The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is more than a local or regional dispute. Its ongoing and escalating nature increases the risk that the violence will spill over its present borders and contribute to both extremism and terrorism. While the Intifada from 1987 to 1993 was largely a popular uprising and a political struggle, the recent clash is a war with a steady escalation between conventional and unconventional forces. It is in the interest of all major powers, the international community, and the United Nations to press both sides to accept a realistic peace plan. Noted Middle East expert Anthony Cordesman details this continuing struggle by explaining the issues at stake for each side; the various combatants (both directly and indirectly engaged); as well as the course of the war in its various incarnations. The situation on the ground is complex and the quest for peace is ever more uncertain. If the Intifada was a struggle for recognition that a peace had to be reached that was just for both sides, the Israeli-Palestinian War has polarized both sides away from peace, convincing them of the justice of their own cause and tactics and the fundamental injustice of the other side's tactics and goals. Each side has used human rights, international law, and civilian casualties as political weapons. The history of a near century of conflict is used to justify war rather than a search for peace.

Joshua Chamberlain was much more than a war hero, and Pullen's thoughtful book fills out the picture of his remarkable life. An entertaining and inspiring story.
--Senator George J. MitchellPullen's book is a worthy tribute to Chamberlain's lasting legacy.
--Charles F. Herberger, Civil War Book ReviewPullen's presentation is more complete in revealing a complicated character, without diminishing the almost mythic status he has assumed.
--Edward C. Smith, The Washington TimesA classic now in paperbackRecounts Chamberlain's later life through the lens of his experience during the Civil War

A much needed reference aid for the academic and national defense communities, this book provides a framework for the historical and comparative study of the military culture of Arab society. In sections considering warfare in Arab traditions, military roles in medieval Islam, and Arab armies in the modern age, each chapter's bibliography is preceded by a background essay, designed to assist researchers who are unfamiliar with the general outline of Arab history or the thematic bent of Arabic historiography. The work also includes a glossary and tables of Islamic dynasties. Written primarily for professors and students of comparative military history, national and service intelligence analysts, and students of Arab-Islamic or Middle Eastern history, this work will also be of use to the generalist historian.

Follow the amazing life of a man who changed lives. Chaplain (Col) Arthur Estes, U.S.A. (Retired) began life in a home where lonliness was a way of life. Searching for his place in life, Arthur excelled in all that he attempted, except self-confidence. Many avenues were taken by this man, but God had definite plans for him. Entering the military, his self confidence grew. His combination of patriotism and will moved hm forward in the ranks of the military. A veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, he has seen the worst of war and the best of men. A Centurian Paratrooper, he brought the security of God to the frightened yourng men who faced the horros of paratrooping and the war. From the battlefield at Pork Chop Hill to meeting with Billy Graham and General Westmoreland, follow Colonel Arthur J. Estes as he shares his triumphs and tributes to the men that he mentored and served with. Getting to know Colonel Estes will show you the good in man as well as the true meaning of the call of God.

The most complete memoir or primary account in English of two of the most important phases of the Thirty Years' War, Monro's Expedition is a regimental history, a guide to would-be mercenary officers, a social history, and a window into an earlier era. Although the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) ended three and a half centuries ago, it continues to intrigue readers as one of the most devastating wars in modern European history. Initially a religious/political confrontation, the conflict soon expanded into a continent-wide series of wars. Monro's account of his experiences is one of the most important primary sources of the period. From the creation of new tactical formations to improved military technology, the sheer magnitude of the crisis required new methods of waging war. Firsthand accounts by the combatants themselves are virtually non-existent, as rank and file soldiers were rarely literate, and their officers were only slightly more educated. Monro was a Scot who wrote proudly of his Scottish regiment and of his Scottish soldiers. Brockington's account retains the original spelling and punctuation and includes the original pagination within the new text for the benefit of readers searching for information cited elsewhere. Glossaries provide ready reference for place names, proper names, and archaic terms.

The US military strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan made use of private military and private security companies on an unprecedented scale. In this environment, actions and operations can greatly affect the efficacy of the US military - creating unintended diplomatic and tactical consequences. Lovewine provides a much-needed analysis of the interaction between commercial entities, military operations, and policy objectives.

