Postmodern War: The New Politics of Conflict [Hardcover]

Chris Hables Gray PhD (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1572301600 | ISBN-13: 978-1572301603 | Publication Date: April 11, 1997

From Operation Desert Storm to the conflict in Bosnia, computerization and other scientific advances have brought about a revolution in warfare. This book shows how our high-tech age has spawned both increasingly powerful weapons and a rhetoric that disguises their apocalyptic potential in catch phrases like "smart weapons," "cyberwar," and "bloodless combat." A skillful combination of trenchant cultural study(/WRITERS: CHANGE CULTURAL STUDY TO "SOCIAL ANALYSIS" IN SOME SITUATIONS), provocative illustrations, and engrossing military, technical, and historical analysis, Postmodern War sheds new light on the ways we conceptualize and conduct war today.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"The story of modern war is...a tale of the decline of moderation in war," writes Gray (Univ. of Great Falls, Montana). War is not just in transition, he argues, but in crisis; the U.S. military strategy has become "a wild grasping at any new possible weapon." The Gulf War demonstrated the characteristics of the new war: it was a "low-intensity conflict" in which advanced technology allowed the Allies to kill their adversaries without personal contact and without empathy, a war of media as well as information manipulation. Gray argues that technology and science are dangerous handmaidens of war, justifying ever-riskier levels of nuclear brinkmanship and deadening sensitivity to the consequences of our own actions. With guarded optimism, he concludes, "These are times of great change, so there are possibilities. They are just not simple." Though the book is uneven (it is not argued at a consistent level, with Gray's enthusiasm sometimes intruding to create a preachy tone), his work is well worth reading; it may change some people's minds on the desirability (and inevitability) of contemporary war. Recommended for all libraries.?David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Contains fascinating insights...for anyone with an interest in contemporary affairs, Hables Gray's book provides compelling food for thought -- Great Falls, MT Tribune

Well worth reading...Recommended for all libraries -- Library Journal, 6-1-97

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press (April 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572301600
• ISBN-13: 978-1572301603
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,572,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Postmodern war is more dangerous than ever., August 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Postmodern War: The New Politics of Conflict (Hardcover)

Gray is an academic historian who crosses the study of military history with the history of technology. His primary thesis in the book, which is a revision of his PhD dissertation, is that the nature of war shifted in the mid-20th century from a modernist position of war for the sake of ideology (e.g., totalitarian versus democratic rule) to a postmodernist position of war for the sake of regional and economic conflict. To readers unfamiliar with debates over what is modernism or postmodernism, the thesis may seem insignificant, and Gray does little to introduce these concepts to a readership wider than that of the initiated. His bibliography is good though, so readers may follow up on the references to enhance their understanding of modernity. As for the question of new technology in war, Gray presents some provocative examples of how the developed world's faith in technology renders it blind to the pitfalls of confronting a determined and decidedly anti-modern enemy in the developing world. As many have claimed, when the Cold War ended, the world's conflicts altered from an east-west axis (capitalist versus communist) to a north-south axis (the haves versus the have nots). Gray alludes to this idea, but he could bring it out more in further writing on the problem of how an unquestioning adherence to new technologies leads to more defeat than victory. After all, the moral dilemma of war remains: Each soldier must kill the enemy one bullet at a time, and no amount of distancing from this difficult task by advanced military weapons lessens the gravity of the decision to wage war. Any distraction from this problem by the enchantment with advanced technology only makes the world a more dangerous place. Gray says as much, and I agree.