From the foreword: "Dr. Demarest's book gives students and practitioners a pragmatic start point rooted in the classic principles of war and simultaneously in the jurisprudential principles of impunity and culpability concepts that apply across the entire plane of human conflict. Demarest reminds us that success in warfare requires control of land, and so an empirical knowledge of geography, both physical and human (if the two could actually be separated) is vital. The study of the spectrum, or firmament, of conflict and how principles of war apply across that firmament requires an unconventional approach. This is not a standard book. Student and teacher can pick up this book and start at the beginning, middle, or end. No matter the start point, the reader will find convention challenged and see that normal is no better than the cycles of a washing machine."

First published in 2000. Abstract: "India is prone to natural and man-made disasters. The number has been increasing every year because of the mixture of various factors such as adverse weather, population growth, urbanization, and industrialization. How the Republic of India organizes for managing significant natural and man-made disasters, its capacity for effective response, and its ability to achieve unity of effort among governmental and non-governmental organizations are the elements of analysis here. This is of interest because India is an emerging world power; it is currently the second largest country in the world in population, and by 2050 it will have surpassed China as the largest. The number of Indians affected by disaster events shows a steady upward trend. Disasters have been taking a heavy toll of human and animal lives. Floods have proven to be the most devastating type of natural disaster in India, causing the maximum number of deaths and damage to property (cyclones have taken a heavy toll of lives and caused widespread devastation). At the same time, droughts affect a large segment of population, resulting in loss of employment and migration to other regions. Earthquakes have caused a comparatively lower amount of damage, but landslides are likely to increase in frequency in the coming years because of deforestation and over development on hillsides. Conurbation and industrialization have combined to create a dangerous synergy that now presents a significant hazard to India's people. In responding to these kinds of hazards, India's disaster management officials and professional humanitarians conduct disaster planning and response generally within a paradigm of three phases: Pre-disaster; Emergency (or Disaster Impact); Post Disaster (or Recovery). There is a strong emphasis in government policy and planning to encourage mitigation, i.e., actions taken prior to the occurrence of a disaster, including preparedness and long-term risk reduction measures."

The success of a society depends on formal, liberal property regimes. The West's property regimes are successful because of the high quality of evidence of everyday rights, the capacity of citizenry and governments to implement the meaning of that evidence, and because the basic rules which determine what can be owned and who can be owners are liberal in measure appropriate to the common understanding of justice. Formalized property information feeds conflict resolution mechanisms by clearly identifying owners, claimants, rights and duties; creates stakeholders willing to support the rule of law; produces landowners who are less inclined to engage in illegal behavior because they risk forfeiture; and the records associated with formal property provide a powerful forensic tool with which to support peaceful conflict resolution processes, restitution programs, and bring violators to justice. Outside the lines of formal property lies possession by force. The gamut of societal choices is few - formal property, internal violence, or tyranny. People should not be led to choose tyranny over violence because the condition of formal property has not been offered. This book argues that the quality of foreign real-property systems be made a priority issue in US thinking and strategy. A polity that does not formalize ownership rights and duties, especially to land, will not enjoy peace. Comprehensive, precise and transparent expression of real property is a necessary precondition of peace. If by success of a society we mean parallel improvement in freedom, material prosperity and social peace, then construction of formal, liberal property regimes and land-use systems is as important as elections or prosecuting human rights violators. The process of formalizing property, moreover, illuminates power and power relationships. It also exposes the otherwise invisible lines of communication and sanctuary that power over places provides.

The importance of Central Asia to three major powers the United States, China, and Russia is well understood but not widely recognized or discussed. Involvement in the region by the United States has been spotty and uneven over many years, but since 9.11 has taken on renewed importance in the War Against Terrorists. Russia views the region as its traditional sphere of influence, and the many strong ties between Russia and countries in Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan, reinforce this view. China has had a presence in the region via trade routes for centuries, but has only recently made a concerted effort to apply its influence. Key issues for the area include the following: terrorism/transnational crime/drug trafficking, energy resources (oil and gas), trade, stable governance, border disputes, the role of cooperative security organizations (mainly the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but there are a score of others), and, particularly, cooperation by the major powers. The August 2005 Central Asian Symposium, held in Monterey California, was a way for the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) to gain a different and uniquely Chinese perspective on the area's problems and potential solutions. The timing and topic of the symposium are important, for China is growing more interested in Central Asia and its resources by the day. The region is less contentious than the Taiwan issue, however, and this factor increased the level of open discussion and value of the symposium dramatically. FMSO invited several top-rank Chinese researchers and analysts to attend the symposium, and also younger analysts/researchers with fresh perspectives on the region.