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Book Final Solutions

    Book Details:
  • Author : Benjamin A. Valentino
  • Publisher : Cornell University Press
  • Release : 2013-01-19
  • ISBN : 0801467160
  • Pages : 329 pages

Download or read book Final Solutions written by Benjamin A. Valentino and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-19 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benjamin A. Valentino finds that ethnic hatreds or discrimination, undemocratic systems of government, and dysfunctions in society play a much smaller role in mass killing and genocide than is commonly assumed. He shows that the impetus for mass killing usually originates from a relatively small group of powerful leaders and is often carried out without the active support of broader society. Mass killing, in his view, is a brutal political or military strategy designed to accomplish leaders' most important objectives, counter threats to their power, and solve their most difficult problems. In order to capture the full scope of mass killing during the twentieth century, Valentino does not limit his analysis to violence directed against ethnic groups, or to the attempt to destroy victim groups as such, as do most previous studies of genocide. Rather, he defines mass killing broadly as the intentional killing of a massive number of noncombatants, using the criteria of 50,000 or more deaths within five years as a quantitative standard. Final Solutions focuses on three types of mass killing: communist mass killings like the ones carried out in the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia; ethnic genocides as in Armenia, Nazi Germany, and Rwanda; and "counter-guerrilla" campaigns including the brutal civil war in Guatemala and the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Valentino closes the book by arguing that attempts to prevent mass killing should focus on disarming and removing from power the leaders and small groups responsible for instigating and organizing the killing.

Book Dealing with America

    Book Details:
  • Author : J. V. Langmore
  • Publisher : UNSW Press
  • Release : 2005
  • ISBN : 9780868409702
  • Pages : 112 pages

Download or read book Dealing with America written by J. V. Langmore and published by UNSW Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United Nations is under scrutiny like never before: it is under constant attack from neoconservatives in President George W. Bush’s administration, and many of its own officials are under investigation for fraud – some have been charged. In the midst of this controversy, a high-level panel, including former Australian Attorney-General Gareth Evans, has released a detailed set of proposals for reform, and that blueprint has been taken up by the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.

Book The Real and the Ideal

Download or read book The Real and the Ideal written by Anthony Lake and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2001-08-28 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A teacher, scholar, practitioner, and publicist, Richard Ullman has been a unique and influential figure in U.S. foreign and security policy over the past forty years. This volume, created on the initiative of some of Ullman's most accomplished former students, is less a summing up of his work than a sort of intellectual kaleidoscope held up to his ideas. The result is a spirited and highly readable set of essays on themes relating to U.S. foreign and defense policy in a period of nearly unprecedented dynamism in the international system. The volume includes contributions by David Gompert, I.M. Destler, Michael Doyle, Michael O'Hanlon, and eight other distinguished scholars and practitioners of international relations. Major issues addressed in The Real and the Ideal include: · Changing international conceptions of state sovereignty, governmental legitimacy and ethics, and their relationship to national influence and power · New roles played by military power, including an exploration of emerging guidelines for the use of force in the defense of norms and values that go beyond traditional definitions of national interest · The domestic context for the setting of U.S. foreign and defense policy, including an analysis of recent and heretofore unpublished polling data regarding the public's propensity to support international engagement · Assessments of the effects of alliance relationships on interstate relations, including case studies of trans-Atlantic relations in the post-Cold War period, the foreign policy of the unified Germany, and relations among China, Japan, and Taiwan · A highly original, revisionist assessment of U.S. foreign policy of liberal isolationism in the 1920s, along with lessons for U.S. statesmen and policy makers today. A Council on Foreign Relations book.

Book Understanding American Politics

Download or read book Understanding American Politics written by Stephen Brooks and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition provides a very strong introduction to political institutions and includes a new chapter on public opinion. The entire book has been revised throughout, taking into account the dramatic changes that have emerged since the 2010 congressional elections, as well as incorporating the results of the 2012 presidential election. it also pays close attention to what is seen as the irreversible decline in America's global influence."--Pub. desc.

