
The History Press Pillboxes of Britain and Ireland
Book SynopsisThe pillboxes of Britain and Ireland are among the most important military structures employed in the history of the defence of these islands. This work presents the first thorough study and classification of pillboxes and related structures, including selection posts, Seagull and concrete trenches, gun-houses and turrets, battle headquarters and spigot-mortar emplacements. The author traces the use of small, free-standing defence structures from ancient times to the present, placing the pillbox within a historical continuum and identifying its course of development. The work also presents a typology of British and Irish pillboxes through a catalogue of known types and individual examples, and examines their tactical employment in the landscape.
£21.25
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Cyber War
Book SynopsisTraces the rise of the cyber age and profiles the characters at its epicenter, including criminals, spies, soldiers, and hackers. This title outlines how our national security has already been compromised, and what America stands to lose if we continue to follow policies that block our ability to defend ourselves against a cyber attack.Trade Review"Chilling... [A] harrowing - and persuasive - picture of the cyberthreat the United States faces today." -- Michiko Kakutani, New York Times "Clarke and Knake are right to sound the alarm." -- Wall Street Journal "[CYBER WAR] may be the most important book about national-security policy in the last several years." -- Slate "In this chilling and eye-opening book, Clarke and Knake provide a highly detailed yet accessible look at how cyber warfare is being waged and the need to rethink our national security to face this new threat." -- Booklist "Will strengthen Clarke's claims as one of the founding fathers of cybersecurocracy...It is worth buying this book if only for his pithy five-page vision of this coming apocalypse and a return to stone-age conditions within a week, all because of a few pesky hackers and viruses." -- Financial Times
£14.41
University of California Press War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica
Book SynopsisOffering new insight into 3000 years of Mesoamerican history, from roughly 1500 BC to the Spanish conquest, this study examines the methods, purposes and values of warfare as practiced by the major pre-Columbian societies and shows how warfare affected the rise of the state.
£42.40
University of California Press Choosing War
Book SynopsisFocuses on American intervention in Vietnam. Challenging the prevailing myth that the outbreak of large-scale fighting in 1965 was essentially unavoidable, this book argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary, not merely in hindsight but in the context of its time.Trade Review"A brilliant book." - Kai Bird, Washington Post "Thorough and nuanced, and expressed with admirable clarity. Rarely is diplomatic history so well written these days." - Jack F. Matlock Jr., New York Times Book Review "This book is a triumph of research and a narrative of unusual power that relieves the 'diplomatic Vietnam' from the mouldering archives. The result is a eureka of comprehension, a minor miracle of scholarship and argument. Fredrik Logevall has written a great book. Vietnam studies will never be the same. May he win all the prizes." - Robert Anderson, Philadelphia Inquirer "The finest history to date of America's decisions to escalate war in Vietnam. More than just a Vietnam book, Choosing War offers a rare and beautifully crafted example of how to study a turning point in history." - Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs "Compendious and persuasive." - Jonathan Mirsky, New York Review of Books "Stunning in its research and highly sophisticated in its analysis, Choosing War is far and away the best study we have of Lyndon Johnson's escalation of the conflict in Vietnam." - George C. Herring"Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface List of Abbreviations Used in the Text 1. The Kickoff: 29 August 1963 2. Breaks and Continuities: September to November 1963 3. "I Will Not Lose in Vietnam": November 1963 to January 1964 4. "A Deeply Dangerous Game": February to April 1964 5. Rumblings of Discontent: April to June 1964 6. Campaigns at Home and Abroad: June and July 1964 7. Provocations: August 1964 8. Standing Logic on Its Head: September and October 1964 9. The Freedom to Change: November and December 1964 10. "Stable Government or No Stable Government": January and February 1965 11. Americanization: February to July 1965 12. Choosing War List of Abbreviations Used in the Notes Notes Bibliography Index
£24.65
Penguin Books Ltd Why Britain is at War
Book SynopsisIf we in Great Britain are resolute and wise there will emerge from this catastrophe something which may well give hope to the world First published in 1939 as a Penguin Special, this is the original best-selling account of why Britain went to war with Germany. In simple terms it describes the stages of Adolf Hitler''s ruthless pursuit for power, identifies his methods of deception and false diplomacy, and details his terrifying use of force that rendered peaceful negotiation increasingly difficult, and finally impossible. Shining a light on Hitler''s early life and character, Harold Nicolson reveals the dictator''s political theories in Mein Kampf, and explains the strategies he adopted in seizing the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia and later Poland. Written with clarity and insight, and read widely by soldiers during World War II, the final message of hope and peace is as relevant today as it was in 1939.This facsimile edition includes a new intro
£8.54
Fonthill Media Ltd RAF Fast Jets in Colour
Book SynopsisWith 290 colour images, almost all previously unpublished, 'RAF Fast Jets in Colour: The Cold War and Beyond' shows the evolution of one of the most technologically advanced air forces in the world.
