Engelska

Ever since the end of the Second World War, most Europeans have felt fortunate to have lived through the longest period of relative peace ever experienced on the continent. Some now take this for granted. Is their sense of security realistic? Security is no longer perceived not only as the absence of war. It now also includes development, freedom, and justice, all part of a comprehensive concept of security. This book bridges a vital gap between the academic literature, publications of think tanks and EU documents. It gives structure to a comprehensive set of security issues facing Europe in the era of globalization and renewed security threats after the Cold War.<br/><br/>Together with the website www.lelundin.org, structured as the book, it provides vital links between theory and actual cases in real time. The author, currently Distinguished Associate Fellow at Sipri, has an extensive experience as a security policy practitioner inside the EU institutions and as a national diplomat working with a number of international organisations. The value of the book is enhanced through interviews with many officials and academic experts. It provides a unique source of inspiration for all those focussing on the added value of the EU for security.<br/><br/>The book aims at senior level courses in the EU itself, including in the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) context. It is also well suited for those preparing themselves for working on security with and in the EU on all levels from NGO:s, national governments to international organisations.

Despite their different experiences during the Second World War Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are often regarded as, in many ways, similar welfare states. However, their approach to the EU and Nato in matters of security and defence politics, differs and this indicates that they might not be that similar after all. But they have all been active contributors to the efforts of conflict management by the international community. Providing military units to peace support operations all over the globe is consequently yet another similarity. In this book the strategic decision making procedures of the four states are explored and compared.

<p>US foreign policy is undergoing a dire transformation, forever changing America&apos;s place in the world. Institutions of diplomacy and development are bleeding out after deep budget cuts; the diplomats who make America&apos;s deals and protect democratic interests around the world are walking out in droves. Offices across the State Department sit empty, while abroad the military-industrial complex has assumed the work once undertaken by peacemakers. Increasingly, America is a nation that shoots first and asks questions later. In an astonishing journey from the corridors of power in Washington, DC, to some of the most remote and dangerous places on earth - Afghanistan, Somalia, and North Korea among them acclaimed investigative journalist Ronan Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history. His first-hand experience as a former State Department official affords a personal look at some of the last standard bearers of traditional statecraft, including Richard Holbrooke, who made peace in Bosnia and died while trying to do so in Afghanistan. Drawing on newly unearthed documents, and richly informed by rare interviews with warlords, whistle-blowers, and policymakers - including every living secretary of state from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton to Rex Tillerson - War on Peace makes a powerful case for an endangered profession. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, short-sightedness, and outright malice - but it may just offer a way out of a world at war.</p>

<p>This book is a detailed and fascinating account of how ministers and generals scrapped Sweden s traditional invasion defence and turned it into an active player in international affairs. Episodes include the creation of the first Nordic Battle Group, how strategy challenged the mighty defence industry and the controversies in government over the war in Afghanistan. Based on in-depth interviews and first-hand sources, this book provides a unique insight into the deliberations and struggles of one of the most dramatic reform periods in Swedish history.</p><p>Magnus Christiansson is associate lecturer at the Swedish Defence University. His main research interests are transatlantic security, Baltic Sea security and civil-military relations.</p>

<p>'An extraordinary novel, spiny and delicate, scathingly funny and wildly moving'<br/><b>Lauren Groff, author of <i>Fates and Furies</i></b><br/><br/>'Sarah Thankam Mathews' prose is undeniable . . . she captures the sneaky, unsaying parts of longing'<br/><b>Raven Leilani, author of <i>Luster</i></b><br/><br/>'Some books are merely luminous . . . this one is iridescent'<br/><b>Susan Choi, author of <i>Trust Exercise</i></b><br/><b><i><br/>'This is not a story about work or precarity. I am trying, late in the evening, to say something about love, which for many of us is not separable from the other shit.'</i></b><br/><br/>This is a novel about being young in the 21st century.<br/>About being called a 'rockstar' by your boss because of your Excel skills.<br/>About staying up too late buying furniture online, despite the threat of eviction hanging over you.<br/>About feeling like all your choices are mortgaged to the parents that made your life possible.<br/>About the excitement of moving to a new city: about gay bars, house parties and new romances.<br/>About a group of friends - about Sneha, Tig and Thom - and how that can become a family.<br/>About love and sex and hope.<br/>About knowing that all this could be different.</p>

'Extraordinary.' Philippe Sands 'We are touched by the courage and dignity of Andrew Harding's characters - qualities that the author must surely possess in equal measure.' - Andrey Kurkov 'A story of extraordinary heroism by ordinary people. - James Meek 'This gripping account is the Russian invasion of Ukraine in microcosm.' - Lindsey Hilsum The Russians are invading. But the locals have a plan. It's March 2022 and Russian tanks are roaring across the vast, snow-dusted fields of Ukraine. Their destination: Voznesensk, a town with a small bridge that could change the course of the war. The heavily-armed Russians are expecting an easy fight - or no fight at all. After all, Voznesensk is a quiet farming town, full of pensioners. But the locals appear to have other ideas. Svetlana, a grandmother with arthritis, reacts in fury when Russian troops turn her cottage into their blood-soaked headquarters. Valentin, a quick-talking lawyer, joins the town's 'Dads Army' defenders, crouching in a trench with an AK47. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sergei grabs a Molotov cocktail and lies in wait for Russian tanks as they push towards Dead Water Bridge. The odds are terrible. But a plan is emerging, and there's a chance it could save not just Voznesensk, but the rest of southern Ukraine. Meanwhile, inside the tanks, an inner battle rages. As Russian officer Igor Rudenko prepares to invade, he has a secret. He is Ukrainian himself. A gripping work of reportage that tells the story of a pivotal moment in Ukraine's war, this is a real-life thriller about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with resilience, humour and ingenuity. '[Andrew Harding is] one of our most gifted and sensitive journalists' - Jon Snow

In this book experts from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden examine strategic decision-making for international military engagement in the Baltic region. They provide an essential description of the actors, framework and processes, as well as case studies. They also analyse why decisions went as they did. An introductory chapter examines the notion of strategic culture and its impact. The book will be of value to anyone interested in Baltic security or strategic decision-making.