What Are You Currently Reading? 2011
I just started Marin Van Creveld's The Changing Face of War: From the Marne to Iraq, which I have mixed feelings about so far. Although it is promising to provide me a picture of how war has progressed and transformed from the beginning of the 21st Century to today.
I'm also reading Michael Handel's Master's of War, which has some good readings of the classics of warfare and international relations in it.
The Psychology of Counter-Terrorism
This is an edited volume by Andrew Silke, with a variety of generally superb chapters and yes SWC member Randy Borum writes the second chapter. Full of gems and an easy read.
Link to publisher's USA website:http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415558402/
Link to editor's academic bio:http://www.uel.ac.uk/law/staff/andrewsilke.htm
Family Of Secrets-The Bush Dynasty-by Russ Baker
Just finished reading it, and will turn right around and read it again!....some book to say the least. Link to several author interviews and book comments.
http://www.familyofsecrets.com/
Books on tape count, right?
Listening to Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton.
It's been slow lately, not much going on exept a little traffic enforcement, so books on tape are great. I've got 1776 to start on next.
we don't do that at st.xavier's
Just started: Wars of Empire by Douglas Porch, a solid read so far;
Quote:
Every good imperial commander knew that he must deliver success at low cost. History is not about supplying 'lessons' for the future. It tells its own story. But no modern commander in Kosovo or East Timor can ignore the perils of conducting operations, far from home, with a narrow political base of support, any more than could his predecessors in earlier centuries in Africa or Asia. (from the Acknowledgements)
Wars of Empire - Amazon
Douglas Porch - Wikipedia
Also, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind by Robert Kurzban, not sure what to make of this guy's take on things;
Quote:
Mod makes a comeback in an entertaining explanation of brain functioning that cuts the two-hemispheres theory down to size and minces the mind into modules. Coming from a background in evolutionary psychology, Kurzban suggests that the human mind is not the unified operator of actions contributing to survival and success, as many claim and even more assume, but rather a multi-faceted system of functioning parts that are not always on the same side-or even aware of the same information. The modules perform different, often separate, functions, which can account for confusing, inconsistent, and apparently contradictory behavior and speech. (from the Amazon editorial blurb)
Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite - Amazon
Robert Kurzban - Wikipedia