The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History by Bobbitt, Philip - 2002

UK: Allen Lane, 2002. approx 1.5kg packed for post, 922 clean white well bound pp, minor wear to corners & leading edge of dj, This ambitious book sets out to reinterpret the history of the twentieth century as a long war in which conditions of outright military confrontation or of frantic "cold" competition lasted from the outbreak of the first world war until the collapseof the Soviet Union. He goes on to argue that this long experience of war has brought about a fundamental change in the constitutional basis of sates, and explores this idea through the notion of the "market state". By clarifying the relationship between constitutional settlements and military power, and by drawing on his firsthand experience in the heart of superpower planning, Bobbitt reveals a startling new way of understanding the past - and an awesome glimpse of the future. review >>> Breathtaking scope handled with confidence and clarity. Ambitious, erudite, persuasive. A tour de force historical narrative of state hegemonics. But with an agenda. and >>> That Bobbitt writes elegantly and synthesizes everything from poetry to policy to warfare to theory so beautifully makes the experience all the more rewarding and compelling. . 1st. Hardcover. Excellent/Good. 24 Cm.