This book investigates the expanding involvement of China in security cooperation in Africa. Drawing on leading and emerging scholars in the field, the volume uses a combination of analytical insights and case studies to unpack the complexity of security challenges confronting China and the continent. It interrogates how security considerations impact upon the growing economic and social links China has developed with African states.

The Spratly Islands have represented a potential political and military flashpoint in the South China Sea for years, involving as they do various claims by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan. This edited volume examines the issues involved in light of confidence- building measures that new high-resolution satellite imagery can offer to this, and other, regions.

Baker, Wiencek, and their contributors assess the potential role for cooperative monitoring in mitigating the risk of conflict arising from multinational disputes over the Spratly Islands. They analyze how this new generation of civilian and commercial observation satellites can be used to reduce the changes of armed conflict breaking out by providing transparency that will detect and identify politically significant activities occurring at disputed islands and reefs among the Spratlys. Of particular interest to policy makers, scholars, and other researchers involved with military issues in Asia and international security concerns.

Up the Indus to Ghuznee and Kabul
William Taylor, the author of this book, was a trooper in H.M 4th Light Dragoons in India as the campaign began to place Shah Shuja on the throne of Afghanistan. The Afghan people rejected the choice of the Imperial interlopers and preferred their own choice, Dost Mohammed. So the stage was set for the First Afghan War and one of Britain's most catastrophic military disasters. Taylor takes on the campaign of the Indus from the horse soldiers perspective. It was a hot, dusty affair of battle, sniping from hidden tribesmen, the storming of citadels and the knife in the dark within a harsh and uncompromising land. A must for all those interested in warfare in Afghanistan and the British Army on campaign during the Victorian era.

Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say I am strong.-Joel 3:10

Beating Plowshares into Swords inaugurates an extraordinarily ambitious effort by Paul Koistinen to compose a comprehensive and wide-ranging study on the economics of American warfare from the colonial period to the present. When completed, this multi-volume project will stand as the definitive work on a complex subject that until now has been superficially treated or completely ignored.

Koistinen focuses not upon battlefields and battles but upon the means used to make and sustain the armies and navies that have fought in such horrific arenas. Drawing upon a vast array of sources in a number of diverse fields, he analyzes how America has mobilized itself for the conduct of war. He argues that to fully understand that process we must closely examine the complex interrelations among economic, political, and military institutions within the context of relentless modernization and technological innovation.

In this first volume, Koistinen describes how an undeveloped "preindustrial" economy forced Americans to fight defensive wars of attrition like the Revolution and the War of 1812. By the time of the Mexican War, however, a gradually maturing economy allowed the U.S. to use a much more offensive-minded strategy to achieve its goals. The book concludes with an exhaustive examination of the Civil War, a conflict that both anticipated and differed from the total wars of the industrialized era. Koistinen demonstrates that the North relied upon its enormous economic might to overwhelm the Confederacy through a strategy of annihilation, while the South bungled its own strategy of attrition by failing to mobilize effectively a much less-developed economy.

With this and subsequent volumes, Koistinen's sweeping synthesis provides a panoramic view that enlarges and in significant ways alters our vision of the turbulent relationship between war and society in America.

On May 9, 1940, Adrie de Kievit is a carefree ten-year-old boy who lives with his parents, Arie and Ko, and his thirteen-year-old sister Willie in Yselmonde in the Netherlands. The family's life is about to change drastically. As planes soar low overhead with cannons firing at them, a neighbor with access to a radio confirmed that the Dutch are now at war with the German Army. This memoir offers a firsthand narrative of what it was like growing up under the backdrop of World War II. While accented with many historical details, "Winning Three Times" is a personal story of how the war and the German occupation affected Adrie, his family, their neighbors, their city, and the country. From food hoarding to rationing and shortages, "Winning Three Times" recounts with great detail surviving the war in a small down under the shadow of Rotterdam. He tells of how his family coped with the hardships such as no gas, no electricity, no telephone, and little outside communication. This personal history communicates a story of both challenge and triumph.

Military coup d'etat is an immoral and illegal means to ascend to power. In Africa, the West directly or indirectly sponsors coups. France and the U.S. use this modus vivendi to establish territorial control and economical supremacy in Africa. As such, their actions contribute to the destabilization of Africa, and threaten international peace and world security. Indeed, ambiguity and unreasonableness are evident on this matter; while the West presses Africa with good governance, democracy, and respect of law, it also sabotages the establishment of such principles and values through support of coups and rebellions. Worst, the replacement of a legitimate and democratic regime with a military is a license to massive violations of human rights. Undeniably, a military regime is likely to foster international terrorism.

A few months out of college, followed by a sixteen-week course on how to be a naval officer, author Thomas F. Jaras found himself standing bridge watches on the USS Vance in the middle of nowhere, providing navigational aid for aircraft flying to the polar ice. Now, almost fifty years later, Jaras recalls the three years he spent aboard the Vance in the 1960s, on the ramparts of the Cold War.

