Written by a Yale professor who co-taught courses on grand strategy for nearly two decades, this book (Grand Strategy, 2019) had significant potential to bring together years of teaching into an accessible book (published by a mass market press, not academic press). John Lewis Gaddis is extremely well read, and from diverse fields. The book […]
An edited book published by Manchester University Press in 2022 attempted to gather together perspectives on Russian strategy, if there is one (a question the book starts off with). Andrew Monaghan is the editor of the book, Russian Grand Strategy in the Era of Global Power Competition. Some quotes: “Strategy is not simply about the […]
Published by Cambridge University Press, this 2017 book (The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War) was written by US Naval War College Professor S. C. M. Paine. The book notes some of the enabling factors for Japanese success, ranging from risk taking (p. 26), to rapidly expanding transportation infrastructure […]
Written in 1977, this classic work by Syed Hussein Alatas is an early critique of knowledge production that relies on colonial records, which shows how identity narratives were linked to colonialist action in Southeast Asia. Notes: “A colonial scholar, journalist, or author is one with a colonial mind whether refined or vulgar. The products of […]
In Afrikaans, ‘apartheid’ means apartness or separateness. Maureen Lux examines the history of medical apartheid in Canada in the book “Separate Beds: A History of Indian Hospitals in Canada, 1920s-1980s” (2016), published by the University of Toronto Press. The author is a professor of history. A few of the chapters draw on published materials (articles). […]
At the International Conference of Ethiopian Studies in Japan in 1997, scholars proposed a book that would reflect on the transition from the Derg to the EPRDF era, and what the transitions meant for communities across the country. The result was a 2002 book, “Mapping Ethiopia: Socialism & After”, published by Ohio University Press and […]
This 2024 book by Annie Jacobsen, “Nuclear War: A Scenario” is not an academic press and the author has written a number of book-length deep drives into topics with a more journalistic form. This one gives a brief history of the development of nuclear technology and weapons use, however it primarily is a minute by minute […]
New book edited by myself and Alexandra Wilson. Full book is available as Open Access: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-92-0221-8 Introduction: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-92-0221-8_1 Framework: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-92-0221-8_8 Lessons for Resilience Today: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-92-0221-8_9
Former Secretary of State for European Affairs for Portugal, political philosopher Bruno Macaes has penned several books (and is frequently a public commentator). These notes reflect on Geopolitics for the End Times: From the Pandemic to the Climate Crisis (2021). This is the first of his books I have read, and it may not have […]
One of the challenges expatriate dependent nations face is how to attract global talent while building capacity nationally. This has often included a mix of nationalization policies along with attraction, development and recruitment policies for the entire workforce. Qatar has a minority citizen population and the large majority of its workforce is expatriate. To assess […]