Book Choosing Your Battles

Download or read book Choosing Your Battles written by Peter D. Feaver and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-30 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America's debate over whether and how to invade Iraq clustered into civilian versus military camps. Top military officials appeared reluctant to use force, the most hawkish voices in government were civilians who had not served in uniform, and everyone was worried that the American public would not tolerate casualties in war. This book shows that this civilian-military argument--which has characterized earlier debates over Bosnia, Somalia, and Kosovo--is typical, not exceptional. Indeed, the underlying pattern has shaped U.S. foreign policy at least since 1816. The new afterword by Peter Feaver and Christopher Gelpi traces these themes through the first two years of the current Iraq war, showing how civil-military debates and concerns about sensitivity to casualties continue to shape American foreign policy in profound ways.

Book Hard Power

    Book Details:
  • Author : Kurt M. Campbell
  • Publisher : Basic Books (AZ)
  • Release : 2006-10-03
  • ISBN : 9780465051663
  • Pages : 346 pages

Download or read book Hard Power written by Kurt M. Campbell and published by Basic Books (AZ). This book was released on 2006-10-03 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a critical examination of foreign policy under the Bush Administration and proposes a bipartisan strategy for securing the homeland, managing the war on terror, combating global warming, and dealing with the increasing power of China and other Asian countries.

Book Navigating Public Opinion

Download or read book Navigating Public Opinion written by Jeff Manza and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do politicians listen to the public? When? How often? Or are the views of the public manipulated and used strategically by elites? In this text, leading scholars of American politics assess and debate the impact of public opinion on policy making. Central issues include the changing relationship between opinion and policy over time, how key actors use public opinion to formulate domestic and foriegn policy and how measurment techniques might improve our understanding of the results of polls and survey research.

Book Bait and Switch

    Book Details:
  • Author : Julie A. Mertus
  • Publisher : Routledge
  • Release : 2008-02-19
  • ISBN : 1135891826
  • Pages : 308 pages

Download or read book Bait and Switch written by Julie A. Mertus and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-02-19 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the second edition Mertus continues to show that America's attempts to promote human rights abroad have, paradoxically, undermined those rights in other countries, including new sections on the second half of the Bush administration and the Iraq War, and updates on Afghanistan.

Book Bait and Switch

    Book Details:
  • Author : Julie Mertus
  • Publisher : Routledge
  • Release : 2013-06-17
  • ISBN : 1135934738
  • Pages : 277 pages

Download or read book Bait and Switch written by Julie Mertus and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-06-17 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although our era is marked by human rights rhetoric, human wrongs continue to be committed with impunity, and the idea of human rights is becoming impoverished.

Book Misperceptions  the Media and the Iraq War

Download or read book Misperceptions the Media and the Iraq War written by Steven Kull and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A description of a series of seven public polls conducted from January-September 2003 dealing with the conflict in Iraq. Respondents were probed for key perceptions and beliefs as well as their attitudes on what US policy should be. "... It was discovered that a substantial portion of the public had a number of misperceptions that were demonstrably false or were at odds with the dominant view in the intelligence community."--Introduction.

Book Drones and Support for the Use of Force

Download or read book Drones and Support for the Use of Force written by James Igoe Walsh and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2019-02-28 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combat drones are transforming attitudes about the use of military force. Military casualties and the costs of conflict sap public support for war and for political and military leaders. Combat drones offer an unprecedented ability to reduce these costs by increasing accuracy, reducing the risks to civilians, and protecting military personnel from harm. These advantages should make drone strikes more popular than operations involving ground troops. Yet many critics believe drone warfare will make political leaders too willing to authorize wars, weakening constraints on the use of force. Because combat drones are relatively new, these arguments have been based on anecdotes, a handful of public opinion polls, or theoretical speculation. Drones and Support for the Use of Force uses experimental research to analyze the effects of combat drones on Americans’ support for the use of force. The authors’ findings—that drones have had important but nuanced effects on support for the use of force—have implications for democratic control of military action and civil-military relations and provide insight into how the proliferation of military technologies influences foreign policy.

Book America  War and Power

Download or read book America War and Power written by A. James Fuller and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2007 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by leading historians and political scientists, this collection of essays offers a broad and comprehensive coverage of the role of war in American history. Addressing the role of the armed force, and attitudes towards it, in shaping and defining the United States, the first four chapters reflect the perspectives of historians on this central question, from the time of the American Revolution to the US wars in Vietnam and Iraq. Chapters five and six offer the views of political scientists on the topic, one in light of the global systems theory, the other from the perspective of domestic opinion and governance. The concluding essay is written by historians Fred Anderson and Andrew Cayton, whose co-authored book The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America, 1500-2000 provided the common reading for the symposium which produced these essays. America, War and Power will be of much interest to students and scholars of US military history, US politics and military history and strategy in general.

