|
|
Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 > General
This book is an intimate account of an ordinary individual's
extraordinary life journey that transcends both cultural and social
boundaries. Th e author was born and lived in Korea during his
formative years, and has been living in the United States for the
following 47 years. Th is individual's unique story of his
environment is informative and his approach to his life time
challenges highlights every passage of the book. Th e book is
thoughtprovoking as well as enlightening...a rare gem in its
subject, style, and exposition. This book enlightens and entertains
its readers at the same time eff ortlessly.
Waite provides an honest and raw perspective on the Iraq War from
that of a citizen-soldier. He describes the effects war has on the
extraordinary people who fight in it, and the families left behind.
Since the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, the United States has been at war with Al-Qaida. Over the
past 10 years, counterterrorism efforts have disrupted its main
training facilities and eliminated much of the core leadership
structure, including the mastermind Usama Bin Ladin. Despite this,
Al-Qaida has proved resilient. While the core leadership has been
compromised, regional Al-Qaida offshoots and affiliated Islamist
terrorist groups have formed, developed, and become prominent in
their own right. To aid in examining and explaining Al-Qaida's
trajectory, the Minerva Initiative at Marine Corps University
hosted a conference in the spring of 2011, just days before Bin
Ladin's demise. The panels at this conference addressed diverse
issues such as Al-Qaida's overarching strategy; the degree of
control that central Al-Qaida leadership maintains over regional
franchises; and the strategies, tactics, successes, and failures in
each theater of operation. The resulting papers in Al-Qaida after
Ten Years of War contribute to the ongoing and ever-evolving net
assessment of Al-Qaida and its future prospects, and they help
inform the crafting of a war termination phase with Al-Qaida.
Represents one of the earliest efforts to chronicle Marine Corps
operations in Iraq between 2004-2005. Commissioned and written
while U.S. forces were still engaged in combat operations in Iraq.
Contains maps to help orientate and familiarize readers to Iraq,
al-Anbar Province, and the two battles for Fallujah. Contains
photographs of commanders, combat operations, equipment, and
civil-military operations.
The Korean War occupies a unique place in American history and
foreign policy. Because it followed closely after World War II and
ushered in a new era of military action as the first hot conflict
of the cold war, the Korean War was marketed as an entirely new
kind of military campaign. But how were the war-weary American
people convinced that the limited objectives of the Korean War were
of paramount importance to the nation?
In this ground-breaking book, Steven Casey deftly analyzes the
Truman and Eisenhower administrations' determined efforts to shape
public discourse about the war, influence media coverage of the
conflict, and gain political support for their overall approach to
waging the Cold War, while also trying to avoid inciting a hysteria
that would make it difficult to localize the conflict. The first
in-depth study of Truman's and Eisenhower's efforts to garner and
sustain support for the war, Selling the Korean War weaves a lucid
tale of the interactions between the president and government
officials, journalists, and public opinion that ultimately produced
the twentieth century concept of limited war.
It has been popularly thought that the public is instinctively
hostile towards any war fought for less than total victory, but
Casey shows that limited wars place major constraints on what the
government can say and do. He also demonstrates how the Truman
administration skillfully rededicated and redefined the war as it
dragged on with mounting casualties. Using a rich array of
previously untapped archival resources--including official
government documents, and the papers of leading congressmen,
newspaper editors, and war correspondents--Casey's work promises to
bethe definitive word on the relationship between presidents and
public opinion during America's "forgotten war."
Explores how writers, filmmakers and artists have attempted to
reckon with the legacy of a devastating war The Iran-Iraq War was
the longest conventional war of the 20th century. The memory of it
may have faded in the wake of more recent wars in the region, but
the harrowing facts remain: over one million soldiers and civilians
dead, millions more permanently displaced and disabled, and an
entire generation marked by prosthetic implants and teenage
martyrdom. These same facts have been instrumentalized by agendas
both foreign and domestic, but also aestheticized, defamiliarized,
readdressed and reconciled by artists, writers, and filmmakers
across an array of identities: linguistic (Arabic, Persian,
Kurdish), religious (Shiite, Sunni, atheist), and political
(Iranian, Iraqi, internationalist). Official discourses have
unsurprisingly tried to dominate the process of production and
distribution of war narratives. In doing so, they have ignored and
silenced other voices. Centering on novels, films, memoirs, and
poster art that gave aesthetic expression to the Iran-Iraq War, the
essays gathered in this volume present multiple perspectives on the
war's most complex and underrepresented narratives. These scholars
do not naively claim to represent an authenticity lacking in
official discourses of the war, but rather, they call into question
the notion of authenticity itself. Finding, deciding upon, and
creating a language that can convey any sort of truth at
all-collective, national, or private-is the major preoccupation of
the texts and critiques in this diverse collection.
