America

Learning from the Bosnian Conflict and the Tragedy of the Rwandan Genocide: International Conflicts after the Cold War

Black Hawk Down: The Combat Record of America's Finest Special Forces - Based on the blockbuster movie! Recommended to learn about the Somali tragedy.

This film was the basis for Ridley Scott's hit movie Black Hawk Down.

The fighting in Somalia was to have a major impact on later U.S. military intervention.

It is said that the UN peacekeeping operations that became dysfunctional in the Bosnian conflict and the Rwandan genocide, both of which have been discussed in this blog, were also greatly affected by this very incident.

Until then, the United States and other industrialized nations believed that conflicts in developing countries could be easily put down if they intervened with overwhelming force. However, Black Hawk Down was the event that destroyed this optimistic view.

At this point, the final countdown to the Rwandan genocide and the Srebrenica massacre may have begun...
Learning from the Bosnian Conflict and the Tragedy of the Rwandan Genocide: International Conflicts after the Cold War

Toru Takagi, "Document: War Advertising Agencies, Information Manipulation and the Bosnian Conflict" - The Media's Infinite Influence! The Unknown Side of the Conflict

The title of this book is exciting, but its content is also quite intense.

What does it mean that "the country that controls information wins"? The "ethnic cleansing" reports that shocked the world and led to the condemnation of Serbia were actually the result of information manipulation by a highly skilled American PR man. In this book, you will learn the reality of information warfare to create and guide international public opinion.
Learning from the Bosnian Conflict and the Tragedy of the Rwandan Genocide: International Conflicts after the Cold War

15 recommended reference works to learn about the Bosnian conflict.

This article is a recommended reference for learning about the Bosnian conflict and the Srebrenica genocide. From the middle of the article, there are also books on genocides that took place in Rwanda and Somalia, but these genocides also took place at about the same time as the Bosnian conflict. The Rwandan and Somali genocides were mentioned in "Srebrenica: A Study of a Genocide" by Yukie Osa. The three are very similar in terms of the background of the conflicts and massacres and the mechanisms of international organizations that failed to prevent them. We feel that this is very important for a better understanding of the Bosnian conflict and the Srebrenica genocide, and we have decided to introduce it here.

This will be an update with heavy content for some time to come, but I would like to reiterate here what human beings are and why massacres happen.

Learning from the History, Thought and Literature of the Cold War World

Timothy Snyder, "Tyranny: 20 Lessons from 20th Century History" - Reading recommendations from a world-class historian.

We must learn from history. This book advises us on where to actually start in order to do so.

In this article, I would like to introduce one of the chapters that caught my attention, "Make Your Own Words Count". It talks about the significance of reading, and it was the part that left the biggest impression on me!
Learning from the History, Thought and Literature of the Cold War World

Kota Suechika, "Islamism: Envisioning Another Modernity" - Recommended for understanding the modern Islamic trend.

This book is a much-appreciated introduction to Islamic thought, the connection between doctrine and politics, and the situation of the people of the Middle East.

We have been recommending reference books for learning about Islam on our blog, and we highly recommend this book for learning about the modern Islamic world.
Learning from the History, Thought and Literature of the Cold War World

V. Sebeschen, "The Hungarian Revolution 1956" - Recommended to learn about the major events in Eastern Europe during the Cold War that shocked the world!

Victor Sebeschen's books are characterized by a narrative style of storytelling. It is not just a list of events, but a hidden story and deep analysis that draws the reader in. It's just interesting! That's all I can say.

This book is no doubt the work of such a Victor Sebeschen. It is extremely interesting.

In this work, the tense situation in Hungary and the course of the revolution unfolds in a documentary style. Reading the book is like watching a movie, with a sense of urgency and realism. The book is also richly illustrated with photographs, which give a clear picture of the situation at that time.
Learning from the History, Thought and Literature of the Cold War World

Ben Steil, "The Marshall Plan: The Birth of a New World Order" - An exciting look behind the scenes of postwar European reconstruction.

This book made me realize how intricate and chaotic the Marshall Plan was.

It is easy to say, "Thanks to the U.S., Europe's devastated economy has revived thanks to the U.S.," but it was surprising to learn how many peaks and valleys and cunning tactics were involved in this tremendous exchange of ideas between the major powers. It was not simply a matter of the U.S. providing enormous financial support.

The Soviet Union, of course, would oppose this, but the European countries on the receiving end of the funds would not say, "Yes, yes, of course, we will be very grateful. In particular, the former hegemonic nations of the United Kingdom and France are quite cunning. As one would expect from a country that had ruled the world until then, their diplomatic bargaining skills are extraordinary.
Learning from the History, Thought and Literature of the Cold War World

Tony Judt, "European Postwar History" - The gold standard of history books! One of the best books to learn how the world works!

In this book, you will witness the author's superhuman expansion of knowledge. It is hard to describe, but this book gives you a sense of "expanding your world.

It reminds us that the world is connected to the world and how the passage of time has great significance for the world.

This is a great book among great books that I highly recommend!
Learning from the History, Thought and Literature of the Cold War World

O.A. Westad, "Cold War World History" - A recommended general history of the world during the Cold War.

What surprised me when I read this book was that from the end of World War II, when the Cold War began in earnest, to the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a constant struggle going on somewhere in the world. And these conflicts were so dangerous that they could have turned into all-out wars at any time.

When I thought of the Cold War, I thought of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and it was a real surprise to me that there were many, many other crises of all-out war besides this incident.

In Japan, we tend to think that after World War II, the war was over and the world was at peace, but this is not true at all.