Items related to War in an Age of Risk

War in an Age of Risk - Softcover

Coker, Pro Christopher

 
9780745642888: War in an Age of Risk
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0745642888 ISBN 13: 9780745642888
Publisher: Polity, 2009

Synopsis

This study looks at how the Risk Society in which we live has restructured the way we think about security, as well as transformed the security agenda. War for the major powers has become the management of risk. For many smaller powers insecurity has become the currency of power for actors involved in markedly zero-sum games.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Christopher Coker is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

From the Back Cover

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.

From the Inside Flap

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.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Polity
Publication date
2009
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0745642888
ISBN 13 
9780745642888
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
1
Number of pages
224