Largely overshadowed by World War II's "greatest generation" and
the more vocal veterans of the Vietnam era, Korean War veterans
remain relatively invisible in the narratives of both war and its
aftermath. Yet, just as the beaches of Normandy and the jungles of
Vietnam worked profound changes on conflict participants, the
Korean Peninsula chipped away at the beliefs, physical and mental
well-being, and fortitude of Americans completing wartime tours of
duty there. Upon returning home, Korean War veterans struggled with
home front attitudes toward the war, faced employment and family
dilemmas, and wrestled with readjustment. Not unlike other wars,
Korea proved a formative and defining influence on the men and
women stationed in theater, on their loved ones, and in some
measure on American culture. In the Shadow of the Greatest
Generation not only gives voice to those Americans who served in
the "forgotten war" but chronicles the larger personal and
collective consequences of waging war the American way.
Using the 2003 war in Iraq as an illustrative tool for highlighting
the impact which advances in communication systems have had on
message relays, this book comes as a useful tool kit for enabling a
critical evaluation of the way language is used in the news.In a
world in which advanced communication technologies have made the
reporting of disasters and conflicts (also in the form of breaking
news) a familiar and 'normalised' activity, the information
presented here about television news reporting of the 2003 war in
Iraq has implications that go beyond this particular
conflict."Evaluation and Stance in War News" functions as a tool
kit for the critical evaluation of language in the news, both as
raw data in need of interpretation and as carefully packaged
products of 'information management' in need of 'unpacking'. The
chapters offer an array of theoretical and empirical instruments
for revealing, identifying, sifting, weighing and connecting
patterns of language use that construct messages. These messages
carry with them world views and value systems that can either
create an ever wider divide or serve to build bridges between
peoples and countries.The Editorial Board includes: Paul Baker
(Lancaster), Frantisek Cermak (Prague), Susan Conrad (Portland),
Geoffrey Leech (Lancaster), Dominique Maingueneau (Paris XII),
Christian Mair (Freiburg), Alan Partington (Bologna), Elena
Tognini-Bonelli (Lecce and TWC), Ruth Wodak (Lancaster and Vienna),
and Feng Zhiwei (Beijing). "The Corpus and Discourse" series
consists of two strands. The first, Research in Corpus and
Discourse, features innovative contributions to various aspects of
corpus linguistics and a wide range of applications, from language
technology via the teaching of a second language to a history of
mentalities. The second strand, Studies in Corpus and Discourse, is
comprised of key texts bridging the gap between social studies and
linguistics. Although equally academically rigorous, this strand
will be aimed at a wider audience of academics and postgraduate
students working in both disciplines.
This reference work is an ideal resource for anyone interested in
better understanding the controversial Iraq War. It treats the war
in its entirety, covering politics, religion, and history, as well
as military issues. The Iraq War started in 2003 in a quest to rid
the nation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that were never
found. It lasted over 8 years, during which more than 30,000 U.S.
service members were wounded and almost 4,500 American lives lost.
Comprised of some 275 entries, this comprehensive encyclopedia
examines the war from multiple points of view. Each article is
written by an expert with specialized knowledge of the topic. The
reference covers every aspect of the Iraq War, from the U.S.
invasion (Operation IRAQI FREEDOM) through the rise of Al Qaeda in
Iraq, the surge, and the U.S. withdrawal. Other significant aspects
of the conflict are addressed as well, including Abu Ghraib, WMDs,
the controversial use of private military contractors, and
Britain's role in the war. The book also features an overview
essay, a "causes and consequences" essay, maps, photos, a
chronology, and a bibliography.
