Defending the realm? : the politics of Britain's small wars since 1945 / Aaron Edwards.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Edwards, Aaron.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civil-military relations--Great Britain--History.

Civil-military relations.

Low-intensity conflicts (Military science)--Great Britain--History.

Low-intensity conflicts (Military science).

Military policy.

History.

Great Britain--Military policy--History.

Great Britain.

Great Britain--Foreign relations--1945-.

International relations.

Physical Description:

xv, 319 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : distributed in the United States exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

Summary:

Britain is often revered for its extensive experience of waging 'small wars'. Its long imperial history is littered with high profile counter-insurgency campaigns, thus marking it out as the world's most seasoned practitioner of this type of warfare. Britain's 'small wars' from fighting Communist insurgents in the bamboo-laden Malayan jungle, marauding Mau Mau gangs in Kenyan game reserves, Irish republican terrorists in the back alleys and rural hamlets of Northern Ireland, and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's Helmand province. This is the first book to detail the tactical and operational dynamics of Britain's small wars, arguing that the military's use of force was more heavily constrained by wider strategic and political considerations than previously admitted. Outlining the civil-military strategy followed by the British in Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, Aden, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, Defending the realm? argues that Britain's small wars have been shaped by a relative decline in British power, amidst dramatic fluctuations in the international system, just as much as the actions of military commanders and civilian officials 'on the spot' or those formulating government policy in London. Book jacket.

Contents:

1. Drawing lines in the sand: evacuation from Palestine

2. Winning 'hearts and minds'? From imperialism to independence in Malaya

3. Quelling rebellion: countering the Mau Mau in Kenya

4. Securing the base: fighting EOKA terrorists in Cyprus

5. Holding the thin red line: retreat from Aden

6. Soldiering the peace: combating terrorism in Northern Ireland

7. Return to Mesopotamia: the politics of military intervention in Iraq

8. Building peace amidst conflict: Britain's changing strategy in Afghanistan.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [297]-313) and index.

ISBN:

9780719084416

0719084415

OCLC:

798615434