£21.00
The History Press Ltd Defending Britain
Book SynopsisFollowing work recently brought into sharper focus by the Defence of Britain Project, this is the first extensive overview of the military structures of the twentieth century, combining both documentary and fieldwork research. The book presents details of all those elements of the landscape, both urban and rural, which have resulted from the need to defend against conflict - actual or threatened. Defending Britain explains both the form and purpose of structures such as anti-invasion defences, airfields, naval installations and barracks, munitions dumps and firing ranges, Cold War bunkers and radar sites, factories and stores, all of which are well illustrated. The final section provides the reader with a comprehensive gazetteer of surviving examples to visit throughout Britain.
£21.25
Yale University Press Wellington
Book Synopsis
£18.99
Simon & Schuster The Quartermaster
Book Synopsis
£17.09
McFarland & Company Strong and Brave Fellows New Hampshires Black
Book SynopsisNew Hampshire, despite its small size, played a significant role in the American Revolution. This work consists of the service records of all known black soldiers with ties to New Hampshire - those who served in its forces, and in another colony's forces, but who lived in New Hampshire.
£20.89
Cornell University Press The Order of Genocide Race Power and War in
Book SynopsisChallenging the prevailing wisdom, Straus provides substantial new evidence about local patterns of violence, using original research to assess competing theories about about the causes and dynamics of the genocide.Trade ReviewThe Order of Genocide will be an enduring contribution to our understanding of the Rwandan genocide as well as to theories of ethnic violence and genocides more generally. Although his methods and findings will certainly interest scholars of genocides, violent conflicts, and African area studies, Straus does not obscure his work in specialist language. * Nations and Nationalism *Scott Straus ranks among the finest of the scholars writing in genocide studies. The Order of Genocide is fair-minded, important, and rigorous. Drawing on more than two hundred interviews that he conducted with convicted Rwandan killers, and on many other sources, Straus builds a dynamic process model seeking to explain why and how ordinary people could be mobilized to murder their neighbors in the Rwandan genocide. * African Studies Review *Straus examines the 1994 Rwandan genocide through a social science lens... and his approach yields interesting new insights.... Particularly compelling is his comparison of killers in Rwanda with those of the Holocaust. * Foreign Affairs *Straus shows tenacity and courage in explaining the unthinkable—how otherwise ordinary people could imagine, conceive, and carry out genocide. * Genocide Studies and Prevention *Straus's study is comprehensive, thorough, and cogently and carefully argued. It is altogether an impressive work that is compulsory for specialists and invaluable for students. Straus is a former journalist and his writing is a model of clarity and economy. * Perspectives on Politics *Straus's writing is lucid, the structure of the book is well thought out, and jargon is avoided, making The Order of Genocide accessible to anyone interested in the subject. A must-read for those interested in politics and violence. * Journal of Peace Research *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Background to the Genocide 2. Genocide at the National and Regional Levels 3. Local Dynamics 4. The Génocidaires 5. Why Perpetrators Say They Committed Genocide 6. The Logic of Genocide 7. Historical Patterns of Violence 8. Rwanda's Leviathan ConclusionAppendix Index
£18.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC En Garde
Book SynopsisEn Garde! is a small-scale skirmish game based on the successful Ronin rules, in which small groups of warriors fight each other for honour or riches. Rather than just rolling a few dice, the rules allow players to make tactical decisions about how the models that they control will fight - offensively, defensively, or by applying special skills and abilities. En Garde! covers the conflicts of the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, when black-powder weapons started to become common in battle but martial prowess still determined the outcome.Play as Border Reivers, Conquistadors, Landsknechts, Aztecs, French Musketeers, Caribbean Pirates and many more, in scenarios that evoke classic engagements of the genre. Sub-plots (secondary objectives for each side) have also been introduced, making gameplay even more varied and exciting. Simple campaign rules allow multiple scenarios to be played in sequence and permit warbands to develop over time. An appendix is also included to provTable of ContentsIntroduction/ Background/ Gameplay/ Special Rules/ Warbands/ Scenarios/ Campaigns/ Tournaments/ Appendix – The Supernatural
£11.69