Martin Van Creveld Libri

[A] brisk, original, and authoritative history. --New York Times Book Review

This unique volume traces the history of the state from its beginnings to the present day.

Instead of fearing a nuclear war between two superpowers, the world now watches smaller conflicts warily. This book addresses the question: Will fear and respect for nuclear weapons be sufficient to prevent their use despite the implacable hatred that characterizes many regional rivalries?

Exploring the evolution of warfare over the past century, this book examines the transformation from traditional combat to contemporary conflicts, including the rise of terrorism. It delves into the implications of these changes for the future of war, offering a thought-provoking analysis of how historical precedents shape current and future military strategies.

Analyses the performance of two key parties engaged in fighting during World War II.

Published in the fiftieth anniversary year of the state of Israel: a complete history of one of the world's most admired--and most mythologized--fighting forces

A second edition of this classic work, commenting on the role of logistics in warfare.

In the form it has finally assumed, this volume falls into two very different parts. Part 1 was written by Dr. Steve Canby, Ken Brower, and Martin van Creveld at the invitation of Air University, Maxwell Airforce Base, Alabama. It represents the authors joint attempt to clarify the relationship between air power and maneuver warfare since 1939, a subject that derives its importance from the fact that maneuver warfare has been the U. S. Army’s official doctrine since the early eighties and remains so to the present day. By contrast, part 2 was added ex post facto. It contains the collective wisdom of the military doctrine analysts of the Air University on the same subjects, as well as the way in which the authors in the first section have presented them. The reader is invited to wade through the entire volume and draw his/her own conclusions about the past, present, and future of air power on the one hand and maneuver warfare on the other, assuming indeed that they do have a future.

At a time when unprecedented change in international affairs is forcing governments, citizens, and armed forces everywhere to re-assess the question of whether military solutions to political problems are possible any longer, Martin van Creveld has written an audacious searching examination of the nature of war and of its radical transformation in our own time. -- Published description

Many consider conscience to be one of the most important, if not the fundamental quality that distinguishes humans from animals on one hand and machines on the other. However, what "is" conscience? Is it a product of our biological roots, as Darwin thought, or is it a purely social invention? If so, how did it come into the world? Beginning in ancient Egypt Martin van Creveld explores conscience throughout history, ranging across numerous subjects from human rights to health and the environment. Along the way he considers the evolution of conscience in its myriad, occasionally strange, and ever-surprising permutations. Individual chapters are devoted to Japan, China, and the Nazis, as well as the most recent discoveries in robotics and neuroscience. The book concludes by arguing that, the claims of the artificial intelligence community notwithstanding, we are no closer to understanding the nature of conscience than we have ever been. As one computer expert has said, we shall probably build machines able to mimic conscience before we know what it really is.