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Originally Posted by clive milne
I tried to find some reviews and references to the content of this book but there isn't a huge amount on the web. Of particular interest is the extent to which it identified the media and money supply as weapons...
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Agreed.
I am not a specialist in weapons technology, so I hope that he gets it right! It is one of those books that provoke thought, but one can question the accuracy, perhaps successfully.
War has been with us for a long time;
in the ancient city of Jericho, I seem to recall that there are thick walls and also a watch tower, which date back to 7 or 8 thousand years BC......and you don't need walls and a watch tower unless you are expecting largish groups of Thuggish Armed Men to attack your community with well-organized violence!!
Indeed, I agree with you, there are many weapons of a non-obvious kind, such as when media or politicians "beat the war drum".
Financing, as you have indicated, is a major issue, and has often involved nations taking out enormous loans in order to finance a military campaign ("money is the sinews of war")
Wars are fought in many different ways, for many different reasons, as is beautifully argued in "A History of Warfare" by John Keegan, which is a well-written historical overview of war. There is nothing simple about war, and I suppose that is why it is so hard to prevent wars and to prevent massive arms races of the sort that occasionally happen.
cheers, Robert