Remembrance Lecture 2010: Chilcot Report
Following the report’s publication, the thoughts of Philippe Sands QC, delivered as MAW’s 2010 Remembrance Sunday Lecture at the Imperial War Museum, make interesting and topical reading.
“Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The Strategic Defence and Security Review”, UK Government, 2010
In recent years, the UK Government has published its first “National Security Strategy” (2008) and also this “Strategic Defence and Security Review” (2010) – the first since 1998. From the Strategic Defence and Security Review: “Today, Britain faces a different and more complex range of threats from a myriad of …
War is not inevitable, Pugwash Group, 2010
In 2010, the British Pugwash Group published a statement in which three distinguished scientists argue that “War is not inevitable: aggressiveness can be tamed”. British Pugwash is the UK arm of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, an international network of scientists and others concerned about the social …
Challenge Militarism, WILPF, 2010
A publication from the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom. “Whilst military capacity is exposed every day to be a terminally ineffective method of assuring security given the nature of modern threats, militaries the world over consume ever-increasing amounts of the world’s human and economic resources. Despite this realization, …
“Newspeak in the 21st Century” review
by David Edwards and David CromwellPluto Press, 2009 The authors run the Media Lens website, which challenges the unbalanced view of events provided by mainstream media. In this book they explore in great depth how the news we receive can be biased towards the establishment or corporate agenda. Even those …
“The Uses and Abuses of History” review
by Margaret MacmillanProfile Books Ltd (2009) The uses and abuses of history covered by Margaret MacMillan include the popularity and limitations of history on TV and cinema; the way history has been used selectively to suit the ‘needs’ of current generations; and the way history, particularly military and political, helps …
“The Green Zone: the environmental costs of militarism” review
by Barry SandersAK Press, 2009 Given the crisis of climate change, military carbon emissions are a matter of concern, but facts have been hard to come by. Barry Sanders, basing his research on the American military machine, illustrates what an enormous environmental threat all military activity poses. He gives numerous …
“Wired for War: the robotics revolution and conflict in the twenty-first century” review
by P. W. SingerPenguin (2009) Science fiction warfare is already with us for better or more probably for worse. Where does it go from here? We are in the cusp of a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make real the stuff of I Robot and the Terminator. …
“Adrian: Scotland celebrates Adrian Mitchell” review
Edited by Chrys Salt and John Hudson, published by Markings Adrian Mitchell was one of the most respected and admired literary figures of his day, writing plays and poetry for adults and children as well as novels and satire. He was a pacifist; he was a radical, subversive, child-like and …
Shared Responsibilities: a national security strategy for the UK
At the end of June 2009 the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) published the final report of their Commission on National Security for the 21st Century – Shared Responsibilities: a national security strategy for the UK. It makes for some interesting reading. A copy of the full report can …