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Srl | Item |
1 |
ID:
105149
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
The American Civil War is a leading example of attritional war. The Union's material superiority and control of public opinion, as well as tactical and organisational dominance, led to the surrender of the Confederacy, and its complete physical, moral, economic and financial collapse. It is important to remember, however, that the American Civil War was in many important respects quite different from the World Wars - and hence when we evaluate the use of attrition, we must do so through the historical lens of the nineteenth century.
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2 |
ID:
105148
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
The current scrutiny of British conduct in Afghanistan and Iraq in the wake of allegations of abuse of civilians has raised some troubling questions. But as a review of British history shows, from Northern Ireland to Kenya, atrocities and excesses are by no means a phenomenon unique to 'modern' small wars or today's generation of soldiers.
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3 |
ID:
105143
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
In the remote regions of Afghanistan, the use of community defence forces to supplement the stabilisation effort has had mixed results. Effective local governance is a key pre- requisite for successful community defence, but the weakness or absence of local institutions, and the lack of support from central government, has often meant training teams must spend time and resources building the appropriate framework from scratch. It is this link between security and governance, however, that makes community defence a possible model for the future.
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4 |
ID:
105139
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
Libya has been ruled for decades as an unrelenting autocracy: there has been little space for political competition, despite Colonel Gaddafi's belief that such a system exemplified 'perfect governance'. The regime's rapid loss of control in the first half of 2011 is explained by the geography of power in Libya, which splits the country between east and west, and by the inability of such an autocratic regime to make concessions to popular demand. Can the new interim council in Benghazi wrench control from Tripoli or will Gaddafi be able to resist change, despite the determination of the international community?
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5 |
ID:
105141
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
Whether there is the public appetite, or indeed the military means available, for future large-scale military operations abroad, the security threats posed by weak and failing states have not disappeared. One challenge is how to generate the mass for stabilisation. Britain has a long history of small-scale but effective training and mentoring relationships with countries of strategic importance. A revitalised approach to building capacity in other nations - using the right people and structures - could have an important part to play in British security in an age of austerity.
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6 |
ID:
105150
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
The Battle of Waterloo, so iconic to the Victorians, is altogether less relevant to modern Britain's self-image. Though the image of stalwart defence and triumph over unreason and tyranny is an enduring motif in the British narrative, Waterloo has been eclipsed in popular consciousness by the battles of the Second World War. Nevertheless, Waterloo remains a significant milestone in world history, for it assured the dominance, for better or worse, of a European model of liberal capitalism.
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7 |
ID:
105144
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
As air operations continue in Libya, the ability of air power to achieve a decisive strategic outcome, in an era of constricting defence budgets, is once again under scrutiny. Martin van Creveld traces the evolution of air power from its tentative beginnings a century ago, to its mid-century heyday, through to the present, arguing that the utility of air power has fundamentally altered over this time. Do independent air forces have a use in an age of small wars and stabilisation operations?
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8 |
ID:
105145
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
Missile defence systems now offer the prospect of a technically feasible and strategically worthwhile defence, and the widespread proliferation of ballistic missiles means that their deployment is no longer a 'future issue'. They are attractive to today's great and emerging powers, as well as non-state actors who cannot compete on the conventional stage. Though it can deter, missile defence is not an alternative to deterrence - it is part of it.
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9 |
ID:
105147
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
The UK has a 400-year-old relationship with the Arctic. From its history of sixteenth- century exploration to contemporary leading research on climate change, the UK is more than an interested observer. To ensure clear, evidence-based policy action on energy, maritime resources, scientific discovery and security issues, the UK needs a cross- departmental, integrated strategic approach that signals its commitment to the region.
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10 |
ID:
105142
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa highlight once again the costs of assuming certainty in the international system. Commandant General of the Royal Marines, Major General Buster Howes, considers how best to respond to a strategic environment that is inherently uncertain. He commends a maritime-orientated, expeditionary and flexible approach that eschews fixity for manoeuvre, mass for demonstrable quality and surety for agility.
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11 |
ID:
105140
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa highlight once again the costs of assuming certainty in the international system. Commandant General of the Royal Marines, Major General Buster Howes, considers how best to respond to a strategic environment that is inherently uncertain. He commends a maritime-orientated, expeditionary and flexible approach that eschews fixity for manoeuvre, mass for demonstrable quality and surety for agility.
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12 |
ID:
105146
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Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
For decades, the development of directed energy weapons foundered on physical and logistical limitations, while the great expectations made on such weapon systems could not be matched by performance. Yet directed energy may now be reaching a new phase of maturity. New emphasis on lower-powered systems could offer an advantageous set of tools, particularly useful where force must be kept to a minimum and non-lethal effects are preferred.
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