Book Description
In 1945, many Europeans still heated with coal, cooled their food with ice, and lacked indoor plumbing. Today, things could hardly be more different. Over the second half of the twentieth century, the average European's buying power tripled, while working hours fell by a third. The European Economy since 1945 is a broad, accessible, forthright account of the extraordinary development of Europe's economy since the end of World War II. Barry Eichengreen argues that the continent's history has been critical to its economic performance, and that it will continue to be so going forward.
Challenging standard views that basic economic forces were behind postwar Europe's success, Eichengreen shows how Western Europe in particular inherited a set of institutions singularly well suited to the economic circumstances that reigned for almost three decades. Economic growth was facilitated by solidarity-centered trade unions, cohesive employers' associations, and growth-minded governments--all legacies of Europe's earlier history. For example, these institutions worked together to mobilize savings, finance investment, and stabilize wages.
However, this inheritance of economic and social institutions that was the solution until around 1973--when Europe had to switch from growth based on brute-force investment and the acquisition of known technologies to growth based on increased efficiency and innovation--then became the problem.
Thus, the key questions for the future are whether Europe and its constituent nations can now adapt their institutions to the needs of a globalized knowledge economy, and whether in doing so, the continent's distinctive history will be an obstacle or an asset.
Book Description
The biggest untapped market in the world? The last great communist threat? The free-trade partner? The human rights scourge? China Cross Talk provides a front-row seat to the most memorable scenes in the American debate over China policy since 1978. Representing the full spectrum of opinion on this divisive issue, this book allows participants in the debate to speak in their own voices through selections that range from op-ed articles and commentaries to speeches by leading government officials; from congressional testimony to editorial cartoons. They touch upon the whole range of security, economic, and political issues that have affected the relationship, including the benefits and dangers of diplomatic recognition, managing Taiwan, most-favored-nation status, China's Olympic bids, proliferation, and growing Chinese power
Customer Reviews:
The best book on comtemporary US-China Policy.......2003-03-28
Simply outstanding. This should be required reading for any student of contemporary US foreign affairs or US-China relations. I've ready a lot of mediocre books on the subject over the years, but this is a keeper. Well-organized, nicely woven themes.
Perfect primer on US/ SINO Relations.......2003-03-08
This is an excellent compilation of US/ SINO relations. Kennedy weaves divergent perspectives to give the reader a well rounded POV into the history and future of the US's relationship with the middle kingdom.
Book Description
Is the United States a force for democracy? In this classic and unique volume that answers this question, William Blum serves up a forensic overview of U.S. foreign policy spanning sixty years. Remarks from the previous edition: "Far and away the best book on the topic."-Noam Chomsky "A valuable reference for anyone interested in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy."- Choice "I enjoyed it immensely."-Gore Vidal "The single most useful summary of CIA history."-John Stockwell "Each chapter I read makes me more and more angry."-Helen Caldicott "A very useful piece of work, daunting in scope, important."-Thomas Powers, author and Pulitzer Prize--winning journalist "A very valuable book. The research and organization are extremely impressive."-A.J. Langguth, author and former New York Times bureau chief For those who want the details on our most famous -actions (Chile, Cuba, Vietnam, to name a few), and for those who want to learn about our lesser-known efforts (France, China, Bolivia, Brazil, for example), this book provides a window on what our foreign policy goals really are. William Blum is the author of Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower .
Customer Reviews:
The Best Reference Out.......2007-08-13
The book does a great job showing the irony in the double-standards the US has used in its foreign policy since WWII, as State department officials confessed to (shown in the last chapter). This also makes for a more entertaining read than most other books on the topic. All together though, the book's use of these contradictions are just used to propel a central idea the author has, as stated in his introduction - that the communist threat was largely imagined, either intenionally at times or unintentionally, and that the US media failed to rationalize the discrepancies of state doctrines. So, if you believe this, you'll enjoy the book, otherwise, you'll find it a "worthless left-wing propanganda."
The book does take for granted a large degree of knowledge by the reader. That is, the author only explains US activities (as the book's title plainly states) in particular regions, but general history between time periods and other nations' influences are usually omitted. So if your history isn't up to par it may be a little confusing keeping track of changing foreign attitudes and policies.