Drawing from more than 120 newspapers, published between 1968 and 1970, this study explores the emergence of an anti-militarist subculture within the U.S. armed services. These activists took the position that individual GIs could best challenge their subordination by working in concert with like-minded servicemen through GI movement organizations whose behaviors and activities were then publicized in these underground newspapers. In examining this movement, Lewes focuses on their treatment of power and authority within the armed forces and how this mirrored the wider and more inclusive relations of power and authority in the United States. He argues that this opposition among servicemen was the primary motivation for the United States to withdraw from Vietnam. This first book length study of GI-published underground newspapers sheds light on the utility of alternative media for movements of social change, and provides information on how these movements are shaped by the environments in which they emerge. Lewes asserts that one cannot understand GI opposition as an extension of the civilian antiwar movement. Instead, it was the product of an embedded environment, whose inhabitants had been drafted or had enlisted to avoid the draft. They came from cities and small towns whose populations were often polarized between those who wholeheartedly supported the war and those who became progressively more critical of the need for Americans to be involved in Vietnam.

Combat Medic shares Corporal Vernon L. Parker's first-person account of World War II. Parker, like many other young men drafted in WWII, was transported from a simple, hard-working life in rural America in 1942 to a complex, stressful environment that would forever change his life. Nothing could have prepared him for the experiences he encountered as a combat medic and ambulance driver with the Third Army, led by "Blood and Guts" General George S. Patton, Jr. Parker was part of the D-Day invasion. After landing at Normandy, he spent more than ten months on the front lines, supporting the armored divisions through five major campaigns in France, Luxembourg, and Germany. A gifted storyteller, Parker presents a self-deprecating narrative filled with keen insights and colorful descriptions of day-to-day life with fellow infantrymen, officers, civilians, and enemy soldiers. As his saga unfolds, it describes the transformation of a naive and cocky country boy into a battle-weary survivor struggling to maintain his dignity, compassion, and humanity. In Combat Medic, Parker demonstrates a startling recall of events from decades ago, including detailed descriptions of people, places, and even conversations-indicating just how much of an impact those war years had on him.

Huelfer examines the "casualty issue" in American military thought and practice during the years between the World Wars. He argues that Americans exhibited a distinct aversion to combat casualties duirng the Interwar Period, a phenomenon that visibly influenced the military establishment and helped shape strategic planning, force modernization, and rearmament for World War II. In a broad topical approach, Huelfer's main theme--casualty aversion--is woven into discussions about military strategy and policies, doctrinal and technological development, the military education system, and how the American officer corps emerged from World War I and prepared for World War II. As Huelfer makes clear, aversion to combat casualties is not just a post-Vietnam War phenomenon, but rather has long been embedded within the American national heritage. Conventional wisdom link today's exacerbated aversion to combat casualties as fallout from the Vietnam debacle. In fact, this "Vietnam Syndrome" has remained at the forefront of contemporary strategic thinking. Huelfer shows that American political and military leaders have held lasting concerns about risking soldiers' lives in combat, even pre-dating U.S. involvement in World War II. The grim experiences of World War I had a profound impact upon the U.S. officer corps and how it viewed potential future conflicts. The "casualty issue" permeated the officers' strategic culture during the Interwar Period and colored their thinking about improving training, doctrinal evolution, force modernization, and technological development. Even though one cannot find the terms "casualty issue," "casualty aversion," or "sensitivity to casualties" directly stated in thespeeches and writings of the era, this awareness clearly emerged as a subtext for the entire American effort in preparation for World War II. Huelfer highlights how casualty aversion shaped American strategy for World War II by incorporating ideas about the use of overwhelming force, air power, and mechanization--all designed to minimize losses.

The war in Afghanistan is considered by most to be America's longest and least talked about war to date. After terrorists attacked the United States on 9/11, less than one percent of America's population answered our nation's call to serve in the Armed Forces. Even fewer Americans made the life choice to become United States Marines.

