This wide ranging and impeccably researched study provides a much-needed degree of analytical insight into the understudied and frequently covert phenomena of proxy war. Geraint Hughes has written what will surely become the key textbook on the subject, and an essential guide to the strategic complexities of proxy war for students and policy makers alike. An outstanding glimpse behind the ... Read morescenes of how many modern states and non-state actors choose to fight, which should be on the reading list of any course on strategic studies.
Alex Marshall, Glasgow University Convenor, The Scottish Centre for War Studies The logic of 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' is ancient. But proxy war as a tool of policy is badly in need of more rigorous understanding. My Enemy's Enemy is a rich historical and theoretical study of this important subject. Not only does Geraint Hughes diagnose how and why states go about sponsoring mischief in their enemy's backyards. He also demonstrates that proxy war is an ambiguous weapon that can backfire and bring harm to those who wield it. At a time when we might be seeing the return of great power rivalries and new rounds of security competition between states, Hughes' historical interpretation is a well-timed and sober argument about the hazards of waging triangular shadow wars abroad.
Dr Patrick Porter, University of Reading, author, Military Orientalism: Eastern War through Western Eyes My Enemy's Enemy is a ground-breaking look at proxy warfare - how countries such as the United States and Great Britain use other countries to wage their wars without ever getting involved themselves. In this book, author Geraint Hughes shines deserved attention on a long-neglected subject. This kind of war is of greater and greater interest today as the great powers face an era of fiscal austerity in which direct involvement in costly wars may no longer be possible. In such times, placing the burden on other countries becomes more and more practical. Timely and scholarly, My Enemy's Enemy will likely have a great impact on future strategic policies worldwide.
Carter Malkasian, US Center for Naval Analyses Show Less