Canadian Military History Volume 9 Issue 4 Article 9 2000 Book Review Supplement Autumn 2000 Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation "Book Review Supplement Autumn 2000." Canadian Military History 9, 4 (2000) This Book Review Supplements is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. et al.: Book Review Supplement Autumn 2000 CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY BOOK REVIEW SUPPLEMENT Autumn 2000 Issue 12 Frances Fitzgerald, Way Out There he Economist recently ranked American relations hinged on the in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars, Tthe $50,000 Lionel Gelber Prize personality quirks of the major and the End of the Cold War (New as the most important non-fiction players. An underlying theme is the York: Simon & Schuster, 2000), book prize in the world. First continuing attempt to resolve the $43.50, 592 pages, ISBN 0-684- awarded in 1990, it recognizes the problem of Taiwan without having 84416-8. year’s most distinguished to resort to a military solution. achievement in generating Ironically, while Taiwan was always Misha Glenny, The Balkans, 1804- enlightened debate and discussion the most important issue on the 1999: Nationalism, War and the on foreign affairs and international public front, this was largely a Great Powers (London: Granta relations. Previous winners include smokescreen, and Sino-American Books, 1999), £25.00, 726 pages, Michael Ignatieff, Eric Hobsbawm, relations so often turned on other ISBN 1-8607-050-4. and David McCullough. issues; for example, one of Nixon’s This year’s winner, announced major motivations for trying to Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair in Toronto in October 2000, was normalize relations with China was Brysac, Tournament of Shadows: Patrick Tyler’s comprehensive and so Mao might help the US find a The Great Game and the Race for engaging discussion of Sino- graceful way out of the war in Empire in Central Asia American relations after the Second Vietnam. (Washington, DC: Counterpoint, World War (although the book is far The other four short-listed 1999), $52.95, 646 pages, ISBN 1- broader than the title suggests, for books cover a broad range of topics 5843-028-4. it has much to say about relations in strategic studies and with the Soviet Union and its international relations. Frances John Micklethwait and Adrian successor states, India, Pakistan, Fitzgerald’s superb book is very Wooldridge, A Future Perfect: and Bangladesh). One of its greatest strong from a traditional The Challenge and Hidden strengths is its characterizations – international relations perspective, Promise of Globalization (New Tyler does an excellent job of getting in its elucidation of the York: Crown Business, 2000), inside the heads (as much as machinations of summit diplomacy $39.95, 386 pages, ISBN 0-8129- possible) of the major players. The and great power manoeuvring. But 3096-7. fact that not too many of them its real strength is in the discussion emerge entirely unblemished of Ronald Reagan’s personality and Patrick Tyler, A Great Wall: Six merely adds to the book’s appeal. its impact on American foreign Presidents and China – An Furthermore, this is a story in policy. Other writers have tried, Investigative History (New York: which personality is crucial. As with varying degrees of success, to PublicAffairs, 1999), $40.00, 476 Tyler describes so expertly, so much analyze the foreign policy exploits pages, ISBN 1-89160-1. of what has occurred in Sino- of the B-actor-turned-leader of the © Canadian Military History Book Review Supplement, Autumn 2000 1 Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2000 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 9 [2000], Iss. 4, Art. 9 free world, but none have been as (and, later, other world powers) for their discussion of Keynes and the convincing as Fitzgerald. Her control of central Asia. For more thinkers he valued, maybe it’s a description of how Reagan than a century, the region was sort return to an old way of conceiving constantly re-invented events (like of a holy grail for politicians, of international relations. his visit to the NORAD base in strategists, and traders, who The Lionel Gelber Prize was Colorado or his pool-side chat with assumed that there must be great created by Lionel Gelber, a veteran Gorbachev) to suit his own ideas riches locked somewhere within it. of the RCAF, former special of how history should have The irony of the situation, as the assistant to the Canadian happened, and of his tendency to authors argue, was that the Great government, and a long-time let fact and Hollywood mingle Game was waged for very limited advocate of improved international together, is fascinating. rewards; after all the campaigning, relations. It is presented annually Misha Glenny is to be which continued right up to the by the foundation that bears his complimented for tackling