Russia is rich in martial traditions deriving from a highly diverse population. Sambo—developed by the Soviet Red Army—became the most recognize martial art associated with Russia mainly because of its presence in international competitions. Another style to become recognized for its great practicality and encompassing training regimen is Systema. Originally created for Russian Special Operations Units, Systema’s teaching gradually spread world-wide after ...

A revised edition of Dyer’s classic book, widely regarded as one of the most compelling analyses of the history of armed conflict.“War is part of our history, but it is not in at all the same sense part of our prehistory. It is one of the innovations that occurred between nine and eleven thousand years ago when the first civilized societies were coming into being. What has been invented can be changed; war is not in our genes.”With this provocative statement, Gwynn...

A vivid account of the early battles, first in the Pulitzer Prize–winning trilogy: "One of America's foremost Civil War authorities" ( Kirkus Reviews ).The first book in New York Times–bestselling author Bruce Catton's Pulitzer Prize–winning Army of the Potomac Trilogy, Mr. Lincoln's Army is a riveting history of the early years of the Civil War, when a fledgling Union Army took its stumbling first steps ...

The Cup: How the 2006 Ryder Cup was Won is the definitive account of Europe's triumphant victory in the 2006 Ryder Cup from the pen of Ireland's leading golf journalist. Irish Times Golf Correspondent, Philip Reid, has written the most incisive chronicle of the competition, drawing on his access to the European and American teams, their caddies, the officials, the fans and pundits from the world of professional golf.Reid goes behind the scenes to reveal the real story behind the 200...

Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction — ShortlistedOn April 5, 1999, Serbian police found a truck half-submerged in the Danube River. When they looked inside, they found it filled with human bodies. Following orders, they hid the truck and its contents. Two weeks later, on the other side of Serbia, the same thing happened.The full picture would only emerge years later, when the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia investigat...

Modern nationalism in northeastern Europe has often led to violence and then reconciliation between nations with bloody pasts. In this fascinating book, Timothy Snyder traces the emergence of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian nationhood over four centuries, discusses various atrocities (including the first account of the massive Ukrainian-Polish ethnic cleansings of the 1940s), and examines Poland’s recent successful negotiations with its newly independent Eastern neighb...

Scipio Africanus was one of the greatest generals and statesmen of the Ancient World. When he was 18, he saved his father's life in battle during the Second Punic War and later survived the horrific Roman defeat at Cannae.At the age of 26, he was named Commander-in-Chief of the Roman army in Spain and in 4 years, by daringly storming the city of Cartagena and crushing two Carthaginian armies in battle, conquered almost the entire peninsula for Rome.After returning to Rome, ...

“Powerful… definitive… Rohde tells the Srebrenica story with all the shades of gray the truth demanded.” —The Washington PostIn 1996, at the height of the Bosnian wars, a correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor named David Rohde uncovered a horrifying story that became an enduring symbol of the genocidal nature of that conflict, earning him his first Pulitzer Prize. Endgame is the full-length narrative of the nightmare he stumbled...

At the turn of the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire straddled three continents and encompassed extraordinary ethnic and cultural diversity among the estimated thirty million people living within its borders. It was perhaps the most cosmopolitan state in the world--and possibly the most volatile. A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire now gives scholars and general readers a concise history of the late empire between 1789 and 1918, turbulent years marked by incredible soc...

The Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) was one of the most significant innovations in infantry tactics in the latter half of the 20th century.Built in response to the threat of nuclear warfare, it was the world's first IFV, providing the infantry squad with unprecedented firepower, mobility and protection. With over 55,000 manufactured since 1966, the BMP is also numerically one of the most important armoured vehicles ever built.This richly illustr...

A detailed illustrated study of Putin's shadowy security and paramilitary armed forces.While the size of Russia's regular forces has shrunk recently, its security and paramilitary elements have become increasingly powerful. Under the Putin regime they have proliferated and importantly seem set to remain Russia's most active armed agencies for the immediate future.In parallel, within the murky world where government and private interests intersect, a number ...

Srebrenica represents a dark and painful chapter in late twentieth-century European history. Here, a still unknown number of Bosnian Muslim citizens were tortured and killed in July 1995. About 8.500 deaths have so far been confirmed, but survivors say 10.701 people died as a result of the blind and racist violence of the Bosnian Serb army led by Ratko Mladic’ and mainly Serb paramilitary forces, as the Dutch UN Peacekeepers and, with them, the entire international community, stood by and ...