Book Women in Combat

    Book Details:
  • Author : Lorry M. Fenner
  • Publisher : Georgetown University Press
  • Release : 2001-08-09
  • ISBN : 9781589018327
  • Pages : 224 pages

Download or read book Women in Combat written by Lorry M. Fenner and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2001-08-09 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women have been actively involved the United States military for more than fifty years, but the ban on their participation in combat remains a hotly debated issue. In this provocative book Lorry M. Fenner, an active-duty Air Force intelligence officer, calls for opening all aspects of military service to women. Marie deYoung, a former Army chaplain, argues that keeping women out of combat is in the best interests of both sexes and crucial to the effectiveness of the military as a whole. Fenner bases her argument for inclusion of women on the idea that democracies require all citizens to compete in public endeavor and share in civic obligation. She contends that, historically, reasons for banning women from combat have been culturally biased. She argues that membership in a combat force should be based on capability judged against appropriate standards. Moreover, she maintains that excluding women hampers the diversity and adaptability that by necessity will characterize the armed forces in the twenty-first century. In contrast, deYoung declares that the different physical fitness standards for men and women would, in combat, lower morale for both sexes and put women at risk of casualty. Further, she contends that women have neither the physical or emotional strength to endure the overall brutality of the combat experience. She also asserts that calls for lifting the combat ban are politically motivated and are inconsistent with the principles of American democracy and the mission of national defense. With each author responding to the views of the other, their exchange offers a valuable synthesis of the issues surrounding a longstanding debate among policymakers, military personnel, and scholars of both military history and women’s studies.

Book French and US Approaches to Foreign Policy

Download or read book French and US Approaches to Foreign Policy written by A. Alarcón and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-11-06 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on document analysis, and on the evaluations, perceptions and judgments of people involved in framing, making, and applying foreign policy in both countries as foreign affairs officials, law makers, or think tanks' associates, this book presents the differing worldviews and concepts for establishing an international order. It is argued that the differences between U.S. and French approaches to foreign policies and international affairs are historically entrenched in political cultures, and could transcend other elements such as economic interests, or the political inclinations of the individuals or parties who control their governments. Many of the findings could be applied to the differences and similarities between the U.S. and other European countries.

Book How We Fight

    Book Details:
  • Author : Dominic Tierney
  • Publisher : Little, Brown
  • Release : 2010-11-04
  • ISBN : 0316122319
  • Pages : 263 pages

Download or read book How We Fight written by Dominic Tierney and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2010-11-04 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Americans love war. We've never run from a fight. Our triumphs from the American Revolution to World War II define who we are as a nation and a people. Americans hate war. Our leaders rush us into conflicts without knowing the facts or understanding the consequences. Korea, Vietnam, and now Iraq and Afghanistan define who we are as a nation and a people. How We Fight explores the extraordinary doublemindedness with which Americans approach war, and reveals the opposing mindsets that have governed our responses throughout history: the "crusade" tradition-our grand quests to defend democratic values and overthrow tyrants; and the "quagmire" tradition-our resistance to the work of nation-building and its inevitable cost in dollars and American lives. How can one nation be so split? Studying conflicts from the Civil War to the present, Dominic Tierney has created a secret history of American foreign policy and a frank and insightful look at how Americans respond to the ultimate challenge. And he shows how success is possible. His innovative model for tackling the challenges of modern war can mean longstanding victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, by rediscovering a lost American warrior tradition.

Book Security  Strategy  and the Quest for Bloodless War

Download or read book Security Strategy and the Quest for Bloodless War written by Robert Mandel and published by Lynne Rienner Publishers. This book was released on 2004 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive look at the increasing push by government and military officials in the direction of "bloodless war."

Book Foreign Policy  Inc

Download or read book Foreign Policy Inc written by Lawrence Davidson and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most Americans assume that U.S. foreign policy is determined by democratically elected leaders who define and protect the common good of the citizens and the nation they represent. Increasingly, this conventional wisdom falls short of explaining the real