the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, name. tortuous paths of Balkan history; central Asia provided very little of JFV there is perhaps no other region on value to the powers which struggled * * * * * the globe which packs such diverse to control it. Indeed, had the Soviet and complicated issues into such a leadership read their histories of David M. Glantz, Stumbling small geographic area, and which the First and Second Afghan Wars, Colossus: The Red Army on the has had, for its size, such a they would have known exactly what Eve of World War (Lawrence: significant impact on world affairs. they had in store for them when they University Press of Kansas, 1998), And his achievement is all the invaded Afghanistan over a century $39.95 US, 392 pages, ISBN 0- greater because he makes it all later – not riches or geo-strategic 7006-0879-6. make sense. It is by no means easy advantage, but a terrain and to sort out the different varieties of populace that easily broke larger, his book examines the state of nationalism with which the Balkans more “sophisticated” armies. Treadiness of the Soviet Army have been blessed (cursed?), nor is Despite its title, A Future at the outset of the German invasion it easy to separate all the different Perfect is also a study of of the Soviet Union in June 1941. factions and interest groups which international relations. Global Glantz’s underlying thesis is to have come to blows in the region. economic forces have always been challenge the “theory of preemptive But Glenny does a masterful job of central to international relations, war” expounded by Viktor Rezun’s weaving together a range of and it is no longer possible to Icebreaker which accepted Joseph narratives into one coherent whole. discuss a nation’s foreign policy Goebbels’s argument “that Germany His overarching theme, the Balkans without making reference to global was fighting a preventive war when as an unwilling meeting place for economic factors. Micklethwait and it invaded the Soviet Union”(2-3). great power politics, lends a real Wooldridge make no attempt to The underlying assumption of the coherence to the story and makes hide their enthusiasm for theory of preemptive war is that it possible to discern consistent globalization, but they never come “the Soviet Army was both powerful refrains in the history of the region. across as proselytizers; on the and ready for war in 1941,” an His cogent analysis of the Balkans contrary, their narrative is argument which Glantz believes to during the First World War era is remarkable balanced. They never be totally unfounded. particularly impressive. dismiss out of hand the concerns Since the 1920s, the Soviet Meyer and Brysac’s of people who oppose globalization, military had undergone a series of Tournament of Shadows grabs the nor do they regard their fears as purges including the execution of reader from the first page. It covers unfounded. They admit that many some 54,000 officers between 1937- the broad sweep of history from the of those fears are justified, but argue 41. This not only deprived the first British and Russian incursions that globalization must be judged troops of well trained and into central Asia in the Napoleonic in a broad sense; every negative experienced officers, but it also era, through to the post-Second outcome is more than compensated damaged morale. Even more World War years. It is beautifully for by positive outcomes. significant than the purges, Soviet written and filled with fascinating Furthermore, they write in a breezy, troops lacked adequate training and and compelling characters, from entertaining style, with lots of real- equipment. For instance, many tank William Moorcroft, the horse world anecdotes that readers can drivers were sent into battle with master in India who refused to take relate to; this is a book that any non- only three to five hours of training, no for an answer when he requested specialist can pick up and and there is at least one example of permission from his superiors to immediately become absorbed in. a motorized rifle regiment, venture into central Asia, to Brooke It’s not a study of international comprised of six hundred recruits, Dolan, the American naturalist and relations in a classical sense, but it which was not armed due to a OSS operative in Tibet. may well point the direction to a shortage of firearms. Combined The theme is the evolving new way of conceiving of with officers who were both struggle between Russia and Britain international relations – or, given incompetent and indifferent 2 © Canadian Military History Book Review Supplement, Autumn 2000 https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol9/iss4/9 2 et al.: Book Review Supplement Autumn 2000 towards the welfare of their troops, was not ready for war in June of Barry Davidson of Calgary joined the result was an appalling military 1941 and acted accordingly”(260).