In a radical analysis of global security, this book argues that the current Western security posture is one of elite societies maintaining their power in an increasingly divided and environmentally constrained world.

In a radical analysis of global security, this book argues that the current Western security posture is one of elite societies maintaining their power in an increasingly divided and environmentally constrained world. Western states seek to maintain the global status quo through economic and political dominance backed up by military forces reconfigured to emphasise rapid deployment, long-range strike and counter-insurgency. The text questions the entire paradigm, arguing that it is not only unjust and ethically unacceptable, but is not even sustainable in military terms. Using examples from across the world, it demonstrates that trends in asymmetric warfare and political violence, together with the security vulnerabilities of urban-industrial states, mean that conventional military approaches to maintaining elite security will not work. A new approach to global security is necessary in which the reversal of socio-economic polarization and the enhancement of sustainable development are placed at the heart of Western security policies in the early 21st century.

A violent peace
learning from the Cold War
nuclear futures
taming the jungle
the new security paradigm
losing control
shifting the paradigm.