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Book Review: Beyond Black Hawk Down: Intervention, Nation-Building, and Insurgency in Somalia, 1992-1995
Christian Werner
Author: Jonathan Carroll
Reviewed by: Colonel Christian Werner, director of European studies, Department of National Security and Strategy, US Army War College
In this groundbreaking military history, Jonathan Carroll moves beyond the infamous Battle of Mogadishu to uncover the full scope of the US and UN intervention in Somalia. Drawing on newly available sources and the Somali perspective, Carroll reveals how a promising humanitarian mission unraveled into a cautionary tale of political missteps and failed nation-building. Beyond Black Hawk Down offers vital lessons for future interventions in fragile states, making it essential reading for policymakers, historians, and military strategists alike.
©2026 Christian Werner
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Book Review: China's Air Power and Maritime Strategies Towards the Indian Ocean Region
Punsara Amarasinghe
Author: Joshy M. Paul
Reviewed by: Dr. Punsara Amarasinghe, Institute of Law, Politics and Development, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
How is China reshaping the strategic balance in the Indian Ocean? In China's Air Power and Maritime Strategies Towards the Indian Ocean Region, Joshy M. Paul explores Beijing’s military modernization, naval expansion, and airpower ambitions as it seeks dominance through bases, partnerships, and economic leverage. This timely analysis reveals the growing contest between China’s expeditionary capabilities and India’s deterrence strategies in one of the world’s most critical maritime theaters.
©2026 Punsara Amarasinghe
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Book Review: Nothing but Courage: The 82nd Airborne's Daring D-Day Mission—and Their Heroic Charge Across the La Fière Bridge
Wylie W. Johnson
Author: James Donovan
Reviewed by: Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain, US Army War College class of 2010
In this riveting account, James Donovan tells the dramatic story of the 82nd Airborne Division’s mission to seize and hold the La Fière bridge—an unassuming but vital link in the success of the D-Day invasion. Dropped behind enemy lines hours before the beach landings, these paratroopers faced overwhelming odds in a brutal three-day battle that culminated in a near-suicidal charge across a narrow causeway. Blending firsthand accounts, archival research, and battlefield visits, Donovan honors the courage and sacrifice that helped turn the tide of World War II.
©2026 Wylie W. Johnson
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Book Review: Proxy Wars from a Global Perspective: Non-State Actors and Armed Conflicts
Joshua O. Lehman
Edited by Paweł Bernat, Cüneyt Gürer, and Cyprian Aleksander Kozera
Reviewed by: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua O. Lehman, academy professor, United States Military Academy
States are increasingly turning to non-state actors to fight their battles, reshaping the nature of modern warfare. Proxy Wars from a Global Perspective, edited by Paweł Bernat, Cüneyt Gürer, and Cyprian Aleksander Kozera, offers a sweeping analysis of this trend through case studies from Mali, Ukraine, Syria, and beyond. With insights from international relations and security experts, the book challenges outdated Cold War frameworks and introduces a new paradigm for understanding outsourced conflict in a multipolar world.
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