In his memoir, "In the Trough," Jaras attempts to understand his love-hate relationship with the USS Vance, an insignificant radar picket ship that supported Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic Ocean for a year and then spent two years on the Pacific Distant Early Warning Line. He describes life on an endurance ship afloat in midocean, battling eighty-foot walls of water crashing over the bridge.

"In the Trough" chronicles Jaras's transition from a boy to man as he dreamed of life ashore during long weeks at sea that were punctuated by short, intense visits to terra firma. Young, inexperienced, and naive, he feared the best years of his life were being wasted at sea. He searched desperately for women, love, and a normal existence while ashore for precious short stints in Tahiti, New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii. Despite three stressful, unhappy, and difficult years at sea, Jaras acknowledges a tearful departure but promised himself to never go to sea again.

This book tells the story of Captain Evelyn Decker, a pioneer, as one of the first African American nurses to serve in the U.S. Army. Having grown up in an integrated, accepting community in upstate New York, she was surprised and dismayed by the continual discrimination and segregation she faced as she served her country. Her spirit and strength illuminate her narrative, a history that should never be forgotten.

"In this book, Captain Decker details her early childhood, young adulthood, and her military career in this country and overseas, covering her experiences from World II through the Korean era This autobiography explores Captain Decker's life and assesses her place in American military history. The book traces her personal and career development, her challenges, and her climb over insurmountable obstacles to obtain many decorations."
-Dr. (Brigadier General) Carrie Nero, USA (Ret.)

"I feel honored to have read this book and I enjoyed it too I believe the English used in this book is appropriate for Middle and Junior High School students. Good luck with the publication."
-Ethleen B. Stoute, Social Studies Teacher, Shaw Junior High School, Washington, DC

Once regarded as a backwoods frontier skirmish, the War of 1812 has become an object of increasing historical scrutiny. A new consensus is emerging among scholars which views the Second War with England as a defining moment in the history of North America. This reference tool enables users to view this important conflict from a variety of American, British, and Canadian perspectives. Compiled by a recognized authority, this bibliography describes over 850 printed primary sources, including letters, diaries, journals, and memoirs. In addition to the usual army and navy accounts, the book also includes narratives by women, clergy, politicians, diplomats, merchants, and Native Americans.

This volume is specifically designed to direct users to select historical data quickly and easily. Topically, it consists of three sections, covering military, naval, and civilian narratives. Each entry has detailed annotation, discussing bibliographic information, names and dates of the author, the time period covered, the writer's rank, organization, or social position, and the historical places and events mentioned in passing. Inclusive in scope and highly detailed, this bibliography is a valuable addition to any historical collection.

Countless editorials have addressed the if, how, why, when, and who dimensions of NATO enlargement. These issues will continue to generate debate despite the Madrid summit decisions and will invariably influence legislators in discharging their historic responsibility to provide advice and consent to ratification of the protocols of accession before April 1999. Congressman Solomon's volume will help place these issues in perspective, answer the skeptics of enlargement, and provide the missing historical context for the profound geopolitical challenge of European security on the cusp of the 21st century.

He begins by reviewing NATO's initial response, from 1989 to 1990, to the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. The early moves from outreach toward enlargement are then explored, and then he examines how NATO sought to combine the two strands of prospective enlargement while engaging nations not seeking NATO membership, especially Russia, to prepare for coalition operations and the spread of democratic security values. Next he analyzes how the Partnership for Peace concept eventually progressed toward the decisions to invite the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to join the alliance by 1999. Important reading for scholars, policymakers, and citizens concerned with current strategic and international relations issues.

This book contains a large number of stories that were told to me as a young boy growing-up in Tennessee about the many adventures that my father experienced while serving in the United States Navy. Many of these stories cover specific events that my father participated in during the Korean Armed Conflict. The events and opinions contained within the individual stories represent those verbalized by my father. These stories contain rich and colorful language, and they reflect a United States Navy sailor's life during the mid-20th Century. My father, like all good story tellers, molded the events and experiences from his life into his stories to captivate the audience as well as create a larger than life version of what took place. Collectively, these stories provide insight into the thoughts and concerns of the generation of Americans that fought in the Korean Armed Conflict.

Just out of school, Martain and his brother Mike head to an Army post in Columbia, South Carolina. They are resolved to serve their country and help defeat the enemy in Vietnam.

On a plane to training camp, the young Martain is served a cocktail by a flight attendant. In camp, he's stripped down and examined during a physical. And in Vietnam, he hears people speaking in short energetic bursts in a language he's never heard. His life has completely changed, and now he has to deal with it.

Martain serves three tours of duty in Vietnam, and while fighting in the wilderness, he usually doesn't know if he'll live to see the next day. He witnesses and engages in horrific battles where bravery determines the outcome. By the end of his final tour of duty, fear and danger no longer mean anything.

