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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Defence strategy, planning & research > General
Many have long suspected that when America takes up arms it is a
rich man's war, but a poor man's fight. Despite these concerns
about social inequality in military sacrifice, the hard data to
validate such claims has been kept out of public view. In The
Casualty Gap Douglas Kriner and Francis Shen renew the debate over
unequal sacrifice by bringing to light mountains of new evidence on
the inequality dimensions of American wartime casualties. They
demonstrate unequivocally that since the conclusion of World War II
communities at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder have borne
a disproportionate share of the human costs of war. Moreover, they
show for the first time that when Americans are explicitly
confronted with evidence of this inequality, they become markedly
less supportive of the nation's war efforts.
The Casualty Gap also uncovers how wartime deaths affect entire
communities. Citizens who see the high price war exacts on friends
and neighbors become more likely to oppose war and to vote against
the political leaders waging it than residents of low-casualty
communities. Moreover, extensive empirical evidence connects higher
community casualty rates in Korea and Vietnam to lower levels of
trust in government, interest in politics, and electoral and
non-electoral participation. In this way, the casualty gap
threatens the very vibrancy of American democracy by depressing
civic engagement in high-casualty communities for years after the
last gun falls silent. The Casualty Gap should be read by all who
care about bringing to light inequalities in military sacrifice and
understanding the effects of war on society and democracy.
With one quarter of proven oil reserves and the largest oil
production in the world, Saudi Arabia has been at the center of
world politics. Its vast oil resources have been utilized in
various ways to maximize internal and external security. While oil
revenue allowed the Saudi state to buy off legitimacy at home and
abroad, the Saudi state exploited oil supply to either forge
alliances with or pressure consuming and producing countries. By
providing an insightful account of how oil resources shaped Saudi
security policies since the mid-twentieth century, Islam Y. Qasem
offers a timely contribution to the study of oil politics and the
interrelationship between economic interdependence and security.
Terroredia is a newly coined term by the editor, Dr. Mahmoud Eid,
to explain the phenomenal, yet under-researched relationship
between terrorists and media professionals in which acts of
terrorism and media coverage are exchanged, influenced, and fueled
by one another. Exchanging Terrorism Oxygen for Media Airwaves: The
Age of Terroredia provides a timely and thorough discussion on a
wide range of issues surrounding terrorism in relation to both
traditional and new media. Comprised of insights and research from
leading experts in the fields of terrorism and media studies, this
publication presents various topics relating to Terroredia:
understanding of terrorism and the role of the media, terrorism
manifestations and media representations of terrorism, types of
terrorism and media stereotypes of terrorism, terrorism tactics and
media strategies, the war on terrorism, the function of terrorism
and the employment of the media, new terrorism and new media,
contemporary cases of terrorist-media interactions, the rationality
behind terrorism and counterterrorism, as well as the
responsibility of the media. This publication is of interest to
government officials, media professionals, researchers, and
upper-level students interested in learning more about the complex
relationship between terrorism and the media.
This superb introduction to NATO is written for the national
security novice, yet is full of insights for the more seasoned hand
interested in how and why NATO reached its current state. In the
more than half-century since NATO was founded, there has been
endless debate about its purpose, about whether it is meeting that
purpose, and about the strategies it employs to that end.
Speculation has also been rife about the organization's "imminent
demise." Those questions and more are the subject of NATO: A Guide
to the Issues. Covering the organization from its founding in 1949
through the present, the guide examines aspects of NATO that have
undergone tremendous change over the years, including its purpose,
military mission, geographic concept of operations, and membership.