Worthless Left-Wing Propaganda.......2007-04-09
I'm sorry to say that I actually spent money on this! I had thought of returning it but I didn't want to allow these misconstrued fantasies to be further spread so I destroyed it. It's sad that the author used biased references and half truths to support his position. As a retired USAF military member I'm ashamed to think that I protected his rights for over twenty years. If he's so against the U.S why doesn't he leave this country and go peddle his stories somewhere else.
Essential Reference, Some Warts.......2007-02-18
Over-all, this is a very precious book, and an essential reference on the history of US intervention, both military and clandestine or covert.
As a former Marine Corps infantry office and former clandestine services case officer, and as an avid reader of non-fiction, I will gladly state on the record that this author has it largely right.
I took off one star because the book has NOT been properly updated. The list of U.S. military interventions still ends in 1945, only the the CIA assassination plot list has been updated.
There are other books that complement this one--everything by Noam Chomspky, Derek Leebaert's "The Fifty-Year Wound," Chalmers Johnson on "Sorrows of Empire," Robert McNamara et al, "Wilson's Ghost," the DVD "Why We Fight," Ambassador Palmer's "The Real Axis of Evil" (on the 45 dictators we SUPPORT), and--with respect to the ignorance of America about reality, the two books, "Fog Facts," and "Lost History." See also Marine General Smedley Butler's short but hard-hitting work, "War is a Racket."
While I take the author with a grain of salt and do not appreciate his collaboration with Phil Agee, who betrayed his oaths to the US, whatever his reasons, on balance this book is an essential reference for anyone who wishes to understand why the rest of the world is beginning to conclude that we are the worst of all evils in our foreign policy behavior and misbehavior.
Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
The Fifty-Year Wound: How America's Cold War Victory Has Shaped Our World
The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)
Wilson's Ghost: Reducing the Risk of Conflict, Killing, and Catastrophe in the 21st Century
Why We Fight
Breaking the Real Axis of Evil: How to Oust the World's Last Dictators by 2025
War Is a Racket: The Anti-War Classic by America's Most Decorated General, Two Other Anti=Interventionist Tracts, and Photographs from the Horror of It
Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth'
Fog Facts : Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin (Nation Books)
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
What every American should know about reality.......2006-11-13
"The greatest purveyor of violence on Earth is my own government." Martin Luther King Jr.
This is still true in 2006.
Killing Hope has nothing to do with wacko conspiracy theories. It's history. Untold, untaught history--but fact, not fiction.
"Read the history of the place where you're living/and stop letting corporate news teach lies to your children." Immortal Technique
This book is an encyclopedia of the terrorism, assassinations, and covert wars the US government has committed around the world since WWII. Other reviewers will undoubtedly deny this books factuality. In fact, Mr. Blum. a former CIA station chief, fought an extensive legal battle with the CIA over his right to publish it. The court's decision was to allow publishing, but that the proceeds of all sales would be given to the CIA! So, as Mr. Blum says, don't buy this book, borrow it from a friend or a library.
WHY DOES THE REST OF THE WORLD HATE US (except for the world's wealthy elite)? This book helps dispell the myths of "islamic fascism," "anti-americanism," and other lies that perport to explain those that oppose the US government and the corporations it serves. Unlike what you hear on FOX News, those who oppose US global dominance DO have good reasons. Usually it's because our government tortures and murders their families.
What HOPE is the US Govt. and the world's wealthy elite trying to KILL? The threat of a good example alternative to unbridled capitalism (iow nothing in life has value unless a dollar amount can be attached to it). Ever wondered what Washington has against poor, unthreatening Cuba? Or why the US supports brutal dictatorships around the world (Columbia, Saudia Arabia, Pakistan etc.), and opposes genuine democracies (Venezuela, France). Or how about why Americans have been taught to oppose universal health care, or free university education (hint, these ideas make people more important than profit).
For those who claim to be history buffs, I challenge you to read this. You don't know squat about modern history unless you understand the episodes described in this book.
Read this to understand why the population of the US must learn to think for themselves, before "our" government destroys the world for profit. Make no mistake, the survival of humanity, and certainly our prospects for peace and happiness depend upon the American public not continuing down the road first trod by the "good Germans."
The giant should remain strong no matter what........2006-09-26
I read this book and it confirmed my feelings that USA, as the only super power, should ALWAYS remain STRONG.
