This is a story of one courageous American warrior who volunteers to go into combat after a four-year break. Joseph Monforte Jr has been on a soul-searching journey driven by fate and circumstance. He has endured a tough path to walk during his journey. From an uncertain childhood, to an honorable career in the military. He has faced the odds and crushed the obstacles that have stood in his way. Determined to shed his demons and test his character he finds himself in Iraq, fighting the War on Terror. Near death experiences and bloody battles have opened his eyes to a new world. Along his combat experience he sheds those demons but finds new ones. Joseph Monforte Jr had to fight to make his dreams come alive. An experience that leaves his journey fulfilled. Returning from combat, he finds himself divorced, wounded, broke, and alone. In the wake of all these tribulations a new life was found. Fate has proven his dreams time and time again. Who would have thought combat would heal his heart, soul, and mind? This is a true tail of glory and the hells to be seen before it's found. In search of glory

This edited volume is the first detailed exploration of the last phase of the Cold War, taking a critical look at the crisis of detente in Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The transition from detente to a new phase of harsh confrontation and severe crises is an interesting, indeed crucial, phase of the evolution of the international system. This book makes use of previously unreleased archival materials, moving beyond existing interpretations of this period by challenging the traditional bipolar paradigm that focuses mostly on the role of the superpowers in the transformation of the international system. The essays here emphasize the combination and the interplay of a large number of variables- political, ideological, economic and military - and explore the topic from a truly international perspective. Issues covered include human rights, the Euromissiles, the CSCE (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe), the Revolution in Military Affairs, economic growth and its consequences.

This study demonstrates that the Six Day War, which transformed the Middle East, split the left and gave birth to Neo-conservatism, was an unintended consequence of the Vietnam War. In 1967 Moscow created a Middle Eastern crisis in response to Washington's escalation in Vietnam. America's Asian focus had left her Atlantic vulnerable to Soviet penetration. Israel refused to plant her flag in Saigon, American rabbis led the peace movement and the President threatened to withdraw his support from Israel. The Palestinians embarked on a Vietnamism-inspired "people's war," and Moscow interpreted Israeli retaliation as support for US policy in Vietnam. This Six Day War turned Israel into a Soviet nuclear target and transformed some liberals into Neo-conservatives.

From Hayseed to Jet Pilot and Beyond was written after prompting from the author's children, relatives, and friends to write a book about his colorful life experiences. The initial tales recount life on a small Iowa farm in the 30's. Johnny relates how his life was 'forever changed' by World War II with his aspirations of becoming a pilot fulfilled by entering the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program. After the War, he remained in the Air Force as a military pilot, flying over 20 types of planes. With humorous insight he recounts his adventures in many countries and describes his part in making history in the eras of World War II, the Berlin Airlift, NATO, and the Cold War. After retirement from the Air Force, Johnny began a new career as an economic development executive with Northern Natural Gas Company in Omaha. In this position, he called on some of the most senior executives of companies throughout the U.S., promoting the northern plains as a place to do business. Woven in his biography are tales of his many travels, including fascinating, first-hand experiences that occurred while traveling in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Russia and elsewhere.

In contrast to the common perception that the United Nations is, or should become, a system of collective security, this paper advances the proposition that the UN Security Council embodies a necessarily selective approach. Analysis of its record since 1945 suggests that the Council cannot address all security threats effectively. The reasons for this include not only the veto power of the five permanent members, but also the selectivity of all UN member states: their unwillingness to provide forces for peacekeeping or other purposes except on a case-by-case basis, and their reluctance to involve the Council in certain conflicts to which they are parties, or which they perceive as distant, complex and resistant to outside involvement.

The Council's selectivity is generally seen as a problem, even a threat to its legitimacy. Yet selectivity, which is rooted in prudence and in the UN Charter itself, has some virtues. Acknowledging the necessary limitations within which the Security Council operates, this paper evaluates the Council's achievements in tackling the problem of war since 1945. In doing so, it sheds light on the division of labour among the Council, regional security bodies and states, and offers a pioneering contribution to public and governmental understanding of the UN's past, present and future roles.