At the same time, it explores key aspects of NATO's organization
that have remained constant. These include the ability of members
to participate in operations as much or as little as they desire,
decision-making by consensus, and a general belief that people from
different countries working together on a daily basis promotes
cooperation, understanding, and friendship. Illustrations Maps A
chronology
This rare 10th anniversary edition (published in 2007) contains a
new introduction by expert Soviet historian David M. Glantz. In
addition all maps and graphics have been enhanced from the 1996
edition. "When the Soviet Union decided to invade Afghanistan, they
evaluated their chances for success upon their experiences in East
Germany, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately for their
soldiers, as well as the people of Afghanistan, they ignored not
only the experiences of the British in the same region, but also
their own experience with the Basmachi resistance fighters in
Central Asia from 1918-1933. Consequently, in Afghanistan the
Soviet army found its tactics inadequate to meet the challenges
posed by the difficult terrain and the highly motivated mujahideen
freedom fighters. To capture the lessons their tactical leaders
learned in Afghanistan and to explain the change in tactics that
followed, the Frunze Military Academy compiled this book for their
command and general staff combat arms officers. The lessons are
valuable not just for Russian officers, but for the tactical
training of platoon, company and battalion leaders of any nation
likely to engage in conflicts involving civil war, guerrilla forces
and rough terrain. This is a book dealing with the starkest
features of the unforgiving landscape of tactical combat:
casualties and death, adaptation, and survival." (From the original
foreword by Hans Binnendijk, 1996)
The book examines Bernard Brodie's strategic and philosophical
response to the nuclear age, embedding his work within the
classical theories of Carl von Clausewitz. Bernard Brodie
(1910-1978) was a leading 20th century theorist and philosopher of
war. A key architect of American nuclear strategy, Brodie was one
of the first civilian defense intellectuals to cross over into the
military world. "State of Doom" explores Brodie's evolution as a
theorist and his response to the technological innovations that
transformed warfare from WWII to the Vietnam War. It situates his
theoretical development within the classical theories of Carl von
Clausewitz (1780-1831), as Brodie came to be known as "America's
Clausewitz." While his first influential works focused on naval
strategy, his most lasting impact came within the field of nuclear
strategic thinking. Brodie helped conceptualize America's strategy
of deterrence, later taking into account America's loss of nuclear
monopoly, thermonuclear weapons, and intercontinental missiles.
This in-depth exploration of Brodie's strategic and philosophical
response to the nuclear age and of his effort to reconcile
Clausewitz's theories to the new challenges of the nuclear era will
make this book a must read to anyone in strategic studies,
international relations, and philosophy of war.
As David Vine demonstrates, the overseas bases raise geopolitical
tensions and provoke widespread antipathy towards the United
States. They also undermine American democratic ideals, pushing the
U.S. into partnerships with dictators and perpetuating a system of
second-class citizenship in territories like Guam. They breed
sexual violence, destroy the environment, and damage local
economies. And their financial cost is staggering: though the
Pentagon underplays the numbers, Vine's accounting proves that the
bill approaches $100 billion per year. For many decades, the need
for overseas bases has been a quasi-religious dictum of U.S.
foreign policy. But in recent years, a bipartisan coalition has
finally started to question this conventional wisdom. With the U.S.
withdrawing from Afghanistan and ending thirteen years of war,
there is no better time to re-examine the tenets of our military
strategy. Base Nation is an essential contribution to that debate.
This title provides a succinct, readable, and comprehensive
treatment of how the Obama administration reacted to what was
arguably the most difficult foreign policy challenge of its eight
years in office: the Arab Spring. As a prelude to examining how the
United States reacted to the first wave of the Arab Spring in the
21st century, this book begins with an examination of how the U.S.
reacted to revolution in the 19th and 20th centuries and a summary
of how foreign policy is made. Each revolution in the Arab Spring
(in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen) and the Obama
administration's action-or inaction-in response is carefully
analyzed. The U.S.' role is compared to that of regional powers,
such as Turkey, Israel, and Iran. The impact of U.S. abdication in
the face of pivotal events in the region is the subject of the
book's conclusion. While other treatments have addressed how the
Arab Spring revolutions have affected the individual countries
where these revolutions took place, U.S. foreign policy toward the
Middle East, and President Barack Obama's overall foreign policy,
this is the only work that provides a comprehensive examination of
both the Arab Spring revolutions themselves and the reaction of the
U.S. government to those revolutions. Stands as the only academic
book that specifically considers U.S. foreign policy with regard to
the Arab Spring Presents the Arab Spring as a pivotal event, the
U.S. reaction as a watershed, and an understanding of this
interplay as vital to understanding international politics in our
time Traces the often roundabout paths to the creation of U.S.
