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>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.

The definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster by New York Times-bestselling author Adam Higginbotham, based on fascinating new archival research and in-depth reporting - a riveting history that reads like a thriller The Challenger space shuttle was the most complicated machine ever built and Mission 51-L was an event to define a generation- it had the largest and most diverse intake of astronauts in NASA history and it would launch into orbit Christa McAuliffe, the world's first 'Teacher In Space'. The mission was emblematic of an America standing tall once again, revitalised under its new leader, President Ronald Reagan. On Tuesday 28 January 1986 when Challenger was launched into space, the shuttle exploded into a fireball in the sky above the Atlantic Ocean, just over a minute into its journey. The seven men and women onboard were killed, and the disaster was watched live by millions around the world. The long chain of events that led to the disaster, and the aftermath of the tragedy, have remained clouded by time, misconception and the complexities of aerospace engineering. Despite months of headlines, video replays of the doomed launch, and a Congressional investigation which itself became a media spectacle, the truth of the accident has never been fully unravelled. To most, it was known simply as the catastrophe that killed Christina McAuliffe, the Teacher in Space. In this jaw-dropping account based on deep archival research and original reporting, award-winning journalist Adam Higginbotham reveals the lives of the men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster, not only the seven members of the Challenger crew, but the designers, engineers and test pilots who knew that shortcuts were being taken. A tale of hubris and over-reach on the 'high frontier', as well as spectacle that's never been seen before or since, Challenger is a classic work of storytelling from a master of the form.