Book Notes
| DOI | 10.1177/002234338302000311 |
| Published date | 01 September 1983 |
| Date | 01 September 1983 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Book
Notes
Aho,
James
A.,
1981.
Religious
Mythology
and
the
Art
of
War.
London:
Aldwych
Press,
258
p.
This
book
studies
the
cultural
role
of
war
in
8
different
societies,
ranging
from
Aztec
Mexico
to
Reformation
Europe.
The
theme
is
an
exciting
one,
and
far
too
seldom
explored
by
students
of
war
and
conflict,
who
tend
to
forget
the
cultural
dimension
of
war.
Aho’s
volume
is
a
worthwhile
effort
to
bring
new
perspectives
into
the
field.
The
book
is
an
appetizer
rather
than
a
feast,
however.
War
is
seen
in
the
light
of
a
selection
of
central
texts
from
each
culture,
with
little
sociological
analysis
of
real
world
relationships.
The
historical
and
cultural
range
of
the
book
is
impressive,
but
there
is
little
originality
in
the
actual
treatment
of
each
culture.
The
author
depends
on
a
very
limited
set
of
sources
in
each
case
-
central
ones,
no
doubt,
but
far
from
the
best
that
could
be
achieved,
given
the
level
of
modern
scholarship.
Aho
relies
much
on
Weber
(which
is
all
to
the
good),
but
a
work
such
as
this
almost
requires
another
Weber.
Much
deeper
studies
of
individual
cultures
exist.
But
until
a
more
mature
comparative
study
comes
along,
Aho’s
book
will
have
to
serve.
Cordier,
Sherwood
S.,
1981.
The
Air
and
Sea
Z.O~M
0/
//!P
7to/-//!
~l//a/!//C.
77:C//’
~CCM~
/A!
Lanes
of
the
North
Atlantic.
Their
Security
In
The
1980s.
Washington
D.C.,
University
Press
of
America.
84
p.
This
booklet’s
point
of
departure
is
an
acknowl-
edgement
of
the
vital
importance
of
the
trans-
Atlantic
sealanes
to
Western
security.
It
further
argues
that
the
Soviet
threat
has
increased
con-
siderably
over
the
years,
both
in
terms
of
general
naval
capabilities,
and
in
terms
of
naval
air
power.
On
the
basis
of
secondary
sources
it
gives
a
brief
overview
of
Western
and
Soviet
forces relevant
to
this
problem,
and
it
recommends
to
the
NATO
al-
liance
an
intensification
of
efforts
to
meet
the
Soviet
threat.
Frei,
Daniel,
1983.
Risks
of
Unintentional
Nuclear
War.
London:
Croom
Helm,
255
p.
£
14,25,
paperback £
7,95.
The
book
investigates
a
variety
of
factors
that
might
be
assumed
to
increase
the
risk
of
uninten-
tional
nuclear
war.
Contrary
to
popular
opinion,
the
author
concludes
that
the
initiation
of
nuclear
war
through
technical
malfunctioning
or
un-
authorized
use
of
nuclear
weapons
is
almost
negligible.
On
the
other
hand,
the
main
danger
of
nuclear
war
not
intended
by
the
Governments
involved
lies
in
the
combination
of
acute
inter-
national
crisis
and
decisions
made
on
false
assumptions.
A
basic
focus
of
the
book
is
crisis
(or
strategic)
instability
-
in
other
words,
a
situation
in
which
the
’Governments
facing
an
international
crisis
feel
that
it
is
extremely
urgent
to
decide
on
the
use
of
nuclear
weapons’.
Frei
then
investigates
how
the
arms
race
itself,
the
development
in
strategic
doctrines,
’and
nuclear
proliferation
may
in
fact
increase
crisis
instability.
The
book
shows
how
the
interrelationship
of
technological
development,
strategic
thinking,
speculations,
and
doubts
about
the
opponents
intentions,
constitutes
a
risk
of
unintentional
nuclear
war.
And
as
Frei
notes,
even
if
this risk
is
not
great,
it
is
of
utmost
importance
to
counter
it,
given
the
catastrophic
consequences
of
a
nuclear
war.
The
book
finally
investigates
existing
bilateral
and
multilateral
agreements
intended
to
reduce
the
risk
of
unintentional
nuclear
war,
but
finds
them
inadequate
in
relation
to
the
problem
at
hand.
Goldblat,
Jozef
and
Victor
Milldn,
1983.
The
Falklands/Malvinas
Conflict
-
A
Spur
to
Arms
Build-Ups.
London:
Taylor
and
Francis,
66
p.
This
SIPRI
report
gives
a
comprehensive
account
of
the
Falklands/Malvinas
war,
’including
a
historical
background,
the
diplomatic
com-
plexities,
and
a
preview
of
further
conflict
escalation.
It
contains
precise
data
on
the
military
capabilities
of
the
parties,
the
military
operations,
the
weapons
used,
and
the
losses
suffered
by
both
sides.
Moreover,
the
study
points
to
a
new
military
build-up
in
the
wake
of
the
war
which,
apart
from
Argentina,
has
spread
to
other
Latin
American
countries
such
as
Chile,
Brazil,
Peru,
Venezuela
and
Colombia.
A
new
cycle
of
the
arms
race
is
in
the
making.
The
Falklands/Malvinas
war
was
the
first
major
armed
conflict
after
World
War
II
between
a
Latin
American
country
and
an
extra-
hemispheric
power.
The
SIPRI
study
tells
a
story
of
high
relevance
for
contemporary
conflictual
relations
between
the
Third
World
and
the
great
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