This book interrogates the concept of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as a normative construct and how the construction and promotion of this norm may have contributed to a stagnation in humanitarian action. This interrogation includes a particular focus on the impact of R2P on prevailing attitudes and discourses concerning humanitarian military intervention as well as the (under)provision of same. The study seeks to bridge the proverbial gap between theory and policy, specifically concerning our collective understanding of contemporary dynamics of humanitarian intervention and crisis. This objective is accomplished through the application and critical reformulation of the norm life cycle model and its three component stages (emergence, cascade, and internalization) relative to the presumed norm of R2P. The book advances the argument that R2P has only partially cascaded - stagnating rather than fully diffusing after reaching the ‘tipping point’, and in the process leaving the life cycle of the R2P norm in a state of dynamic equilibrium (e.g., a ‘steady state’). Consequently, the chief implication of the dynamic of stagnation within international society which the book seeks to advance and support is the non-attainment of norm internalization. Through close examination of the genesis and evolution of R2P, the work contends that R2P actually poses a significant if not fundamental challenge to the animating logic of the norm life cycle model. Having reached the requisite tipping point through formal endorsement by the UN over a decade ago, R2P has failed to manifest itself in humanitarian intervention behavior. The key to understanding why resides in deficiencies of the norm life cycle model itself. By failing to provide a sufficient account of the dynamics of norm pre-emergence (whereby ideas are transformed into proto-norms) or to acknowledge the possibility norm stagnation (whereby a norm fails to diffuse and become internalized), the norm life-cycle model provides an underspecified mechanism for understanding how and why an idea may in fact cross the threshold of the ‘tipping point’—attaining the status of a norm in international society in the process—but fail to penetrate and influence policy discourses and processes. The study seeks to bridge the proverbial gap between theory and policy, specifically concerning our collective understanding of contemporary dynamics of humanitarian intervention and crisis. This book will be of much interest to students of the Responsibility to Protect, human rights, conflict studies and international relations in general.

An analysis of Vietnam, 9/11 and the Iraq War from patriotism to dissent through various visual and written signs among which the US flag, ribbons, car-stickers, cartoons, movies, the media and presidential war rhetoric.

It's a fictional action/drama with some abstracts of reality, depicting the views and chronicles of an ex-Navy Seal as he comes to terms with his family obligations and his chosen life of clandestine missions for a private security firm. It begins with a soldier that joined the service in 1977 and watched the birth of terrorism as we know it today. Starting with the uprising in Iran against the Shah, it then leads into the hostage crisis that lasted 444 days. He tells a story of how he was discharged for his insubordinate actions in opposition of a group of rebels in Beirut after the Marine base was truck bombed. He gives his views on terrorism as an experienced combat soldier. He also talks about his wife, the love of his life, who is employed by the CIA. Then he explains how he got back into the black operations for the money and the action. The story follows his career as it began with a private security firm and discusses how he spent much of his time consulting the United States government on terrorism. As his company calls upon him by request of his former commanding officer, a Navy Admiral he befriended years before. He is asked to run a black ops mission to rescue a high profile person who has been kidnapped by a Middle Eastern terrorist group during a peace mission in Iraq. He examines the terrorists' behaviors and their incentives for violence, and voices his own opinions and explanations of their actions. During his missions, he references the past wars the world has fought. Then he explains the good and bad points that have come from these wars with a patriotic and a soldier's view. He also discuses his conflicts as a family man and a covert soldier that has kept him frombeing a good father and husband at times.