The book is composed of some 400 pages full of critiques as if the author wanted America to be the haven of saints when the world has been full of crocodiles, for instance the introduction brings about a fair resume of the author's intentions
How!
In the Introduction I came across a passage which I hereby quote `''It was in the early days of the Vietnam War that a Vietcong officer said to his American prisoner _' You were our heroes after the war, and a common phrase in those days was `'to be as rich and as wise as an American'' - What happened `''.
The title `Killing Hope' - updated edition 2004 - by William Blum, and many of the contents are indeed offensive to the USA because it speaks about U.S military and C.I.A 'interventions' since World War II and endeavours to portray them as the bad guys.
C.I.A (USA) intervensions?
Didn't such 'intervension' save many countries that now live under the 'shades' of democracies, in Europe and the Far East (Japan) enjoying unprecedented richness and prosperity, with a high standard of living for their nationals.
As one individual out of six billion living on this planet, do I blame the USA for protecting the interest of its citizens.
USA is The World Giant and one has to learn how to convince them of one's view points , rather than garrulously defy them with boring speeches and empty written words.
Book Description
International Relations Since 1945 is a one-volume authoritative historical analysis of international relations during the Cold War and its aftermath. It both describes and interprets events since 1945 for an undergraduate audience. It explores how the Cold War impacted upon world politics as a whole, but also deals with such important regional problems as the Middle East, the development of European integration and the end of the European empires in Africa and Asia. While focusing on political change, careful attention is paid to the evolution of the global economy and the interplay between international and domestic developments, as well as to the growth of 'interdependence'. Particular attention is paid to the role of the United States, especially in the 1990s when it became the world's only Superpower. The text covers the nature of the Cold War, the development of the Western and Eastern blocs, North-South, decolonization and Third World issues, international economic relations, armaments and nuclear strategy and globalization.
Book Description
This highly acclaimed book offers a complete political history of East Central Europe from World War II to the present. Return to Diversity, now in its third edition, introduces a new co-author, Nancy M. Wingfield, and has been fully updated to cover events up through the 1990s. It includes an account and analysis of the developments in post-communist regimes throughout the region, addressing the transformation of each country during the first post-communist decade. It discusses coalition politics, ethnic discord, and issues of democratic development. This new edition features additional maps and extensively revised reading lists to reflect the most current scholarship in the field. Unsurpassed in scope, in depth of analysis, and in fairness and objectivity, Return to Diversity is an invaluable resource for students of this regions history and politics.
Customer Reviews:
tangled history.......2007-02-23
The tangled and often bloody history of eastern Europe is updated to include events after the end of the Cold War. Rothschild writes of the conflicting influences that drove events. Like the myriad nationalisms (Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Serb, Croat...) that were often suppressed under the Warsaw Pact. During the Cold War, these could often be neglected by analysts. Yet later, some would erupt into open tension or outright conflict. The latter being the Yugoslav Wars.
The book's title alludes to this suppressed diversity of heritages and ethnicities. It also contains material about the Cold War that only became available after its end.
Still the best survey of communist Eastern Europe out there.......2001-06-14
Rothschild's _Return To Diversity_ really is an outstanding classic (easily withstanding the cliched abuse of that label!). I have yet to see a better one-volume treatment of the postwar political history of Eastern Europe. Not that Geoffrey Swain and Nigel Swain's book is bad, just that Rothschild is richer and treats each country in more detail.
Rothschild does not deal with the Baltics or other republics of the former Soviet Union. He treats Poland, Hungary, the former Czechoslovakia, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania in their respective sections in each chapter.
His introductory background chapters, one on the interwar period and an even longer one on WW II are excellent summaries, considering Rothschild has already written the classic on _East Central Europe between the Two World Wars_.
I used _Return to Diversity_ both as a student ten years ago, and recently to teach a course on the politics of Eastern Europe; I was very happy to find it still being published. Going back through it, I was amazed how consistently Rothschild treats each country on the topics of leadership politics, economic development, social relationships vis-a-vis each regime, the extent of opposition and civil society, and foreign relations. He did it so well that I was able to construct a one-page "grille" of essential, quick and dirty information to help students compare countries (after having them concentrate on two countries each).