After serving in Vietnam, Martain joins the Reserves, and he participates in the 1989 invasion of Panama. As a result of his experiences, he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Join him as he relives his ordeals and helps everyone understand what so many veterans must deal with after the war ends in The Battle Rages.

Shirley M. Denmon is a native of Rome, Georgia. She is a great writer and has written other books of great quality and value. However, this most recent book, Rome, Georgia: The Enchanted Land Eighth Hill, express and exemplifies her deep passion and desire to expose to the world contributions and accomplishments made by residents that lived and yet live on the Enchanted Land Eighth Hill. She recognizes that for many years Americans of Africa descent has not received proper recognition for their positive abilities in many aspects of life, and, therefore wishes to provide through her writings, a reason and desire for readers to continue to read about their accomplishments. Readers will be interested in her voice as a writer because of her unique ability to illustrate through her God given talent and ability, a clear and specific style of writing. She received her secondary education in the Rome City Schools and received an Associate Degree in Secretarial Science from Georgia Highland College.

This book describes the creation of a new economy in the Soviet Union from 1930 to 1945. The Red Army defeated the Germans in World War II with equipment produced by that economy and not with masses of untrained men as has been often argued. The Soviet weapons were produced in factories designed and built under the direction of American engineers in the 1930s. Also, the Weimar Republic played a part in the creation of the Red Army by providing aviation and tank training schools and technical assistance to the developing armaments industry. Dunn argues that if France had been invaded by the Allies in 1943 rather than in 1944, the post-war world would have been less advantageous to the Soviet Union.

Much of the world reaped a peace dividend with the end of the Cold War, yet Asia has seen little reduction in tensions and military spending. Three Cold War era conflicts-those dividing China and Taiwan, North and South Korea, and India and Pakistan-remain unresolved. Other regional powers, as well as the United States, continue to be concerned about these volatile disputes. North Korea's nuclear and long-range missile development, China's opposition to Taiwan's pursuit of independence, and Pakistan's longstanding dispute with India have all received increasing media attention. This is the first volume using a common approach to examine post-Cold War changes in these three volatile dyads.

The book's case studies detail the evolution of each country's security policy and its shifting mix of alliances. The authors analyze U.S. interests and discuss how U.S. intervention affects strategic calculations of the conflicted states. This mechanism allows gives the readers a truer understanding of the conflicts and how they interact within the Asian security system in general. Each of the dominant theoretical frameworks of international relations-neo-realism, neo-liberalism, and constructivism-offer crucial insights into this complicated situation.

The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 is the most important legislation to affecting U.S. national defense in the last 50 years. This act resulted from frustration in Congress and among certain military officers concerning what they believed to be the poor quality of military advice available to civilian decision-makers. It also derived from the U.S. military's perceived inability to conduct successful "joint" or multi-service operations. The act, passes after four years of legislative debate, designated the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the principal military advisor to the President and sought to foster greater cooperation among the military services. Goldwater-Nichols marks the latest attempt to balance competing tendencies within the Department of Defense, namely centralization versus decentralization and geographic versus functional distributions of power. As a result of the Goldwater-Nichols Act, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has achieved prominence, but his assignment is somewhat contradictory: the spokesman and thus the advocate for the Commander in Chief, while simultaneously the provider of objective advice to the President. While the act did succeed in strengthening the CINCs' authority and in contributing to the dramatic U.S. achievements in the Gulf War, the air and ground campaigns revealed weaknesses in the CINCs' capability to plan joint operations. In addition, the increased role of the military in ad hoc peacekeeping operations has challenged the U.S. military's current organizational structure for the quick deployment of troops from the various services. Rapid technological advances and post-Cold War strategic uncertaintyalso complicate the U.S. military's organizational structure.

That's The Way The Ball Bounces, is a memoir of a teenage soldier's some what unusual service as a Military Policeman in the Army Air Force during WW II. After basic training in Miami Beach the MP Company was stationed for over two years at the head quarters of a Replacement Depot in the English Midlands. The company was billeted in a dormitory like barrack with two men per room. After the war what remained of the company spent two months in Germany. This is both a personal and a social history of the then Army life and Military Police duties.

Much has been documented about US soldiers' involvement in the Korean War. In this memoir, one officer details the little-known events of the battle of the Koto-ri Pass in North Korea in 1950. Chosin Reservoir narrates the role of the First Platoon, Battery A, Fiftieth AAA Battalion, X Corps, US Army, in facilitating the withdrawal of the First Marine Division from the Chosin Reservoir.

Providing firsthand insight into the realities of war, author Merrill Harper, a retired lieutenant colonel of the US Army, tells the story of how one army officer and three enlisted men were able to break up a ten thousand man Chinese ambush on Koto-ri Pass, killing 7,500 Chinese and running the rest over the next mountains within six hours.

In addition to chronicling the war-related events in North Korea in 1950, Harper, a soldier who was wounded twenty-four times, discusses his career leading up to the battle and shares other details from his twenty-two years of service in the military.