Description
Divided Armies is a groundbreaking exploration of military dynamics in modern warfare by Jason Lyall. This essential paperback book, published by Princeton University Press in 2020, delves into the critical question of how armies fight and what determines their success on the battlefield. In a world where military outcomes often hinge on social structures, Lyall introduces the concept of military inequality, elucidating how a nation's decisions regarding the citizenship status of its ethnic groups can profoundly impact their effectiveness in battle. By treating some ethnic groups as second-class citizens, states not only foster inequalities but also breed distrust and dissent among soldiers. This book reveals that higher levels of inequality correlate with increased desertion rates, side-switching, and casualties, signaling the dangers inherent in a divided military structure.
Using the innovative Project Mars dataset, which encompasses 250 conventional wars since 1800, Lyall presents a comprehensive analysis that includes often-overlooked non-Western conflicts while highlighting patterns of inequality. This historical investigation combines data-driven statistical analysis and compelling narratives from various wars, including both World Wars and conflicts across Africa and Central Asia, illustrating the profound impact of inequality on military performance. Divided Armies is a must-read for military scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the critical factors that shape warfare and peacekeeping strategies in contemporary and future conflicts.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9780691192444. Format: Trade paperback (US). Year: 2020. Publisher: Princeton University Press.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691192444
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2020
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
How do armies fight and what makes them victorious on the modern battlefield? In Divided Armies, Jason Lyall challenges long-standing answers to this classic question by linking the fate of armies to their levels of inequality. Introducing the concept of military inequality, Lyall demonstrates how a state's prewar choices about the citizenship status of ethnic groups within its population determine subsequent battlefield performance. Treating certain ethnic groups as second-class citizens, either by subjecting them to state-sanctioned discrimination or, worse, violence, undermines interethnic trust, fuels grievances, and leads victimized soldiers to subvert military authorities once war begins. The higher an army's inequality, Lyall finds, the greater its rates of desertion, side-switching, casualties, and use of coercion to force soldiers to fight.
In a sweeping historical investigation, Lyall draws on Project Mars, a new dataset of 250 conventional wars fought since 1800, to test this argument. Project Mars breaks with prior efforts by including overlooked non-Western wars while cataloguing new patterns of inequality and wartime conduct across hundreds of belligerents. Combining historical comparisons and statistical analysis, Lyall also marshals evidence from nine wars, ranging from the Eastern Fronts of World Wars I and II to less familiar wars in Africa and Central Asia, to illustrate inequality's effects.
Sounding the alarm on the dangers of inequality for battlefield performance, Divided Armies offers important lessons about warfare over the past two centuries-and for wars still to come.
Using the innovative Project Mars dataset, which encompasses 250 conventional wars since 1800, Lyall presents a comprehensive analysis that includes often-overlooked non-Western conflicts while highlighting patterns of inequality. This historical investigation combines data-driven statistical analysis and compelling narratives from various wars, including both World Wars and conflicts across Africa and Central Asia, illustrating the profound impact of inequality on military performance. Divided Armies is a must-read for military scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the critical factors that shape warfare and peacekeeping strategies in contemporary and future conflicts.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9780691192444. Format: Trade paperback (US). Year: 2020. Publisher: Princeton University Press.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691192444
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2020
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
How do armies fight and what makes them victorious on the modern battlefield? In Divided Armies, Jason Lyall challenges long-standing answers to this classic question by linking the fate of armies to their levels of inequality. Introducing the concept of military inequality, Lyall demonstrates how a state's prewar choices about the citizenship status of ethnic groups within its population determine subsequent battlefield performance. Treating certain ethnic groups as second-class citizens, either by subjecting them to state-sanctioned discrimination or, worse, violence, undermines interethnic trust, fuels grievances, and leads victimized soldiers to subvert military authorities once war begins. The higher an army's inequality, Lyall finds, the greater its rates of desertion, side-switching, casualties, and use of coercion to force soldiers to fight.
In a sweeping historical investigation, Lyall draws on Project Mars, a new dataset of 250 conventional wars fought since 1800, to test this argument. Project Mars breaks with prior efforts by including overlooked non-Western wars while cataloguing new patterns of inequality and wartime conduct across hundreds of belligerents. Combining historical comparisons and statistical analysis, Lyall also marshals evidence from nine wars, ranging from the Eastern Fronts of World Wars I and II to less familiar wars in Africa and Central Asia, to illustrate inequality's effects.
Sounding the alarm on the dangers of inequality for battlefield performance, Divided Armies offers important lessons about warfare over the past two centuries-and for wars still to come.