Wars throughout history have been fought in the name of ideology,
religion and the pursuit of peace. Our thinking about war –
when it is justified, how it should be fought and how it is
perceived – has changed dramatically over time. Whereas in
the past war has been seen as a battle of wills, this provocative
and illuminating new book shows how war has evolved into an
exercise in risk management.
In a rare blend of political science, sociology, history and
cultural thought, Christopher Coker peels away the layers of
meaning shrouding our current understanding of war and warfare.
Using the ideas of writers such as Zygmunt Bauman, Ulrich Beck and
Frank Furedi, he shows that risk has become the language of
business, politics and public policy and so we should not be
surprised that it has now become the language of war. The book
highlights the increasing difference between homeland security and
national security in the modern world, arguing that the defense of
the citizen is often now more challenging than the defense of the
state. By demonstrating the changing character and complexity of
conflict from World War I to the current the current fight against
terrorism, the book provides a powerful and highly distinctive
account of the re-branding of war in an age of risk.
This book is set to ignite debate amongst students and scholars
of international politics as well as appealing to anyone interested
in war and its place in contemporary society.
Tabella dei contenuti
Preface vii
1 The Risk Society at War 1
2 Complexity and War 28
3 War in an Age of Risk 62
4 Consequence Management 103
5 The Geopolitics of Risk Management 131
6 The Risk Age and its Discontents 173
Bibliography 185
Index 199
Circa l’autore
Christopher Coker is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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