Lawrence D. Freedman

Politics & Society   November/December 2019 Capsule Review

Two Books on Piracy

In his lively, vivid history of pirates, Lehr finds some striking continuities from ancient to modern times. Moss highlights the legal and political issues raised by...

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Terrorism & Counterterrorism   November/December 2019 Capsule Review

Power to the People: How Open Technological Innovation Is Arming Tomorrow’s Terrorists

Cronin shows how groups such as the Islamic State exploit new technologies including the Internet, smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and artificial intelligence.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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WMD & Proliferation   November/December 2019 Capsule Review

The Nuclear Spies: America’s Atomic Intelligence Operation Against Hitler and Stalin

Houghton examines why the United States failed to anticipate the first Soviet nuclear test in August 1949.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Terrorism & Counterterrorism   November/December 2019 Capsule Review

The Last Card: Inside George W. Bush’s Decision to Surge in Iraq

The authors trace a detailed history of the Bush Administration's decision to surge in Iraq. 

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freeman

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War & Military Strategy   September/October 2019 Capsule Review

Why America Loses Wars: Limited War and US Strategy From the Korean War to the Present

In this lively and opinionated book, Stoker pins a major part of the blame of recent U.S. military war on muddled thinking about “limited war.” 

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   September/October 2019 Capsule Review

The War for Gaul: A New Translation

James J. O’Donnell demonstrates how to appreciate Caesar’s The War for Gaul as a major contribution to martial literature while deploring its morals. 

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   September/October 2019 Capsule Review

Three Books on World War II

Although a vast literature has covered every aspect of World War II, the war’s length, scope, and intensity mean that Holland, O’Brien, and Nagorski still manage to...

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Climate Change   May/June 2019 Capsule Review

Two Books on the Risks of Nuclear Terrorism and Proliferation

Sokolski outlines geopolitical approach to proliferation, while Poneman tackles the twin threats of climate change and nuclear proliferation.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   May/June 2019 Capsule Review

Atlas of World War II: History’s Greatest Conflict Revealed Through Rare Wartime Maps and New Cartography

Hyslop's cartographic work is excellent, but the stars of the book are high-quality reproductions of maps produced as part of the war effort.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   May/June 2019 Capsule Review

The New Rules of War: Victory in the Age of Durable Disorder

McFate demonstrates a lively and provocative way to think about modern warfare.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   May/June 2019 Capsule Review

Two Books on Espionage and Covert Operations

British covert efforts, Cormac writes, have often been about compensating for declining power. Carson reveals that covert operations are often transparent to the enemy.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Security   March/April 2019 Capsule Review

We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages, and Ransom

This excellent and careful book asks tough questions about whether and how governments should negotiate with kidnappers to get hostages released. 

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Intelligence   March/April 2019 Capsule Review

Operation Columba—The Secret Pigeon Service: The Untold Story of World War II Resistance in Europe

Corera's vivid account shows how the homing pigeons used by British intelligence agencies during World War II revealed daily life under the Nazis and valuable...

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   March/April 2019 Capsule Review

The Girls Next Door: Bringing the Home Front to the Front Lines

In this fascinating history, Kara Dixon Vuic focuses on the young women who joined American men sent to fight overseas from 1918 until the end of the Vietnam War.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Security   March/April 2019 Capsule Review

Rampage

Scott reconstructs the Battle of Manila, interspersing accounts of massacres with happier moments of liberation. 

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Strategy & Conflict   March/April 2019 Capsule Review

Strategy Strikes Back: How “Star Wars” Explains Modern Military Conflict

This illuminating, if uneven, collection of essays is united by the idea that the Star Wars movies are valuable for their insights into leadership, strategy,...

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Terrorism & Counterterrorism   January/February 2019 Capsule Review

Terrorism, Betrayal, and Resilience: My Story of the 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings

Bushnell's book is an autobiography and an account of the 1998 attack. 

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   January/February 2019 Capsule Review

Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945–1975; Road to Disaster: A New History of America’s Descent Into Vietnam

These two books take on a familiar topic but manage to be original and thought provoking—and very different from each other.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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War & Military Strategy   January/February 2019 Capsule Review

Haig’s Enemy: Crown Prince Rupprecht and Germany’s War on the Western Front; The First Soldier: Hitler as Military Leader

Military history tends to be seen through the eyes of the victors, but these two books show the two world wars from the perspective of the defeated Germans.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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Cybersecurity   November/December 2018 Capsule Review

LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media

Many books have charted the use and misuse of social media, but this is one of the most comprehensive and up to date.

Reviewed by Lawrence D. Freedman

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