Dermot Nolan
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Social Cohesion, Collective Defence, And The Latent Power Of Democracy
Abstract: Collective security in democracies is unviable without public trust and a publicly cogent threat assessment. Thus, it follows that democratic security architects should promote an internally-focused threat perception and engage in realistic perception management. There needs to be a greater focus on what we have that is worth protecting, and why; moreover, threat perceptions… Read more →
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Through Audacity And Arms: How Europe Can Restrain Russia
Abstract: The global West, and Europe in particular, are beset by the consequences of self-doubt and the vagaries of the peace dividend. These manifest in Russian intransigence and the less-than-resolute response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. However, this need not be the case. Russia has been emboldened to act recklessly because it seems that nobody… Read more →
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Dying to Learn
Wartime Lessons from the Western Front Michael A. Hunzeker, (Cornell, 2021). pp. 224. amazon.com In Dying to Learn, Michael A. Hunzeker expounds on a novel theory he developed to explain how militaries learn during wartime. Hunzeker utilises three variables — Assessment, Command, and Training (ACT) — to form a somewhat simple theory to explain how… Read more →
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Near Abroad
Putin, The West, And the Contest over Ukraine and the Caucasus Gerard Toal, (Oxford, 2017). pp. 408. amazon.com Based on almost 16 years of research and written in the aftermath of Russian adventurism in Ukraine (2014) and Georgia (2008), Near Abroad offers a detailed analysis of the geopolitical complexities faced by Russia and countries in… Read more →
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The Atlantic And Its Enemies
A History of the Cold War Norman Stone, (London, 2010). pp. 688. amazon.com This is an infuriating book: the basic tenets of which are that Communism is bad and that the Anglo-US axis (the “Atlantic” of the title) invented Europe, and that all good in Europe stems henceforth. The first point is valid in the… Read more →
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The Future of War, A History
Lawrence Freedman, (New York, 2019). pp. 378. amazon.com The Future of War, A History, tackles 150 years of musing on the future of war. More specifically, it presents a thematic survey of the end of conflict and its pitfalls. The work is divided into three sections, each dealing with the themes of a particular epoch.… Read more →
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Marie von Clausewitz
The Woman Behind the Making of On War Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, (Oxford, 2016). pp. 312. amazon.com The ancient adage that states that “behind every great man lies a great woman” may find its epitome in the case of Carl Von Clausewitz and his beloved wife, Marie. Thanks to Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, we now have a… Read more →
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Ukraine, The Budapest Memorandum And The Question Of Nuclear “Inheritance”
Abstract: Following the end of the Cold War, the states of the former Soviet Union were host to a vast array of nuclear weapons. However, unlike most other states, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan hosted strategic nuclear weapons, of which precise ownership may be seen as opaque. This has led to three decades of remonstration that… Read more →
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Chief Of Staff
The Principal Officers Behind History’s Great Commanders David Zabecki (Ed.), (Naval Institute Press, 2 Vols., 2008). pp. 484. Source: amazon.com In attempting to shed light on some of the lesser dramatis personae of modern military history, Zabecki has assembled a collection of 28 essays covering 30 of modern military history’s lesser-known greats. As an exploratory… Read more →
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The Kremlin’s Nuclear Sword
The Rise and Fall of Russia’s Strategic Nuclear Forces 1945–2000 Steven Zaloga, (New York, 2005). pp. 304. amazon.com Anyone familiar with the work of Steven Zaloga will know that one of Zaloga’s strong points is his command of technical details; 2005’s The Kremlin’s Nuclear Shield is no exception. This work narrates the development and deployment… Read more →
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