During this war, two Marine Corps platoon's were selected by their Battalion to fully integrate with two platoons of Afghanistan National Army Soldier's in order to create a Combined Action Company (CAC) capable of conducting sustained Counterinsurgency (COIN) operations throughout their Area of Operation's (AO) and adjacent battlespaces. Inside of this book, you will learn about one of those platoons and how they fought the Taliban during their deployment to the Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

In this memoir, Bodrog recalls how his platoon of Marines, Sailors and Afghan Soldiers lived, operated and fought in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan as part of the Combined Action Company. In doing so and translucently through the men under his command, the author attempts to immortalize every Marine, servicemen and civilian who sacrificed everything they had to ensure the survival of our great nation, while asking for nothing in return. The missions and stories mentioned in this memoir must never be forgotten or become a lost chapter in our nation's history.Discover what it's like to be one of the bold few who still fight for freedom and gain a deeper appreciation of the Marines and Sailors who served this great nation with Second Platoon: Call Sign Hades.

Readers discovered in 1995, with "The Devil's Adjutant" and in 1997 with STEEL INFERNO that Michael Reynolds' experience as a combat veteran and leader of soldiers, from platoon to mechanized division, informs his works with rare insight and realism. A rigorous, exacting researcher with an eye for telling drama, Reynolds is no armchair theoretician or chronicler of the minutes of High Command. He scrutinizes battles as they actually occurred - maelstroms of firepower, courage and flesh in which superior strength and combat skills were the sole, unvarnished factors in success.MEN OF STEEL follows Germany's largest remaining elite formation, 1 SS Panzer Corps, during the last five months of the World War II in Europe. Threatened with massive invasions from both the East and the West, in the last days of the Third Reich, Hitler opted to counter-attack. In December 1944 the Germans launched a last desperate offensive in the west, 1 SS Panzer Corps its cutting edge through the Ardennes in what became the greatest American battle since Gettysburg. After Anglo-American armies under Braadley, Patton and Montgomery had sealed off the Ardennes breakthrough, the panzer corps was transferred to mount an attack against the onrushing Soviets in the East. At Lake Balaton the 1 SS Panzer Corps waded into vastly superior Red Army forces in what became the last German offensive of the war.On both fronts the panzers were finally overwhelmed and the victors exulted in the annihilation of Nazi Germany. By examining in thorough detail the final death throes of Hitler's elite combat formations, Reynolds vividly illustrates the price of Allied victory, and why it was so difficult to achieve. Michael Reynoldsretired from the British Army with the rank of Major General in 1986. His last command was NATO's International Mobile Force, and he subsequently became Director of its Military Plans and Policy Commission. His previous two books, "The Devil's Adjutant" (1995) and "Steel Inferno" (1997) were released to international acclaim.

"It would have been inconceivable," wrote Henry Kissinger in his best-selling book "Diplomacy, ""that the architects of NATO would have seen as the end result of victory in the Cold War greater diversity within the Alliance." In "Twilight of the West, " Christopher Coker offers an interpretation of why the Western Alliance is in serious trouble and why it may have entered the twilight of its collective life.Divided into three parts, the book first looks at the cultural forces that brought the Western powers together in 1941 and prompted them to build an Atlantic Community. Where the Alliance failed, however, was in taking hold where it counted most--in the European imagination. The second part addresses the present-day consciousness of both Europe and the United States as they prepare for the twenty-first century. In the final section, Coker examines two key questions: whether the West can escape the undertow of violence that marks the end of the millennium and whether the challenges from East Asia and the Islamic world are of such magnitude that the West will have to reinvent itself.Throughout, Coker draws on a wide-ranging discussion of Western culture to understand the changes that are taking place in the Western world. Particular emphasis is placed on the changes in philosophy that helped shape the Alliance and its view of the rest of the world.

