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Sunrise in the Valley 2016

Sunrise in the Valley 2016

by Fergus Smith (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2016

    $3.21
Synopsis

It's 2001 and NATO protects a fragile peace between the Albanians and Serbians in the Balkan region of Kosovo. British Army spokesman Major Paul Illingworth must win hearts and minds to build peace and stability. But all factions are suspicious and volatile, and veteran war reporters deeply cynical of what he is trying to do. Can he trust Roza, his young Albanian interpreter? Which version of the truth does he believe?He who controls the message, controls perception. And he who controls perception, controls behaviour.The sequel to In the Shadow of the Mountain, this novel brilliantly highlights the vanity at the heart of New Labour. Explores the power relationships between the media, the government, and the civilian population. Captures the intense complexities, personal as well as military, of the Kosovo war.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Publisher: Headsail Books
Published: 25 Nov 2016
ISBN 10: 0992687233
ISBN 13: 9780992687236

Media Reviews
The politics, ethnic rivalries and complexities of the war in Kosovo are at the heart of this story. Sunrise in the Valley uses a single incident - a bus bombing witnessed by a young girl - as the central event around which to unravel the story of the conflict, its underlying animosities and manoeuvrings of the international peacekeeping forces which worked under the NATO banner during the conflict; Sunrise in the Valley does not attempt to unpick or relay the minutiae of the war; instead its focus is the manipulation of the messages of war as spun by a British army officer serving masters in Pristina and London while all the time developing his own sense of right and wrong, of ethical behaviour and injustice in the theatre of war. In his second novel, Fergus Smith picks up the story of Captain Paul Illingworth, sent to Kosovo to head Message Operations, influence the views of the Albanian population of Kosovo, bring the international media onside with the peacekeeping operation while always being mindful of the political overlords of the British government; Using the relationships that Illingworth builds with fellow British officers, international and local journalists, Sunrise in the Valley builds the case for PR, spin and propaganda being every bit as important as firepower in gaining the upper hand in a conflict zone. Illingworth's role as a leader is tested and considered from a variety of perspectives - his relationships with his superiors in Pristina and London, his efforts to build trust with local and international journalists, to win over local groups and in his efforts to control his deepening feels for his translator Roza.;Readers will connect with his questioning of the morality of decisions heavily influenced by political considerations over and above what might be right or good in the context of what is happening in Kosovo. This is a novel with pace, with a myriad of thought-provoking challenges - and with a cruel twist Illingworth himself was blind to.; Catherine O'Connor, Leeds Trinity University
Author Bio
Fergus Smith served in The Parachute Regiment for 12 years and saw action in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, and Sierra Leone. He now writes and lectures about leadership and organisational change.