Other books that might interest you

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  Success and Failure in Limited...

  Spencer D. Bakich

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  Common and destructive, limited wars are significant international events that pose a number of challenges to the states involved beyond simple victory or defeat. Chief among these challenges is the risk of escalation—be it in the scale, scope, cost, or duration of the conflict. In this book, Spencer D. Bakich investigates a crucial and heretofore ignored factor in determining the nature and direction of limited war: information institutions. Traditional assessments of wartime strategy focus on the relationship between the military and civilians, but Bakich argues that we must take into account the information flow patterns among top policy makers and all national security organizations. By examining the fate of American military and diplomatic strategy in four limited wars, Bakich demonstrates how not only the availability and quality of information, but also the ways in which information is gathered, managed, analyzed, and used, shape a state’s ability to wield power effectively in dynamic and complex international systems. Utilizing a range of primary and secondary source materials, Success and Failure in Limited War makes a timely case for the power of information in war, with crucial implications for international relations theory and statecraft.

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  Propaganda Decoded

  Birand Bingul

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  Nothing less than our democracy is at stake.
  Hate, anger, fake news, and alleged conspiracies: Our debate culture is in a state of emergency, and polarization has become a central phenomenon in our society. In this insightful wake-up call, reporter Birand Bingül argues that this is part of a propaganda strategy that seeks to collapse our social dialogue.
  With historic context as well as examples from present-day politicians, Bingul provides thorough, structured insight into the various elements that make propaganda so effective, even in a time when information and facts are at everyone's fingertips.
  A deep analysis into how propaganda and populism works, with helpful and hopeful ways to counter these strategies.

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  The Co-Presidency of Bush and...

  Shirley Anne Warshaw

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  This analysis of the Bush administration reveals how the president willingly ceded power to a calculating vice president—with disastrous consequences. 
   
  Under the relatively inexperienced president George W. Bush, Dick Cheney was perhaps the most powerful vice president in American history. In this excellently documented work, presidential scholar Shirley Anne Warshaw debunks the popular myth that Bush’s authority was hijacked or stolen. Instead, drawing on extensive research as well as personal interviews with White House Staffers and Washington insiders, she demonstrates how Bush and Cheney operated as nothing less than co-presidents.  
   
  While Bush focused on building what he called a moral and civil society, anchored by a war on science and by the proliferation of faith-based programs, he allowed Cheney to lead in business and foreign policy. Warshaw highlights Cheney’s decades-long career in Washington and his familiarity with its inner workings to present a complete picture of this calculating political powerhouse. From Cheney’s unprecedented merging of presidential and vice-presidential authority to his abhorrence of what he deemed congressional interference, Warshaw paints an intriguing, and at times frightening, portrait.

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  A Girl's Guide to Joining the...

  Emma Gray

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  "If not you, then who?  If not now, then when? We need more women to speak up and make their voices heard. Young women have valuable experiences and perspectives.  We need you in this fight." Senator Elizabeth Warren, from a Girl's Guide to Joining the Resistance  
  So—the presidential election of 2016 happened. You cried, you ranted, you marched. But how do you stay engaged for the long term? How do you keep fighting while also continuing your real life? How do you get involved when you feel far from the action? How do you stay vigilant without being furious all. the. time? 
  Needing to take action after the election, Emma Gray, Executive Women's Editor at HuffPost, put on her journalist hat and set out to get answers to these questions from some of the most prominent thought leaders and activists of our time. She spoke with march organizers, and senators, long-time activists, and newcomers across political movements to find out the best ways to listen to those who have been doing this for a while, join in, and create sustainable action. In all of her conversations, one theme came up again and again: young women are essential to the resistance. 
  Interweaving the interviews with her own experiences covering resistance events and being a member of the media in a time when the media has been under assault, Emma has created a down and dirty guide for women of all ages to roll up their sleeves and resist the forces that are a threat to our rights. 
  Inside you'll find:A guide for how to choose good news sources and make sure you're getting quality information.Practical instructions on how to get involved and stay involved, with examples from the author's own experience organizing the successful "Watch Us Run" conference.An exploration of female centric work spaces and instructions for how to create your own.Advice for self-care and how to stay involved without exhausting yourself.Extensive information including numbers to call, organizations to email and donate to, and scripts for reaching out to representatives and organizations.Interviews with experienced activists including Senator Elizabeth Warren, actress and activist Ashley Judd, actress and activist Marlo Thomas, Women's March Co-Chair Carmen Perez, Mother of the Movement Lucy McBath, Black Lives Matter Network co-creator Alicia Garza, People for Bernie Founder Winnie Wong, and former assistant to President Obama Tina Tchen.  
  Whether you're new to the front or an activism vet, there has never been a better time to jump into the fray.

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  The United Kingdom - The...

  John D. Grainger

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  “A salient, measured, and illuminating study of history with reflections on what Britain’s past means for its present and future, highly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review   John Grainger examines the long and erratic process by which the British Isles was gradually (and as it turns out, temporarily) unified over the course of eighteen centuries, and the subsequent beginnings of the process of disintegration, manifested in an independent Ireland and increasing devolution to, and nationalism in, Scotland and Wales. Taking the Roman (partial) conquest and forming of the province of Britannia as his starting point, he outlines the major stages by which unification was brought about, through invasions (or in reaction to the threat thereof) and the vagaries of dynastic succession. James I was the first monarch to reign simultaneously over the whole British Isles but full political union was not completed until the Act of Union that came into effect on 1 January 1801, against the backdrop of war with France. It was maintained for just 122 years before the Republic of Ireland gained independence in 1922. John Grainger sees the granting of their own parliaments to Wales and Scotland as further stages in the process of disintegration, which may be accelerated by “Brexit.”   “The story of the United Kingdom is a mixture of myth, mystery and fact. This book provides a fact-based appraisal—Very Highly Recommended.” —Firetrench   “This excellent treatise on how the United Kingdom became the UK following years of Dark Ages invasions and through the middle ages unification with Scotland makes for a very interesting read.” —Books Monthly

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  White Flag? - An Examination of...

  Michael Ashcroft, Isabel Oakeshott

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  FOREWORD BY GENERAL SIR MIKE JACKSON
  After the pain of Iraq and Afghanistan, it is hard to imagine the UK being drawn into another war. Defence chiefs warn that there is a real prospect of future conflict, but they have struggled to persuade most politicians to take them seriously. Our leaders have concluded there are no votes in defence, and have progressively run down the armed forces. Today, the army is at its smallest since the Napoleonic Wars; the RAF is less than half its size twenty five years ago, and the Royal Navy will struggle to muster the ships and weapons required to protect our new aircraft carriers.
  Is there really a risk of war? Is our military less capable and, if so, what could that mean for our future? White Flag? explains what has happened to our armed forces in recent years and asks whether their decline endangers our safety and prosperity.

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