The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, humanitarian relief operations in Southeast Asia, Pakistan and Louisiana have catapulted the military onto front pages and TV reports everywhere and every day. While the military's unique mission is to defend freedom by "fighting and winning the nation's wars," it has increasingly been charged with non-warfighting and foreign policy responsibilities. Because the military has been so active in so many places and with such a variety of missions, "Inside Defense" brings together scholars, policy experts and practitioners to provide a comprehensive view of the U.S. military to understand the military's role in international politics and its relationship with domestic institutions and society.

This book provides a basic guide to the US military and will raise questions for further discussion by students and other curious readers.

The US Military provides an accessible starting-point for those with a limited knowledge of this institution. Covering a wide range of subject matter, and ending with an extensive list of suggested resources to aid individual study and research, the text is divided into the following chapters:

• The A, B, Cs
• Strategy and Doctrine
• The Military in Action
• Weapons and Capabilities
• The Budget

This book will be of great interest to students of the US military, US politics, defense studies, and war and conflict studies, and will also be of relevance to journalists, NGO staff and diplomats.

This book aims to provide a basic guide to the US military and will raise questions for further discussion by students. The US spends as much on its military as all other nations the world combined; even in a severe recession, the military budget has been sacrosanct. The US military can reach into the most remote areas of the globe and kill its enemies from long distances with impunity. It is not a citizen military, but a military of senior professionals who command young volunteers many of them attracted by rewards unavailable to them in civilian life, such as an education. Both are supported by large numbers of contractors working for profit. While political scientists study the legislature, the presidency, the courts, public opinion, voting, campaigns, state and local government, only rarely do they refer to government's defining institutions, those that exercise legitimate force, i.e., the police and more especially, the military. Prof. Michael Walzer asserts that in a democracy citizens are responsible for the kind of military they have and how and where it is used. Nevertheless, few political science students have much knowledge on the military. This book will be of much interest to students of the US military, US politics, US defense, and military studies in general.

Only sixteen women have won the Nobel Prize for Peace since it was first awarded in 1901. Hailing from all over the world, some of these women have held graduate degrees, while others barely had access to education. Some began their work young, some late in life. In this compelling book, Judith Stiehm narrates these women's varied lives in fascinating detail. The third edition includes the story of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, the youngest laureate, who won as a teenager in 2014. Her campaign for girls' education continued in spite of a vicious attack by the Taliban. Engaged and inspirational, all these women clearly demonstrate that there is something each of us can do to advance a just, positive peace. Whether they began by insisting on garbage collection or simply by planting a tree, each understood that peace must be global in order to be sustained. All learned that peace is not always popular, but believed they must persevere. They shared a common vision and commitment undiminished by obstacles and opposition. As Judith Stiehm convincingly shows, all are truly "champions for peace."

'Inside Defense' brings together scholars, policy experts and practitioners to provide a comprehensive view of the U.S. military to understand the military's role in international politics and its relationship with domestic institutions and society.

Only sixteen women have won the Nobel Prize for Peace since it was first awarded in 1901. Hailing from all over the world, some of these women have held graduate degrees, while others barely had access to education. Some began their work young, some late in life. In this compelling book, Judith Stiehm narrates these women's varied lives in fascinating detail. The third edition includes the story of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, the youngest laureate, who won as a teenager in 2014. Her campaign for girls' education continued in spite of a vicious attack by the Taliban. Engaged and inspirational, all these women clearly demonstrate that there is something each of us can do to advance a just, positive peace. Whether they began by insisting on garbage collection or simply by planting a tree, each understood that peace must be global in order to be sustained. All learned that peace is not always popular, but believed they must persevere. They shared a common vision and commitment undiminished by obstacles and opposition. As Judith Stiehm convincingly shows, all are truly "champions for peace."