policy during the Arab Spring and examines the effects of those
policies Serves as an essential text for academics studying the
Middle East, U.S. foreign policy, the progress of revolution, and
politics in the developing world; policymakers wishing to
understand how the Obama administration dealt with the most complex
crisis of its eight years; and interested readers
This provocative book seeks to answer a most crucial-and
embarrassing-question concerning the U.S. military: why the United
States is so often stymied in military confrontations with
seemingly weaker opponents, despite its "superpower" status. This
fascinating book examines a question that continues to puzzle
soldiers, statesmen, and scholars: why do major powers-including
the ostensible superpower United States-repeatedly perform poorly
against seemingly overmatched adversaries? And what can they, and
the United States, do to better achieve their military objectives?
How Wars are Won and Lost: Vulnerability and Military Power argues
that beyond relying solely on overwhelming military might, the
United States needs to focus more on exploiting weaknesses in their
adversaries-such as national will, resource mobilization, and
strategic miscues-just as opposing forces have done to gain
advantage over our military efforts. The author tests the
"vulnerability theory" by revisiting six conflicts from the
Philippine War of 1899-1902 to the ongoing actions in Iraq and
Afghanistan, showing again and again that victory often depends
more on outthinking the enemy than outmuscling them. Interviews and
data drawn from the author's personal experiences as a U.S. Army
officer Six case study chapters on U.S. conflicts where military
superiority alone was not the decisive factor in the outcome (the
Philippines, World War II, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Iraq, and
Afghanistan)
The Army version "Map Reading and Land Navigation" is the simplest
and most straightforward explanation of how to get around with just
a compass and a map. This guide is perfect for any outdoorsman or
for teaching Boy Scouts how to use a compass.
Reports of NATO's death have been greatly exaggerated.
Characterizations of NATO as a "relic" of the past do not square
with the fact that the Alliance is busier today than at any time in
its history. As Europe has become more unified and more democratic,
NATO has assumed new layers of significance in the global security
environment. In a post-September 11 world, the old 1990s debate
about what is "in area" and what is "out of area" is a luxury that
the Alliance can no longer afford. Decisions made at the 2004
Istanbul summit aimed at enhancing NATO's partnerships with the
states of Central Asia and extending the partnership concept to the
Greater Middle East reflect the Alliance's new, more global
presence as do new military missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and
Sudan. Moore argues that a careful analysis of NATO's new, more
global focus suggests that it's not the nature of NATO's mission
that has changed, but rather its scope. NATO is approaching its new
"out of area" missions with the political tools developed after the
Soviet threat faded in the early 1990s when the Allies agreed that,
rather than merely defend an old order, they would now create a new
one grounded in liberal democratic values, including individual
liberty and the rule of law. Indeed, the mission of projecting
stability eastward was understood to be inextricable from the
promotion of these values. This new mission required that NATO
devote greater attention to its political dimension. In fact, as
the United States turned to promoting democracy around the world in
the wake of September 11, it ultimately sought to enlist NATO in
its mission of extending democracy beyond Europe to Central Asia
and the Middle East. AsMoore demonstrates in her attempt to provide
a full and comprehensive understanding of the new NATO, while
divisions within the Alliance persist as to just how global NATO
should be, the post-September 11 security environment ensures that
NATO's survival depends upon its willingness to project security
beyond Europe. That mission will be as much political as it is
military.
The first complete reference on the military-industrial complex,
from its Cold War era expansion to the present. The
Military-Industrial Complex and American Society addresses the
broad subject of the political economy of defense research and its
wide-reaching effects on many aspects of American life. Ranging
from the massive arms buildup of the Cold War to the influx of
private contractors and corporations such as Halliburton, it
reveals the interconnectedness of the military, industry, and
government within the history of this public/private enterprise.