This book is the first extensive research on the role of poetry
during the Iranian Revolution (1979) and the Iran-Iraq War
(1980-1988). How can poetry, especially peaceful medieval Sufi
poems, be applied to exalt violence, to present death as martyrdom,
and to process war traumas? Examining poetry by both Islamic
revolutionary and established dissident poets, it demonstrates how
poetry spurs people to action, even leading them to sacrifice their
lives. The book's originality lies in fresh analyses of how themes
such as martyrdom and violence, and mystical themes such as love
and wine, are integrated in a vehemently political context, while
showing how Shiite ritual such as the pilgrimage to Mecca clash
with Saudi Wahhabi appreciations. A distinguishing quality of the
book is its examination of how martyrdom was instilled in the minds
of Iranians through poetry, employing Sufi themes, motifs and
doctrines to justify death. Such inculcation proved effective in
mobilising people to the front, ready to sacrifice their lives. As
such, the book is a must for readers interested in Iranian culture
and history, in Sufi poetry, in martyrdom and war poetry. Those
involved with Middle Eastern Studies, Iranian Studies, Literary
Studies, Political Philosophy and Religious Studies will benefit
from this book. "From his own memories and expert research, the
author gives us a ravishing account of 'a poetry stained with
blood, violence and death'. His brilliantly layered analysis of
modern Persian poetry shows how it integrates political and
religious ideology and motivational propaganda with age-old
mystical themes for the most traumatic of times for Iran." (Alan
Williams, Research Professor of Iranian Studies, University of
Manchester) "When Asghar Seyed Gohrab, a highly prolific
academician, publishes a new book, you can be certain he has paid
attention to an exciting and largely unexplored subject. Martyrdom,
Mysticism and Dissent: The Poetry of the 1979 Iranian Revolution
and the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) is no exception in the sense that
he combines a few different cultural, religious, mystic, and
political aspects of Iranian life to present a vivid picture and
thorough analysis of the development and effect of what became
known as the revolutionary poetry of the late 1970s and early
1980s. This time, he has even enriched his narrative by inserting
his voice into his analysis. It is a thoughtful book and a
fantastic read." (Professor Kamran Talattof, University of Arizona)
In the decades since the "forgotten war" in Korea, conventional
wisdom has held that the Eighth Army consisted largely of poorly
trained, undisciplined troops who fled in terror from the onslaught
of the Communist forces. Now, military historian Thomas E. Hanson
argues that the generalizations historians and fellow soldiers have
used regarding these troops do little justice to the tens of
thousands of soldiers who worked to make themselves and their army
ready for war.
In Hanson's careful study of combat preparedness in the Eighth Army
from 1949 to the outbreak of hostilities in 1950, he concedes that
the U.S. soldiers sent to Korea suffered gaps in their professional
preparation, from missing and broken equipment to unevenly trained
leaders at every level of command. But after a year of progressive,
focused, and developmental collective training--based largely on
the lessons of combat in World War II--these soldiers expected to
defeat the Communist enemy.
By recognizing the constraints under which the Eighth Army
operated, Hanson asserts that scholars and soldiers will be able to
discard what Douglas Macarthur called the "pernicious myth" of the
Eighth Army's professional, physical, and moral
ineffectiveness.
What is Leadership? Dr. Richard Berry presents a thought-provoking
depiction of current leadership theories as myths because of the
effort to exclude or conceal the meaning and value of emotion. This
would suggest that current leadership theory is incomplete due not
only to the absence of emotions but independent thought and
intuition as well. Lieutenant Colonel Allen West-a husband, father
of two, and a military officer with an impeccable service record
including a previous award for valor-had his military career ended
prematurely when he undertook extraordinary measures to protect the
lives of his men. He was serving in Tikrit, Iraq, the home of the
late Sadaam Hussein and dead center of what we all know today as
the Sunni Triangle. He was not wounded, killed in action, or taken
prisoner, but instead charged with felony offenses by the United
States Army for mistreating an Iraqi detainee, who was believed to
have information that was going to kill American soldiers. This
book documents what the effects of leadership can be when the power
of the human spirit is allowed to flourish at the individual, group
and organizational levels.
A history of Japan, this work draws on a range of Japanese sources
to offer an analysis of how shattering defeat in World War II,
followed by over six years of military occupation by the USA,
affected every level of Japanese society - in ways that neither the
victor nor the vanquished could anticipate. Here is the history of
an extraordinary moment in the history of Japanese culture, when
new values warred with old, and when early ideals of "peace and
democracy" were soon challenged by the "reverse course" decision to
incorporate Japan into the Cold War Pax Americana. The work
chronicles not only the material and psychological impact of utter
defeat but also the early emergence of dynamic countercultures that
gave primacy to the private as opposed to public spheres - in
short, a liberation from totalitarian wartime control. John Dower
shows how the tangled legacies of this intense, turbulent and
unprecedented interplay of conqueror and conquered, West and East,
wrought the utterly foreign and strangely familiar Japan of today.
|
You may like...
323 Days
John Harris
Hardcover
R660
Discovery Miles 6 600
|