Secret Wars: Covert Conflict in International Politics

This is a very interesting and thought-provoking analysis of covert conflict in international politics using many case histories to argue for the thesis that secrecy of state involvement is a response to the persistent concern of limiting escalation of war, even though both sides our collusively aware of the actions of the other. The book addresses the questions of why states intervene covertly rather than overtly and why they collude rather than expose each other. Historically, it is interesting to reflect that the human devastation of the First World War led leaders to think about limitations of conflict as it showcased the destructive potential of modern warfare, which has of course intensified with every technical advance in weaponry. The book looks specifically at interventions in the Spanish Civil War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Afghanistan and finally covert operations in US occupied Iraq between 2003 and 2011. These are examined in greater detail in subsequent chapters as readers understand the complementary roles of overt and backstage involvement, and the case is persuasively made for the overall thesis in a series of concluding tables. The thesis potentially extendable to cyber war and the actions of Putin seem to embrace this full spectrum using plausible deniability and outright denial to create strategic confusion. Although aimed at students of international relations, the book of interest students of politics more generally.