Not only is this book perfect to catch students up on communist history in the most efficient way, I personally find it invaluable to verify basic facts and details quickly. Country specialists will, of course, need to look elsewhere for details for which surveys simply don't have the space.
The updated chapter on post-communist politics (presumably where most of Dr. Wingfield's contribution comes in) is good as far as it goes, but frankly, you'll find more thorough treatments of post-communist Eastern Europe elsewhere in more space than this volume has available.
Overall, this book is well worth the money and easily merits five stars. The style of writing may put some laypeople and students off, but the fact is that Rothschild writes very eloquently as an "old school" historian, and if it sometimes seems dry, it's because of all the information he managed to cram into it. I repeat, this book is the best survey of communist Eastern Europe out there, and will no doubt remain so for some time to come.
Book Description
Despite its status as the world's lone superpower, the United States confronts a variety of serious challenges in the world today: ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear tensions involving Iran and North Korea, and strained American relations with allies in the European Union and the United Nations. In updating their book, authors Hook and Spanier find that these new developments are in keeping with the overarching theme of their classic text--that there is an American "style" of foreign policy imbued with a distinct sense of national exceptionalism. Through a thorough understanding of the United States' past actions, students can then fully grasp the functions and frequent dysfunctions of the nation's foreign-policy process.
Providing a lively and concise review of the conduct of American foreign policy since World War II, early chapters are strengthened by new historical findings, while recent developments since 9/11 receive thorough treatment and analysis. A stand-alone chapter on the Iraq War provides essential historical context as well as a detailed assessment of recent events across the Middle East. The book's presentation and usefulness are enhanced by new tables and figures, updated photos and maps, and annotated web resources.
Customer Reviews:
The Ultimate Guide to US Foreign Policy.......2005-07-07
Now in its 16th edition, American Foreign Policy Since World War II has become one of the most respected guides on the ins and outs US foreign engagement in the 20th century. Combining theory and insight to this historical perspective, Hook and Spanier have created a very thorough book that takes a balanced look at both the domestic and international issues that have shaped US foreign policy. This book is comprehensive and comprehensible, making it perfect as leisure reading for those interested in international politics or a text for an international relations course. The fourteen chapters:
1. The American Approach to Foreign Policy
2. From World War to Cold War
3. Containment: From Theory to Practice
4. Developing Countries in the Crossfire
5. Vietnam and the Cost of Containment
6. The Era of Superpower Detente
7. Jimmy Carter and World-Order Politics
8. The Revival of Superpower Confrontation
9. The End of the Cold War
10. America's "Unipolar Moment"
11. Old Tensions in a New Order
12. The Shifting European Landscape
13. America under Fire
14. A World of Trouble
are useful individually to address a specific issue, region, or time period, and as a set to provide a broad overview.
Building Blocks.......2005-01-11
Steven W. Hook and John Spanier's book on American foreign policy since WWII is a great introduction for those seeking a detailed yet concise elucidation. The authors exploit all levels of analysis (unit, state, and system), and posit a "peculiar national style" and a degree of continuity as underlying the nature of US foreign policy since 1945. Despite the lucanae bound to be found in a wide-ranging account, Hook and Spanier's book is still an excellent building block for understanding post-WWII US foreign policy as well as basic international relations' theory.
Book Description
Is the United States a Force for Democracy? From China in the 1940s to Guatemala today, William Blum provides the most comprehensive study of the ongoing American holocaust. Covering U.S. intervention in more than 50 countries, KILLING HOPE describes the grim role played by the U.S. in overthrowing governments, perverting elections, assassinating leaders, suppressing revolutions, manipulating trade unions and manufacturing "news."
