Geoffrey Blainey's The Causes of War is a classic study of why wars happen and why peace fails to endure. In this third edition, Blainey examines the historical patterns of international conflict, highlighting the factors of perception, miscalculation, balance of power, and national interests that often trigger war. The book also examines the relationship between optimism and the political deci…
This book is a wide-ranging and intelligent survey of global trends —from population growth and global warming to the revolutions in biotechnology and robotics— and how they are likely to influence, if not dictate, the shape of society in coming years. The book is divided into three parts. The first is largely descriptive and examines general world trends. A chapter each is devoted to the p…
Human history has always been shaped by the growth and migration of populations, by the opportunities and constraints provided by the environment, and by the rise of new technologies. Today, these forces are enmeshed in a state of unprecedented turbulence. World population has more than doubled in the past forty years to reach its current level of 5.5 billion, and it will exceed 8 billion and p…
A classic in its field, Why Nations Go to War engages students in a dialogue about the human truth behind the mechanistic forces of war. The seven case studies provide students with solid historical background on twentieth-century warfare, while the lively narrative keeps them reading. The seventh edition has been thoroughly updated and includes a new case study on Bosnia and the war over the r…
In this thought-provoking book, Chris Abbott examines 21 important speeches that have shaped the world today. He examines the power of the arguments in these speeches to inspire people to do great things or great harm. this book it is about the ideas behind them, the events that surround them and the power of people to inspire others.
Throughout his distinguished career as a journalist and film-maker, John Pilger has looked behind the 'official' versions of events to report the real stories of our time. The centrepiece of this new, expanded edition of his bestselling Distant Voices is Pilger's reporting from East Timor, which he entered secretly in 1993 and where a third of the population has died as a result of Indonesia's…
A critical assessment of the impact of World War II on 20th-century history, politics, and society offers a study that ranges from the 1930s and the events leading to war, to an analysis of the current state of the world.
The Cold War has been followed by a decade of regional and ethnic conflicts, massacres, and forced exiles. Should America assume the role of peacekeeper and chief humanitarian in a world of endless wars and human disasters? Eminent foreign correspondent William Shawcross has spent much of his career in war zones and has had unrivaled access to diplomats, peacekeepers, and global policymakers at…
In this wide-ranging analysis of global politics over the past five centuries, Yale historian Paul Kennedy focuses on the critical relationship of economic to military power as it affects the rise and fall of empires.