RAND Best Sellers for July 2008
The books listed below are RAND's top-ten, best sellers for July 2008. You can find these and other RAND publications in bookstores; they may also be ordered through RAND. Also see RAND Book Reviews.
1.
Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery
A comprehensive study of the post-deployment health-related needs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and traumatic brain injury among servicemembers returning from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the health care system in place to meet those needs, gaps in the care system, and the costs associated with these conditions and with providing quality health care to all those in need.
2.
Pacification in Algeria, 1956-1958
When Algerian nationalists launched a rebellion against French rule in November 1954, France was forced to cope with a varied and adaptable Algerian strategy. In this volume, originally published in 1963, David Galula reconstructs the story of his highly successful command at the height of the rebellion. This groundbreaking work, with a new foreword by Bruce Hoffman, remains relevant to present-day counterinsurgency operations.
3.
Europe's Role in Nation-Building: From the Balkans to the Congo
The European Union and its member nations have proven adept at mounting small-scale nation-building operations and should be ready to handle more substantial missions. Building on prior RAND work, this volume presents six case studies of recent European-led nation-building missions, in Albania, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, Côte d'Ivoire, the Congo, and Bosnia, as well as a review of the Australian mission to the Solomon Islands.
4.
The Challenge of Nuclear-Armed Regional Adversaries
Deterrence of nuclear use through the threat of retaliation could be highly problematic in many plausible conflict scenarios with nuclear-armed regional adversaries. This could compel U.S. leaders to temper their military and political objectives if they come into conflict with these states. This book examines the reasons behind this important shift in the international security environment and its strategic and force planning implications.
5.
Revitalizing Arts Education Through Community-Wide Coordination
Initiatives to coordinate schools, cultural institutions, community-based organizations, foundations, and/or government agencies to promote access to arts education in and outside of schools have recently developed. This study looks at the collaboration efforts of six urban communities: how they started and evolved, the kinds of organizations involved, conditions that helped and that hindered coordination, and strategies used.
6.
Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan: RAND Counterinsurgency Study -- Volume 4
This study explores the nature of the insurgency in Afghanistan, the key challenges and successes of the campaign, and the capabilities necessary to wage effective counterinsurgency operations. It argues that successful counterinsurgency requires effective indigenous security forces, especially police; a viable and legitimate local government; and the suppression of external support for insurgents.
7.
Air Power Against Terror: America's Conduct of Operation Enduring Freedom
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 plunged the United States into a determined counteroffensive against Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network. This report details the initial U.S. military response to those attacks, namely, the destruction of al Qaeda’s terrorist infrastructure and the removal of the ruling Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The author emphasizes several distinctive achievements in this war, including the use of precision air-delivered weapons that were effective irrespective of weather, the first combat use of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles armed with Hellfire missiles, and the integrated employment of high-altitude drones and other air- and space-based sensors that gave CENTCOM unprecedented round-the-clock awareness of enemy activity.
8.
Developing Senior Navy Leaders: Requirements for Flag Officer Expertise Today and in the Future
Could U.S. Navy officers be better prepared to become flag officers? This study examines the kinds of expertise required for successful performance in Navy flag billets, and whether recent pools of officers possess this experience. The authors also examine Navy trends over the past decade to identify the types of expertise likely to become more important for Navy leaders in the future.
9.
The Rise of Political Islam in Turkey
Turkey, a Muslim-majority country, is pivotal to Western security interests in the Middle East. Its ruling party, the AKP, has Islamic roots but operates within a framework of strict secular democracy, which has generated controversy over the boundaries between secularism and religion. This monograph describes the politico-religious landscape in Turkey and evaluates how the balance between secular and religious forces has changed over the past decade.
10.
Top