Customer Reviews:
William Blum: Killing Hope.......2007-03-20
I was very skeptical about this book, but it was the only comprehensive thing I could find on the topic of American interventionism/imperialism, so I bought it. It turns out I was right to be skeptical: the book is more than a little biased. The author's emotional rhetoric is extremely annoying (one chapter is titled, "'F*** Your Laws and Your Constitution' Said the President of the United States"....but when you read the chapter it becomes clear that this isn't a real quote, just the author's attempt at summarizing what he believes is the attitude of the U.S. toward other countries.) Don't get me wrong, I definitely believe there is a moral dimension to America's interventionist policies. However, I'd like to draw those conclusions on my own, rather than letting the author of a book draw them for me. So on that note, here are a couple of more scholarly/less biased alternatives for studying this crucial (but neglected) topic:
Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq
by Stephen Kinzer (Author)
American Adventurism Abroad: 30 Invasions, Interventions, and Regime Changes since World War II (Hardcover)
by Michael J. Sullivan
Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA (Hardcover)
by Prados John (Author)
And for a historical perspective that goes back a little further:
Dangerous Nation (Hardcover)
by Robert Kagan
Manifest Destiny's Underworld: Filibustering in Antebellum America (Paperback)
by Robert E. May
If you like Chomsky..........2006-01-24
...You'll love this guy, because he's obviously a student and will continue the Chomsky tradition. Like Chomsky, he ignores anything good that comes of America policy (when he admits it he implies that it was an accident) and ignores anything bad that anyone else does - including Communist governments and other totalitarian governments or dictatorships.
Like Chomsky he insinuates a lot and twists the truth around, leaving things out and implicating rather than stating things upfront as a good historian would. This way he doesn't have to back anything up directly or prove any point or any assumption. Like Chomsky, he implies that because one American administration worked with another government during a certain period (eg during WWII) and then another fought against that administration (eg the Soviet Union or its allies) once the war was over, this must mean that the US is either hypocritical and untrustworthy or must have alternative motives. Neither Blum nor Chomsky could spell this out and expect very many readers to agree, but they can certainly insinuate and hope to convince the reader that he should be more skeptical of such a two-faced government as that of the US.
Like Chomsky, Blum leaves out any potentially moral reason for the US to fight an enemy. If the reason is to fight communism, he makes clear that he sees no morality and no security reason connected to it. For example, regarding US involvement in Vietnam Blum says:
"To the Truman administration, the prospect of another Communist government in Asia was intolerable."
But does he ever say why? Does he mention the millions killed by Communism? Does he mention the expansionist (really Imperialist) policies of the Soviet Union? The repression, famines and brutal governance, the spread of oppression, the threat that these Communist governments presented? He does not.
There may be some truth to some of the facts cited, many are twisted but some may be true; however no historian would take the book seriously because it is very clear that the author is not only biased as an individual writer, but he has biased his research to the point of being willing to leave out vast evidence that directly undermines many of his assertions and he has not outlined his assertions or assumptions in such a way as to allow others to test them, counter them or even quote and question them.
If you are looking for a polemic against America, this book will do. If you are looking for a rant full of assertions that you can research yourself and expose as lies, this is a great choice. If you are looking for serious, well researched historical reading, this is not your book. By the way, Osama Bin Laden just recommended a William Blum book to his followers! Talk about your scholarly reviews.
Great Book, Even if you Disagree.......2005-09-18
What conservatives and liberals are categorically guilty of is not reading literature that doesn't agree with their political opinions, that doesn't get mentioned in their political circles, in short; that isn't politically 'hip' to read. I wish more conservatives would read this book and ones like it, I for one actually read the literature of their movement. This book is especially good for young students who wish to have a companion document to their biased history textbooks.
The reader from Idaho..........2003-08-18
...is infuriating until it becomes clear that he/she is being ironic. It seems 18 people either realize that or agree with some deliberately outrageous beliefs.
Not a Conspiracy Theorist.......2003-07-24
A fact cannot be modified, but it can be
problematised--that is, put under analysis.
William Blum's "Killing Hope" takes the Cold-
War foreign policy of the US and upends
conventional apologies and justifications
for a rather ruthless campaign to stamp
out the ideology that most threatened
American dominance in the world: communism.
Though I met Blum and can attest that he
is no communist, like any decent American he
hates liars. His book exposes lies. Once
an idealistic career servant at the State
Department, Blum turned whistle-blower
after becoming morally nauseated at the
bagful of lies that launched the country
on its disastrous adventure in Vietnam.
"Killing Hope" is an encyclopedic catalogue
of Washington's lies, misdeeds, and subversions
of democracy all over the globe--mostly
carried out in complete secrecy from the
American people. From Chile to China,
Blum shows that "freedom and democracy"
in foreign lands were never primary goals
of US foreign policy but the propaganda
cover for domination and control. Were
this a required book in all US high-school
history books, American youth could
hardly be lining up to serve in wars
that are carried out for exactly
the opposite motives from the stated ones.
