"The Russo-Ukrainian War is the most serious geopolitical crisis since the Second World War--and yet at the heart of the conflict is a mystery. Vladimir Putin apparently lurched from a calculating, subtle master of opportunity to a reckless gambler, putting his regime--and Russia itself--at risk of destruction. Why? Drawing on over 25 years' experience as a correspondent in Moscow, as well as his own family ties to Russia and Ukraine, journalist Owen...

Through a series of case studies ranging from the 1837 Caroline incident to the abuse of detainees in Ghraib prison in Iraq, the author examines the history of armed conflict and international law. Byers explores the controversies that surround Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq and the development of international humanitarian law from the 1859 Battle of Solferino to the present and the role of war crimes tribunals and the International Criminal Court....

"Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House evokes a highly gratifying image in the popular mind-it was, many believe, a moment that transcended politics, a moment of healing, a moment of patriotism untainted by ideology. But as Elizabeth Varon reveals in this vividly narrated history, this rosy image conceals a seething debate over precisely what the surrender meant and what kind of nation would emerge from war. The combatants in that debate...

"Does growing economic interdependence among great powers increase or decrease the chance of conflict and war? Liberals argue that the benefits of trade give states an incentive to stay peaceful. Realists contend that trade compels states to struggle for vital raw materials and markets. Moving beyond the stale liberal-realist debate, Economic Interdependence and War lays out a dynamic theory of expectations that shows under what specific conditions...