"A Military History of South Africa: From the Dutch-Khoi Wars to the End of Apartheid" represents the first comprehensive military history of South Africa from the beginning of European colonization in the Cape during the 1650s to the current postapartheid republic. With particular emphasis on the last 200 years, this balanced analysis stresses the historical importance of warfare and military structures in the shaping of modern South African society. Important themes include military adaptation during the process of colonial conquest and African resistance, the growth of South Africa as...

"The Road to War: Congress' Historic Abdication of Responsibility" is a thought-provoking discussion of the ramifications of a shift in the balance of powers between Congress and the Executive Branch with regard to war and peace. To underscore his argument, author Robert Kennedy outlines the intellectual origins of the U.S. Constitution and examines the intent of the Framers on the relationship between Congress and the executive branch in the formulation of foreign and security policy and decisions of war and peace.

Kennedy traces the erosion of congressional power from 1789 to the 21st...

The Asian Pacific has emerged as one of the most important regions in the world, causing scholars to pay increased attention to the various challenges, old and new, to peace and security there. Peace and Security in the Asia-Pacific: Theory and Practice is a comprehensive, critical review of the established theoretical perspectives relevant to contemporary peace and security studies in the light of recent experiences.

Illuminating ongoing debates in the field, the book covers some 20 theoretical perspectives on peace and security in the Asian Pacific, including realist,...

"Contesting History: The Bush Counterinsurgency Legacy in Iraq" uses a comparative analysis of history to assess the Bush administration's actions in Iraq, focusing specifically on the policy of counterinsurgency. Insurgency exists within an extended timeframe and exhibits a global reach, argues comparative warfare expert Matthew J. Flynn. Therefore, understanding this phenomenon is best realized through an examination of guerrilla conflicts around the world over time; this book provides that approach.

The work analyzes U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine during the Iraq War from 2003 to...

Today's military strategists and tacticians may be familiar with the writings and teachings of Carl von Clausewitz, but "The Strategy Makers: Thoughts on War and Society, 1650-1850" reintroduces readers to the lives and writings of those whose contributions to the study of war and society are just as important. Beginning in the 16th century with Bernardino de Mendoza of Spain, this milestone work examines the writings of 16 of the greatest--and largely unacknowledged--military minds of the modern era, concluding in 19th-century Prussia with Ruhle von Lilienstern, Clausewitz's contemporary....

"The Missile Defense Systems of George W. Bush: A Critical Assessment" asks and answers a number of pressing questions about Bush's decision to deploy ground-based missiles. Has the system become reliable? If not, what are the prospects for it to become effective? What have the fiscal costs been? What was the political impact of efforts to expand ABM systems to Europe?

This is the only major book that brings together all of the factors--historical and current--to allow readers to assess President Bush's decisions for themselves. Opening with an extensive history of missile defense, the...

"The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad" is an comprehensive treatment of this 300 year-old conflict. Thematically organized, it cuts through the rhetoric to provide a contextual framework with which readers can truly understand the "why" and "how" of one of the world's longest-running contemporary insurgencies, despite Russia's best efforts to eradicate it.

A fascinating case study of a counterinsurgency campaign that is in direct contravention of U.S. and Western strategy, the book also examines the differences and linkages between insurgency and...

Feminist scholars have long contended that war and militarism are fundamentally gendered. "Gender, War, and Militarism: Feminist Perspectives" provides empirical evidence, theoretical innovation, and interdisciplinary conversation on the topic, while explicitly--and uniquely--considering the links between gender, war, and militarism. Essentially an interdisciplinary conversation between scholars studying gender in political science, anthropology, and sociology, the essays here all turn their attention to the same questions. How are war and militarism gendered?

Seventeen innovative...

In "Radical State: How Jihad Is Winning Over Democracy in the West," author Abigail R. Esman argues that in large measure, it is actually jihad which has emerged victorious over democracy, not only because of the actions of Muslim terrorists, but because of our own response to extremist Islam in the West. With the best of intentions, Western (European) countries have permitted antidemocratic, ultraconservative Islamic beliefs and traditions to flourish in their societies as they've responded to the influx of Muslim immigrants to their shores, largely as a result of the guest-worker...

In March 1995, Belgium became the first state to pass a domestic anti-personnel landmine ban. In December 1997, 122 states joined Belgium in signing the comprehensive Mine Ban Treaty, also known as the Ottawa Treaty. The movement to ban landmines became a turning point in global politics that continues to influence policy and strategy decisions regarding weapon use today.

Disarming States: The International Movement to Ban Landmines describes how non-government organizations (NGOs) brought the landmine issue to international attention by forming the International...