In Iraq today, 145,000 soldiers, who went
to fight to liberate Iraq, are finding
out that Iraqis do not thank them for their
sacrifice. Lied to and misused, they often
find this out at the end of a bullet that
strikes them down. To historians like
Blum, this manipulation of American trust is
a crime. His book is, among other things,
a passionate dedication to truth--
and he's not making it up, either.
Declassified government documents are the major
source of his thesis!
Book Description
He is commemorated throughout the world in museums and statuary, on street signs and in gift shops; even more prominently, Winston Churchill's monumental presence persists in shelves upon shelves of biographies and histories, dozens of which were written by Churchill himself and have been international bestsellers. While political figures are routinely the objects of intense posthumous scrutiny, few have achieved such pervasive and ongoing influence, and fewer still have so adeptly orchestrated their own place in history. Man of the Century is the often surprising story of how Winston Churchill, in the last years of his life, carefully crafted his reputation for posterity, and it reveals him as the twentieth century's pioneering, and perhaps most gifted, "spin doctor." It is also a far-ranging account not only of Churchill's continuing impact on British, American, and European politics, but also of the powerful legacy of his vision of a common destiny and heritage for English-speaking peoples around the world.
In the first book to examine the full scope of Churchill's postwar influence, John Ramsden draws on fresh material and extensive research from three continents to argue that the statesman's force of personality and romantic, imperial notion of Britain have contributed directly to many political events of the last several decades -- including American involvement in Vietnam and the role of the Anglo-American alliance in promoting and protecting a certain vision of world order. Man of the Century captures the complexities of Churchill's story and political legacy as well as the spirit and irreverent power of the statesman who became a modern legend.
Customer Reviews:
Mold History through the Sheer Force of Your Personality.......2006-07-17
John Ramsden wrote a book of uneven quality about Winston Churchill's legend since 1945. Ramsden clearly does not target readers with no prior, in-depth knowledge of this towering presence. In some chapters, Ramsden gets bogged down in detail that, over time, annoys readers. Ramsden should have written shorter chapters about Churchill and his relationship with countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Enumerating a large number of streets, pubs, parks, etc. named after Churchill in these different countries does not add much to the narrative. Ramsden is at his best in Part One when he focuses on the controversial personality of Churchill. Churchill understood very well that he had to write his side of the story to mold the minds of his contemporaries and remain relevant to future generations. Churchill has outshined most other memorable men and women in this enterprise. Many people around the world still want to claim a piece of Churchill by quoting him in a wide variety of settings. The ultimate power of Churchill lies in the richness of his parley and writings which can still stir emotions when reason fails to mobilize for decisive action.
Time was Wrong.......2005-07-13
Notwithstanding Time magazine's famous judgement, I think Winston Churchill was the man of the last century. So does John Ramsden, who has written a book that will be deeply appreciated by those with a lively interest in Churchill's impact on politics and culture following World War II and up to the present. The text is somewhat uneven in that the author meanders between quite keen insights on important issues, such as Churchill's role toward what became the EU, and the more dubious, such as listing the various streets named for the great man in Australia. While a first time reader on Churchill should read a good biography like that of Sir Roy Jenkins, this book will be worthy of purchase by any true acolyte of this great, and still relevant, figure of history.
A new way to look at Winston.......2005-03-16
THis is not a biography of Winston Churchill. This is something new and fascinating. Here we have a text that seeks to examine Churchill the legend, the man, the history of him and his relationship with the english speaking world since 1945. Chapters include investigations of Churchills funeral, 'operation Hope Not' and Churchill 'failure' to lose World War Two, the Finest Hour. Here we learn of Churchill's FUlton speech and also his famous relationship with America, as an honorary citizen no less.
Most interesting are chapters on Churchills relationship with Australia and Canada as well as new anecdotes about why Castro and Guliani, who agree on nothing, both are admirers of Winston. This book also examines the many biographers of Churchill, including Manchester, Gilbert and Jenkins.
THe conlusion is that Churchill is not simply the 'man of the century' but perhaps of the next one as well. This is a tour de force and every Churchill admirer must read it, in fact anyone interested in histiography or in the western egnlish speaking world since 1945 will enjoy this. Every conceivable person stars in this cast, from Isiah Berlin to Dean Acheson and Robert Menzies. The English speaking world will enjoy this book about one of its greatest champions.
