Waarom liep Rusland vast in de eerste maanden van de invasie van Oekraïne? Waarom slaat Israël internationale druk over Gaza keer op keer in de wind? Waarom investeert het Verenigd Koninkrijk miljarden in vliegdekschepen die het nauwelijks kan bemannen en bevoorraden? En hoe weten kleine staten toch invloed uit te oefenen in een wereld die wordt gedomineerd door grootmachten?We leven in een tijdperk van geopolitieke spanningen en gewelddadige conflicten zoals we die sinds de Koude ...

'Gripping . . . packed with fascinating detail' – Financial Times‘Indispensable – brilliantly grounded in first-hand experience. Compelling’ – Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge‘Anyone interested in geopolitics should read it’ – Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, IncHow do states actually exercise power in an age of chaos?From top defense analyst Dr Jack...

From sensor-fuzed munitions and autonomous weapons, to ground moving target indication radar, laser vibrometers and artificial intelligence, the weapons of warfare are undergoing a rapid transformation, with modern technologies reshaping how armies intend to fight in the twenty-first century.The Arms of the Future analyses how the emergence of novel weapons systems is shaping the risks and opportunities on the battlefield. Drawing on extensive practical observation and expe...

'Gripping . . . packed with fascinating detail' – Financial Times‘Indispensable – brilliantly grounded in first-hand experience. Compelling’ – Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge‘Anyone interested in geopolitics should read it’ – Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, IncHow do states actually exercise power in an age of chaos?From top defense analyst Dr Jack...

The British military spent 20 years fighting in Afghanistan. Considering the UK’s achievements against its objectives, defeat seems the most accurate description of the campaign’s outcome. How institutions respond to and learn from failure is a good measure of their effectiveness. But Britain's war in Afganistan also saw considerable tactical and operational learning to solve complex problems. Not only are some of the solutions valuable, but the processes by which they were derived bear st...

A new era of great power competition places a strategic premium on the efficiency with which states can pursue their aims. There is therefore likely to be an expanded scope for partnered operations. Partner force capacity building has a long history, with very mixed results, yet there is little historical memory in the institutions tasked with carrying it out. War by Others’ Means uses archival research, interviews with practitioners, and observation of capacity building to unders...

Dominant narratives about the changing character of warfare and the revolutionary effect of technological advancement lack nuance and can ultimately be detrimental to the development of a defence capability fit for future purpose.

Dolly Bantry, mistress of Gossington Hall, is enjoying a pleasant doze when suddenly her dreams take a strange turn. The housemaid Mary is telling her that there is a body in the library... When she wakes up, she finds that it is true. But who is the strange young blonde dressed in an evening gown who is lying strangled on the library hearth rug? Enter St Mary Mead's resident sleuth, Miss Marple. With her keen eye for the complexities of human nature and her observational skills, she studi...

F****our speculative stories of disasters, dystopias and destroyed civilisationsJohn Christopher is probably best known for his seminal science ficion novel The Death of Grass and his ‘Tripods’ trilogy for young adults, which was adapted for BBC TV and became a cult classic. Alongside John Wyndham, he was one of the foremost exponents of ‘disaster fiction’, and these four fantastic productions all centre around post-apocalyptic themes – from deadly disease...

Using hard power in the context of an expanding set of threats is complex, expensive and risky. European medium powers, especially, must make tough choices on the future capabilities, roles and equipment of their armed forces, as well as their ability to act independently of alliance partners. Decision Points: Rationalising the Armed Forces of European Medium Powers examines these trade-offs and calls for policymakers to approach each key decision on the future of their country’s ...