The Military-Industrial Complex and American Society offers over
100 alphabetically organized entries on a wide of range of
significant research bodies and government agencies, as well as
important people, events, and technologies. In addition, a series
of essays looks at such essential topics as propaganda, think
tanks, defense budgeting, the defense industry and the economy, and
the breakdown of the military-industrial complex in Vietnam. With
this work, students, policymakers, and other interested readers
will understand the ramifications of the relationships between
industry, scientific and technological communities, the government,
and society. Over 100 alphabetically organized entries on the
government agencies, defense contractors, academic institutions,
individuals, historic events, and technological breakthroughs
relevant to the emergence and growth of the military-industrial
complex Contributions from over 25 accomplished scholars and
experts on various aspects of the military-industrial complex and
its wide-ranging influence on Cold War and post-Cold War America A
detailed chronology of key events in the development of the
relationship between industry, science and technology, and the
government An extensive bibliography guiding readers to a wealth of
additional print resources for further investigation
"European Security after Iraq" examines the impact of the'second'
Gulf War on European politics. It explores key questions about the
impact of the conflict on national, European and transatlantic
politics such as the extent to which the war has created new
cleavages between the foreign and security policies of European
states or merely confirmed existing ones. Its national focus is on
states on both the so-called 'old' and 'new' Europe (a
classification the book, in fact, calls into question). Important
issues around the instiutional architecture of European security
before and after the war are also discussed. The book's nine
chapters deal with background issues, such as the place of the war
in the broader discourse of European security, institutional
analyses of NATO and the EU, and area studies of France, the
Balkans, eastern Europe and Turkey. It will be of particular use in
upper level undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses on
contemporary Europe, transatlantic relations and international
security.
This monograph draws on the 10-nation CREDIT (Capacity for Research
on European Defence and Industrial Technology) network. It covers
post-Cold War related issues including: how to reduce and reorient
national defence research and development efforts; the debate over
dual-use technologies; how the diffusion of technologies of civil
origin may affect the international flow of military-relevant
technology; and how the competition with the USA will affect the
European industry's ability to survive. By providing a comparative
study of policy and practice in the countries of western Europe,
this book provides insights into how governments and firms can
begin to search for European-wide solutions to the dilemmas that
face them.
A no-nonsense treatment of information operations, this handbook
makes clear what does and does not fall under information
operations, how the military plans and executes such efforts, and
what the role of IO ought to be in the "war of ideas." Paul
provides detailed accounts of the doctrine and practice of the five
core information operations capabilities (psychological operations,
military deception, operations security, electronic warfare, and
computer network operations) and the three "related" capabilities
(public affairs, civil-military operations, and military support to
public diplomacy). The discussion of each capability includes
historical examples, explanations of tools and forces available,
and current challenges faced by that community. An appendix of
selected excerpts from military doctrine ties the work firmly to
the military theory behind information operations. Paul argues that
contemporary IO's mixing of capabilities focused on information
content with those focused on information systems conflates
"apples" with the "apple carts." This important study concludes
that information operations would be better poised to contribute to
the war of ideas if IO were reorganized, separating content
capabilities from systems capabilities and separating the
employment of "black" (deceptive or falsely attributed) information
from "white" (wholly truthful and correctly attributed)
information.
Increasingly the Middle East and its growing population face a
highly complex and fragile security system. The rich deposits of
natural resources, such as oil and gas, suffer from a strained
renewable resource base that includes water and arable land. This
leads to water scarcity, desertification, and land degradation.
Increasing population, industrialization, and urbanization put more
and more demand on the food supply. Energy insecurity may not be
generally associated with the Middle East, but the countries in the
eastern Mediterranean part have been traditionally vulnerable to it
as their fossil fuel endowments have been low. Another issue is the
large-scale temporary labor migration and the large number of
forced migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons. The
book analyzes these emerging security challenges in a comprehensive
and systematic manner. It draws national and regional security
issues into both the global security and human security
perspectives.
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