Review – Modernism and Totalitarianism
Shorten’s case for considering totalitarianism a modern phenomenon is scholarly in the best sense, providing an insightful overview of the evidence and drawing a qualified conclusion.
Review – Routledge Handbook of African Politics
The editors should be congratulated on recruiting such a calibre and range of expertise for their project and merging this knowledge and experience into a cohesive and accessible volume.
Review – Somalia: The New Barbary?
Unfortunately, Murphy’s book is a neo-colonial rendering of piracy: neither a worthy introduction to piracy and Islam in Somalia, nor does it provide new material or analysis for the trained eye.
Review – Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus
Schaefer delves into the breadth and depth of the Chechen-Russian conflict using his military expertise to offer a detailed examination of the conflict.
Review – Feminist Security Studies
Wibben’s advocacy for a more self-reflexive approach in which the researcher actively listens to her subjects constitutes a democratization of research in a field very much in need of it.
Review – US Special Forces and Counterinsurgency in Vietnam
Ives’ strange book tells and retells the same story about U.S. Special Forces and counterinsurgency, repeating traditional criticisms of U.S. strategy in Vietnam.
Review – Ontological Security in International Relations
Steele’s well-researched book convincingly appends the field’s more materialist notions of security, but the merits lie as much with its novel conclusions as they do with the ideas it inspires.
Review – Brazilian Foreign Policy in Changing Times
In examining 25 years of Brazil’s foreign policy, Vigevani and Cepaluni skillfully employ lessons from the past to inform the course the state must take to outgrow, outcompete, and eventually overtake the U.S.
Review – Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
Vogel’s book is more political history than biography. While the definitive work on Deng is still to come, it does present a formidable foray into the details of China’s party politics.
Review – Crude Reality
Brian C. Black’s examination of the history of petroleum is a fascinating account of its evolution from black goo to indispensable fuel, however his analysis of contemporary energy issues is superficial.
