Description
Book SynopsisA number of nations, conspicuously Israel and the United States, have been increasingly attracted to the use of strategic barriers to promote national defense. In "Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbours?", defense analyst Brent Sterling examines the historical use of strategic defences such as walls or fortifications to evaluate their effectiveness and consider their implications for modern security. Sterling studies six famous defences spanning 2,500 years, representing both democratic and authoritarian regimes: the Long Walls of Athens, Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain, the Ming Great Wall of China, Louis XIV's Pre Carre, France's Maginot Line, and Israel's Bar Lev Line. Although many of these barriers were effective in the short term, they also affected the states that created them in terms of cost, strategic outlook, military readiness, and relations with neighbours. Sterling assesses how modern barriers against ground and air threats could influence threat perceptions, alter the military balance, and influence the builder's subsequent policy choices. Advocates and critics of strategic defences often bolster their arguments by selectively distorting history. Sterling emphasizes the need for an impartial examination of what past experience can teach us. His study yields nuanced lessons about strategic barriers and international security and yields findings that are relevant for security scholars and compelling to general readers.
Trade ReviewSterling's analysis is consistently thorough and thought provoking. He devotes ample time to each case study, providing a balanced review of the political, economic, diplomatic, military, cultural, and other factors that influenced the decision to build strategic defenses. Journal of Homeland Security Takes a rather different and refreshing look... Finely crafted and thoroughly enjoyable... Barrier builders and their critics should all take heed. Political Science Quarterly A thoughtful and analytical approach to an often overlooked element of security... Given the uniqueness of the subject and the author's approach, I highly recommend this book for any course on general military history or defense studies and commend it to those focused on border security issues. Military Review The reader is immediately grabbed by the author's uncanny ability to place what is a historical examination of physical barriers squarely in current political debates, both empirical and theoretical... Chapter after chapter, one is transported through fascinating details, from strategic threats (real or imagined) to the leaders' perceptions and motivations (from the simplest to the most complex) to the decision-making processes (bureaucratic, military, and financial) behind the construction of physical barriers. Perspectives on Politics
Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Athens' Long Walls: Lifelines to the Sea 3. Hadrian's Wall: Rome's Foremost Frontier Fortification 4. The Ming Great Wall of China: A Dynasty's Unending Pursuit of Security 5. The Pre Carre: Fortifying France's Northeastern Frontier 6. The Maginot Line: France's Great Folly or Reasoned Response to the German Threat 7. The Bar-Lev Line: Citadels in the Sand 8. Conclusion: Lessons Learned about the Use and Abuse of Strategic Defense Selected BibliographyAbout the AuthorIndex