This is the first academic analysis of the role of embedded media in the 2003 Iraq War, providing a concise history of US military public affairs management since Vietnam. In late summer 2002, the Pentagon considered giving the press an inside view of the upcoming invasion of Iraq. The decision was surprising, and the innovative "embedded media program" itself received intense coverage in the media. Its critics argued that the program was simply a new and sophisticated form of propaganda. Their implicit assumption was that the Pentagon had become better at its news management and had learned to co-opt the media. This new book tests this assumption, introducing a model of organizational learning and redraws the US military's cumbersome learning curve in public affairs from Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, the Balkans to Afghanistan, examining whether past lessons were implemented in Iraq in 2003. Thomas Rid argues that while the US armed forces have improved their press operations, America's military is still one step behind fast-learning and media-savvy global terrorist organizations. War and Media Operations will be of great interest to students of the Iraq War, media and war, propaganda, political communications and military studies in general.

This work is a doctrinal examination of war termination strategy and conflict resolution as a dependent pair, requiring a plan to achieve both in unison in advance of a fight. The necessity of a plan for conflict resolution should be intuitively obvious for policymakers, yet a survey of recent conflicts, including Afghanistan and Iraq, shows that not to be the case. Beyond Guns and Steel: A War Termination Strategy provides a practical approach to establishing a plan for war termination and conflict resolution before the bullets fly. In explaining the difference between strategy and policy, Colonel Dominic J. Caraccilo clarifies the most important, and often the most constraining, element of a nation's power-its resources. He posits that termination strategy and conflict resolution are interdependent and need to be included in conflict plans from the outset. Caraccilo's book fills a void in current strategy for the development of long-term plans that bring conflicts to timely and acceptable conclusions, providing a methodology that allows interagency requirements and resources for war termination to be defined, allocated, and employed effectively. Examples taken from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with models of war termination successes and failures to enhance the understanding of scenarios for possible resolution A full array of definitions offering clarity for the reader seeking to grasp the book's methodology for war termination Primary source documentation related to the author's seven combat deployments to the Middle East and over five years of personal involvement in combat and its aftermath. Vignettes from history dating from the Revolutionary War to the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Sidebars offering relevant charts, graphs, and newspaper articles Examples of conflict resolution to enhance an understanding of war termination outcomes Firsthand accounts from various military officers in the form of Staff College manuscripts A robust listing of books, interviews, documents, and articles on war termination and conflict resolution theories

In the context of gun proliferation and persistent gun violence in the United States, a controversial security strategy has gained public attention: bulletproof fashion. This book examines concerns about security focusing on armored clothing and accessories for civilians. Available for children and adults, such ballistic products include colorful backpacks, elegant suits, sports jackets, feminine dresses, trendy vests, and medical lab coats. These products are paradigmatic of a "fashion of fear"-the practice of outfitting the body with apparel aimed at maximizing personal security. This fashion encourages the emergence of both a fortress body and an armored society. Sutton also explores the wider social factors influencing the bulletproof fashion phenomenon, including the inequalities associated with neoliberalism and the militarization of civilian life. The book sheds light on the role of emotions in relation to discourses and perceptions of security, and encourages feminist and sociological studies to pay attention to the linkages between security, bodies, and dress. It is ideal for students and scholars interested in security and gun violence, culture and politics, neoliberalism and consumption, and bodies and emotions.

The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London is the highly detailed account and analysis of law enforcement negotiation lessons learned from the infamous hostage standoff between the London Metropolitan Police (the Met) and four members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the winter of 1975. With eye-witness and first-hand testimony, this book examines the events leading up to the clash and their political context as well as how both sides handled the hostage situation and the strategies and tactics used by the police to safely diffuse the volatile situation. Comprehensive and readable, The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London looks at not only the six days making up the standoff but places the confrontation in unique historical context by giving a detailed summary of IRA activity in London in the years leading up to the siege. In addition, this vital study explores the aftershocks arising from the apprehension of the IRA team as well as the hostage negotiation lessons learned in the conflict. This useful resource also features a thorough bibliography and list of electronic resources. The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London is a useful resource for practicing law enforcement negotiating teams and professionals; history, sociology, and social psychology students and educators; and general readers as well.

