by PaddyAshdown (Author)
The men and women of the British armed forces are currently engaged in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans in 'peacekeeping operations'. How do we avoid these missions turning into long-term entanglements? How do we bring our soldiers home? And what do we do about 'failed states' that are havens for gangsters and terrorists? Paddy Ashdown fears we will soon see major wars between nation states. Many will begin as minor conflicts that will expand into full-scale wars unless the international community intervenes. The way to stop the big wars is to deal promptly with the small ones. From his perspective as a former Royal Marine officer in the 1960s to the High Representative in Bosnia from 2002-6, Lord Ashdown is uniquely qualified to investigate the successes and failures of peace-keeping operations, reveal what lessons have been learned - and what lessons keep being forgotten.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Phoenix
Published: 12 Jun 2008
ISBN 10: 0753823314
ISBN 13: 9780753823316
Book Overview: Lord Ashdown is a highly regarded international statesman who spent four years as UN High Representative in Bosnia Controversial, hard-hitting criticism of peace-keeping operations British forces will be committed to many more such missions: this is the template for their success 'Few people are better qualified to write about muscular international intervention than muscular Paddy Ashdown ... so his book ... has plenty to recommend it' Economist 'What makes Ashdown attractive is his down-to-earth approach, his independence and his frankness' Independent 'Plainly written ... He says it is not a primer, but it will rightly be taken as one ... many sensible arguments' Guardian 'Ashdown is the best qualified person to tackle the question of whether intervention is justified and if so how it can succeed' Spectator