A last note, the chapter on Churchill and Europe and Churchill and the Irish are extraordinary in their new takes on the British and their relationship with these two neighboors.
Seth J. Frantzman
A must for the Churchill admirer, student, or skeptic.......2003-12-06
Sir Winston Churchill had no shortage of admirers among the generation that knew, or saw, him during his Finest Hour, 1940-1941. And they have remained legion among later generations. But in the wake of the September 11 attacks, many people -- and especially many politicians in need of stirring rhetoric -- have turned to WSC again, attracted to his reputation, perhaps, more than to the strict details of his long and eventful life.
John Ramsden's fascinating book is an analysis of how Churchill's reputation was born, was consciously shaped by the man himself, and how it has evolved in the years since his death. The bulk of the analysis focuses on the five English-Speaking nations, though Europe is included as well. Another large section looks at the famous "Iron Curtain" or "Sinews of Peace" speech at Fulton, Missouri, in 1946, and how it -- precisely as WSC intended -- transformed the world's view of him from heroic-but-passé war leader to very-much-active statesman, politician, and geopolitical strategist.
A final section, which I found the most interesting, analyses many of the key Churchill biographies written over the years, from Randolph Churchill and Martin Gilbert's official biography, to Lord Moran, to Manchester, to Roy Jenkins' "Churchill: A Biography" (2001), which Ramsden predicts will remain "the authoritative single text for years to come" (p. 545). Ramsden also seems to have counted every Churchill memorial statue, street, pub, and park bench in the world. And while a catalog of these things could easily become tiresome, this author skillfully keeps it from doing so.
This is no small accomplishment. People who write about Churchill are forced to deal with the sheer immensity of his life. Many respond by being prolix, or trite, or they oversimplify, or caricaturize, or fall into either blind hero-worship or equally unnuanced destructiveness. Ramsden does none of these. One way he manages this, of course, is by being fairly sparing of the details of most of WSC's life. Thus, this book will make a lot more sense to someone who already has a fairly good understanding of who the man was, what he did, and when. Another way is by filling his text with stories about, and insights into, Churchill and his contemporaries that are nearly all some combination of fascinating, entertaining, and memorable. Thus, while he's dealing with some Grand Themes, the author surrounds them with a bodyguard of anecdotes that in and of themselves almost guarantee this will be a fun read for any Churchill student or fan.
Significantly, Ramsden is not an *uncritical* admirer of Churchill, though he is clearly an admirer. The Winston we encounter here is not sugarcoated, and some of his unattractive features do come through. That and the mountainous research on display are two signs of Ramsden's chops as a historian.
Finally, as a many-year member of The Churchill Centre and its preceding organization the International Churchill Societies, I should note and commend Ramsden's coverage of this worthy organization. Far from the worshipful society of star-struck fans it is sometimes painted to be, Ramsden shows the CC to be a reputable and respectable association of clear-eyed admirers of the man of the century, warts and all.
I am always amazed at the new aspects or corners of Churchill's life and impact that people can find to write books about. This one, no question, was a book that needed to be written. And for any Churchill student or fan, it's one that needs to be read.
Book Description
Since the Second World War, conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War and the Kuwait Crisis have made the Middle East the main focus of military attention. Conflicts in the Middle East analyzes the nature of conflict in the Middle East, with its racial, ethnic, political, cultural, religious and economic factors.
Giving a much-needed historical overview, the main conflicts are also put in their wider context with a thematic debate of issues such as
* The emergence of radical Islam
* The resolution of conflicts
* Diplomacy and peace-making
* The role of the superpowers.
The new edition brings the book up to date and includes an examination of the effects of 9/11 on the Middle East Process and Bush's war on terrorism. Also included is an extended chronology and an updated bibliography.
Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945 is an indispensable introduction to modern Middle Eastern history for undergraduates and the general reader alike.