The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London is the highly detailed account and analysis of law enforcement negotiation lessons learned from the infamous hostage standoff between the London Metropolitan Police (the Met) and four members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the winter of 1975. With eye-witness and first-hand testimony, this book examines the events leading up to the clash and their political context as well as how both sides handled the hostage situation and the strategies and tactics used by the police to safely diffuse the volatile situation. Comprehensive and readable, The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London looks at not only the six days making up the standoff but places the confrontation in unique historical context by giving a detailed summary of IRA activity in London in the years leading up to the siege. In addition, this vital study explores the aftershocks arising from the apprehension of the IRA team as well as the hostage negotiation lessons learned in the conflict. This useful resource also features a thorough bibliography and list of electronic resources. The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London is a useful resource for practicing law enforcement negotiating teams and professionals; history, sociology, and social psychology students and educators; and general readers as well.

Theatre and war have long been bedfellows. This brief study looks beyond theatre that is about war, and instead focuses on the relationship between theatre and war: how they feed into and inform one another, from rehearsal to post-production analysis. The study builds on the premise that theatre and war share a deep kinship that finds its consummate expression in the very phrase 'theatre of war.' This critical look at the entangled history of theatre and war asks pressing questions that remain pertinent to our current moment: how have the tools of theatre been used in the waging of war? How have the tools of waging war been used in the making of performance? What are the 'shared interests' of theatre and war? And how has performance become a militarized paradigm?

Monographs in Organizational Behavior & Industrial Relations

Whereas states formerly had a right to wage war under a wide range of cicumstances, now war is legally permitted only in self defence. Yet wars persist. If their incidence is to be reduced, we must understand the forces that maintain war as an institution. The contributors to this book consider the nature of war and the forces that sustain it from diverse perspectives ranging from anthropology, history, political science, theology, philosophy, international law, economics, psychiatry and biology. The complexity of modern war requires understanding not only of several layers of social complexity - individuals, groups, societies - but also of the dialectical relations between those levels. This implies that individuals can contriburte towards a reduction in wars incidence.

From the battles of the great warrior Tecumseh to the escapades of flying ace Billy Bishop to the tragedy of troops killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, this book traces the Canadian experience of war through the centuries.

At a time of great global uncertainty and instability, communities face fracturing from the increasing influence of extremist movements hostile to democratic and multicultural norms. Europe and the West have grown increasingly polarised in recent years, beset with financial crises, political instability, the rise of malicious actors and irregular violence, and new forms of media and social media. These factors have enabled the spread of new forms of extremism and suggest a growing need for a response sensitive to inequalities and divisions in wider society - a task made even more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Routledge Handbook of Violent Extremism and Resilience brings together research conducted throughout Europe and the world, to analyse various articulations of violent extremism and consider the impact that such groups and networks have had on the wellbeing of communities and societies. It examines different theories, factors and national case studies of extremism, polarisation and societal fragmentation, drilling deep into national examples to map trends across Europe, North America and Australasia, to provide regional and state-level comparative analysis. It also offers a thorough exploration of resilience - a recent addition to counter-extremism policy and practice - to consider how it has come to play this increasingly central role in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE), the limitations and opportunities of such approaches, and how it could be shared, developed, problematised and deployed in response to violence and polarisation. The Handbook details new trends in both violent extremism and counter-extremism response, within this increasingly fractured global context. It critically explores the latest theories of community violence, extremism, polarisation and resilience, mapping them across case study countries. In doing so, it presents new findings for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers seeking to understand these new patterns of polarisation and extremism and develop community-driven responses.

Volume one of a two-volume set, The Military History of Tsarist Russia is the first overview in English of the rise of the armed forces in Russia, from the Muscovite army of the 15th century through the reforms, expansions, and westernization of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the victory over Napoleon in 1812-1815. Essays also highlight the ideological conflict between Westernization and Russiafication, and the revolution that brought down the Romanovs in 1917. The eleven chapters by acknowledged experts provide a fine introduction to Russian military and naval history.

Puerto Rican soldiers have been consistently whitewashed out of the narrative of American history despite playing parts in all American wars since WWI. This book examines the online self-representation of Puerto Rican soldiers who served during the War on Terror, focusing on social networking sites, user-generated content, and web memorials.