THE AUTUMN MAN The spell binding memoirs of Albert Slugocki. Displaced from his native Poland because of his hatred of the communist government. He served his adopted country faithfully with honor and distinction for 21 years in peace and war as a combat arms soldier obtaining the rank of Sargeant Major - an acheivement of its own. Albert fought in Korea and Vietnam and participated in other clandestine missions in Southeast Asia and Europe. Wounded several times, he continued to serve until his retirement. Albert met his wife Margaret, a sister of a fellow Special Forces soldier and a good friend while both were recovering from combat wounds at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. After being medically discharged from the U.S. Marshal's Service, he began to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.). Albert seeks refuge in the Amazonian jungles of South America - Peru. He gave of himself both physically and mentally by devoting his life's time and efforts helping the native Indians who live near the banks of the mighty Amazon River and in the remote jungle villages with medical aid. Their latest ambition is the building and staffing of a clinic-hospital that will provide the only medical services in these remote areas. Project Amazonas continues to actively recruit Medical Doctors and Dentists and other medical professionals to volunteer their services with the organization in Peru Albert continues to support Project Amazonas and a percentage of the procedes from the sale of his book will be dedicated to the Project.

When in Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine of France in 1154 A.D., he became at once the reigning sovereign over a vast stretch of land extending across all of England and half of France—and yet, according to the feudal hierarchy of the times, a vassal to the King of France. This situation, which placed French and English borders in such a tenuous position, solidified the precarious ground on which the Hundred Years War was to be fought 183 years later. This epic border conflict—which was contemporaneous with the age of popular uprisings and the Bubonic Plague, fought according to enduring notions of chivalry and the budding pride of nationality, and which numbered among its participants Richard II, the Black Prince of Wales, Henry IV, Henry V, and Charles of Navarre—ultimately depended upon a peasant woman, Joan of Arc, to reinforce the French ideal of a sacred kingdom, swing the pendulum once more in the direction of the French, and bring this perennial conflict to an end. When in 1154 A.D. Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine of France, he became at once the reigning sovereign over a vast stretch of land extending across all of England and half of France, and yet, according to the feudal hierarchy of the times, a vassal to the King of France. This situation, which placed French and English borders in such a tenuous position, solidified the precarious ground on which the Hundred Years War was to be fought 183 years later. This epic border conflict—which was contemporaneous with the age of popular uprisings and the Bubonic Plague, fought according to enduring notions of chivalry and the budding pride of nationality, and which numbered among its participants Richard II, the Black Prince of Wales, Henry IV, Henry V, and Charles of Navarre—ultimately depended upon a peasant woman, Joan of Arc, to reinforce the French ideal of a sacred kingdom, swing the pendulum once more in the direction of the French, and bring this perennial conflict to an end. Topics of the theme essays have been selected to show the diversity of this complex war, and include discussions of: the origins of the war; the age of popular rebellion; chivalry's effect on 14th and 15th century warfare; the religion of the monarchy and the role of sacred kingship in the building of the French monarchy; and Joan of Arc's understanding of the war. An annotated timeline and a chronology of French and English Kings provide readers with an easy-to-follow overview of the Hundred Years War and the rulers who presided over it. Nineteen biographical sketches of key French and English figures lend a human aspect to historic names; and 14 annotated primary documents breathe fresh life into the topic, and provide students and readers with a new look at the period. The book concludes with an annotated bibliography and index.

Warfare in the exotic world of the early days of Britain's Indian Empire. In the early years of the nineteenth century as Napoleon's French Army dominated Europe the British empire continued with its expansion of power on the Indian Sub-Continent. There, a young general-Arthur Wellesley-who would soon become the Duke of Wellington fought his formative battles-including the one which he would always cite as his hardest fought victory at Assaye. The enemy were the formidable Marathas-one of the pre-eminent martial races of India. Wellington was not alone in this pivotal war for Indian domination. His rising, bright star has always overshadowed the campaigns of Gerard Lake-an accomplished fighting leader of British soldiers now close to the end of his career. Often neglected by historians and students alike, Lake's Indian campaign was fought against a resourceful and ruthless enemy-almost always superior in numbers to his own forces. Commanding an army of a few British regular cavalry and infantry regiments, together with elements of the Honourable East India Company's own army, Lake fought hard battles and invested strongly held fortresses. In this book the reader will discover the mighty strongholds of Aligarh, Agra and Deeg, Lakes own Assaye-Laswari, and the slaughter which was the attempt on the nearly impregnable stronghold of Bhurtpur. Lake appears with a host of colourful supporting characters-Perron and other mercenary 'freelancers', James Skinner and his 'Yellow Boys' irregular cavalry, the incompetent Colonel Monson and Holkar-the despotic and cruel Maratha leader himself.