Michael A. Crawford Knihy

The book examines the catastrophic impact of the 1975 Lebanese Civil War, highlighting the staggering human toll and the displacement of civilians. It contextualizes the conflict within the political landscape of the United States under President Gerald R. Ford, who faced significant domestic and international challenges. Instead of military intervention, the U.S. chose a diplomatic approach, which unintentionally strengthened the authoritarian Syrian regime and led to its invasion of Lebanon, reshaping the region's power dynamics during a critical period.

The book explores the enduring principles of counterinsurgency, emphasizing that many modern conflicts are not as novel as often portrayed. It argues that historical lessons from past military engagements, such as those in the Philippines and Vietnam, remain relevant today. By referencing influential military theorists like Sun Tzu and Clausewitz, the author stresses the importance of applying historical strategies to current operations, particularly in Afghanistan, rather than discarding them in favor of new tactics that may lack proven effectiveness.

The medieval earldoms of Orkney and Caithness were positioned between two worlds, the Norwegian and the Scottish. They were a maritime lordship divided, or united, by the turbulent waters of the Pentland Firth. This unlikely combination of island and mainland territory survived as a single lordship for 600 years, against the odds. Growing out of the Viking maelstrom of the early Middle Ages, it became an established and wealthy principality which dominated northern waters, with a renowned dynasty of earls. Despite their peripheral location these earls were fully in touch with the kingdoms of Norway and Scotland and increasingly subject to the rulers of these kingdoms. How they maintained their independence and how they survived the clash of loyalties are themes explored in this book from the early Viking age to the late medieval era when the powerful feudal Sinclair earls ruled the islands and regained possession of Caithness. This is a story of the time when the Northern Isles of Scotland were part of a different national entity which explains the background to the non-Gaelic culture of this locality, when links across the North Sea were as important as links with the kingdom of Scotland to the south.