Customer Reviews:
Objective and timely.......2006-05-01
Unless you are a zionist or a radical islamist you will appreciate Dr Milton Edward's useful and penetrating analysis of the problems of the Middle East. She has managed to bring academic objectivity to a highly sensitive subject and the chapters on Palestine and Israel are particularly useful for understanding the background to this long standing conflict. Neither the Palestinian Authority nor the State of Israel escape responsibilty for the present impasse and inevitably some of the criticisms of recent actions by the Israeli government have raised hackles in Academe especially in the US where any criticism of the Jewish State arouses ire in certain quarters-the first review above is a classic example of this phenomenon. The section on Iraq is also timely and penetrating and I srtongly recommend this work which, Iam told, is about to go into a third edition.
Misinformation.......2005-02-16
The region I know most about in the Middle East is Israel. So let me focus on how poorly this book deals with that nation.
It starts by explaining that the Arab-Israeli conflict is the result of competing nationalist agendas. Even this is misleading, given that the Israelis are not trying to get rid of the Arab nations, while the Arab foes of Israel are trying to get rid of Israel. We then are treated to a statement about how sad it is that both Jewish and Arab nationalism appeared at the same time, and that this is why they fought. Well, they did not appear simultaneously. Arabs had been oppressing Jews for centuries. When some Jews became liberated, that annoyed some Arabs, but a desire to get rid of Jewish rights is not the same as nationalism. Israel became a nation in order to defend Jewish rights (and, in particular, to repeal the British White Paper of 1939, which almost completely restricted Jewish immigration to the Levant). If a Levantine Arab nation comes into existence, even now, it will be explicitly to get rid of Israel, not for some positive purpose. That is not true nationalism. It is a bogus claim of nationalism, such as the one made by the Sudeten Germans in the 1930s.
The authors continue by saying that Levantine Arabs stood in the way of Jewish nationalism. That is misleading. In fact, many Arabs happily sold their land to Jews in the region (at very high prices, of course). The presence of Arabs in no way needs to stop Israel from existing, just as the presence of Catholics in no way needs to stop America from existing. There is not an inherent need to expel all Arabs or all Jews from Israel, just as there is not an inherent need to expel all Catholics or all Protestants from the United States. Arabs and Jews can both live in a Hebrew-speaking nation.
The book then gets into the area of "founding myths." Once again, it does poorly. When it deals with Israeli desires for human rights, it tends to group that with "myths" that may serve a purpose. When it deals with Arab claims to be blameless bystanders to a war of aggression that they started, it tends to group these with "myths" that may serve a purpose. Instead, the focus ought to be on truth.
The authors boast that in 1988 Arafat literally delivered an olive branch to the UN General Assembly. So what? His gang was still fighting a war against Jewish rights. If I give an olive branch to the UN General Assembly, do you suppose the authors will support my, um, right to take over the Levant in the name of the Roman Pagans who were displaced from it?
The authors discuss the intifada and the reporting of it, and wonder whether it has brought peace any closer. And they imply that the media did a good job. But in fact, the media happily showed PLO propaganda more often than not, and also gave this propaganda undeserved credibility. I think media dishonesty in fact has made peace more difficult to achieve.
I do not recommend this book.
A timely guide to a world of conflict.......2001-11-30
This book which covers the main mid east arenas of conflict since World War 2 (Palestine/lebanon/the Gulf/ the Kurds/Iraq/Kuwait) is a very valuable background to the events of September 11th (2001). Usama bin Laden needs to be put into the context of Middle East disputes: especially Arab/Israel to understand his motivations. 'Conflicts' includes studies on Islamic fundamentalism, 'Holy Terror' and big power confrontation.
This is a timely publication. Slim and concise-good maps and bibliography. For both the scholar and the general reader. (...)
Book Description
This fully updated and revised edition of Michael Yahuda's extremely successful textbook introduces students to the International Politics of the Asia Pacific region since 1945. As well as assessing the post Cold War uncertainties that challenged balance and power within the region, Yahuda examines major recent developments including the US 'war on terror', globalization and the increased co-operative security embraced by China, Japan and Russia.
This new edition features:
· Detailed analysis of Asia-Pacific politics in terms of global, regional and local trends
· Significant geopolitical developments such as China's changing foreign policy, Russia's increased regional involvement and India's emergence onto the global stage
· Discussion of the US-inspired 'war on terror' and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
· Emerging threats to international security such as HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation and weapons of mass destruction
· Globalization, multilateralism and the regionalization of world affairs
Written in a clear and accessible style that combines narrative and analysis, this is the definitive textbook on the subject.
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- The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
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