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"This collection of essays, written by authors of different nationalities, explores the experiences of the countries that were not numbered among the Second World War's major belligerents, including colonies, "lesser" powers, and neutral nation states. National Perspectives on the Global Second World War is an essential contribution to the study of the Second World War and will be of particular interest to scholars of imperial and colonial history, military history, and global history"--

Two decades on from 9/11, the Taliban now control more than half of Afghanistan. Few would have foreseen such an outcome, and there is little understanding of how Afghans living in Taliban territory have navigated life under insurgent rule. Based on over 400 interviews with Taliban and civilians, this book tells the story of how civilians have not only bargained with the Taliban for their survival, but also ultimately influenced the course of the war in Afghanistan. While the Taliban have the power of violence on their side, they nonetheless need civilians to comply with their authority. Both strategically and by necessity, civilians have leveraged this reliance on their obedience in order to influence Taliban behaviour. Challenging prevailing beliefs about civilians in wartime, Negotiating Survival presents a new model for understanding how civilian agency can shape the conduct of insurgencies. It also provides timely insights into Taliban strategy and objectives, explaining how the organisation has so nearly triumphed on the battlefield and in peace talks. While Afghanistan's future is deeply unpredictable, there is one certainty: it is as critical as ever to understand the Taliban—and how civilians survive their rule

Cover page -- Halftitle page -- Title page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- CONTENTS -- ILLUSTRATIONS -- PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- Map -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 Iran, Iraq and the great powers -- German influence in Iran and Iraq -- Iran, Reza Shah's regime and the great powers -- Iran and the coming of war -- Britain, Arab nationalism and the Iraqi state -- America in Iran -- Britain and the challenges of imperial overstretch -- CHAPTER 2 Defending Iran and Iraq -- CHAPTER 3 Towards the Iraqi coup -- Rashid Ali's coup -- CHAPTER 4 Iraq goes to war -- Wavell wavers -- The siege is lifted -- CHAPTER 5 Fallujah and the advance on Baghdad -- The embassy siege -- Breakout from Habbaniya and the capture of Fallujah -- To Baghdad -- Accounting for Iraq's defeat -- The Farhud -- CHAPTER 6 Mopping up and de-Nazification -- Casualties and compensation -- Showing the flag, mopping up and invading Syria -- De-Nazifying Iraq -- CHAPTER 7 Barbarossa and Iran -- CHAPTER 8 Anglo-Soviet invasion -- The troops go in in the south -- The British attack in the north -- CHAPTER 9 Abdication and occupation -- The shah's procrastination -- Abdication and the occupation of Tehran -- Britain and the new shah -- Troubles in Kurdistan -- Quinan's tasks -- Differences with the Soviets -- American involvement -- CHAPTER 10 The consequences of occupation -- Theft, petty sabotage and ambushes -- Crimes committed by allied forces -- Murders and unexplained deaths -- Cash and employment -- The East Persian Auxiliary Transport Service -- CHAPTER 11 War and the home front -- Inflation and the cost of living -- Food and hoarding -- Trucks and tyres -- The December 1942 riots -- The Polish refugees -- CHAPTER 12 Churchill's new command -- The oil review, July 1942 -- Reinforcements: Iran and Iraq trump Egypt -- Churchill's desert sojourn -- The choice of commander

The British Empire influenced many aspects of the world we live in today. The international system remains heavily marked by British imperialism, and the borders, nations, and federations it created. This 'Very Short Introduction' introduces and defines the British Empire, reviewing how it evolved into such a force and the legacy it left behind.

"Buildings of Empire takes the reader on an exciting journey through thirteen territories of the British Empire. From Dublin Castle to the glass and steel of Sir Norman Foster's Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank skyscraper, these buildings capture the essence of the imperial experience, painting an intimate portrait of the biggest empire the world has ever seen: the people who made it and the people who resisted it, as well as the legacy of the imperial project throughout the world. Ashley Jackson visits classic examples of the buildings that the British governed from, the forts they (often brutally) imposed their rule from, the railway stations they travelled from, the banks they traded from, the educational establishments they spread their values from, as well as the grand colonial hotels they stayed in, the sporting clubs and botanical gardens where they took their leisure, and the monumental exhibition spaces in which they celebrated the achievements of settlement and imperial endeavour. The history of these buildings does not end with the empire that built them. Their story in the aftermath of empire highlights the continuing legacy of many of the structures and institutions the British left behind, as well as the sometimes unexpected role that these former symbols of alien rule have played in the establishment of new national identities in the years since independence."--Publisher's website

"Distant Drums reveals how colonies were central to the defence of the British Empire and the command of the oceans that underpinned it. It blends sweeping overviews of the nature of imperial defence with grass-roots explanations of how individual colonies were mobilized for war, drawing on the author's specialist knowledge of the Indian Ocean and colonies such as Bechuanaland, Ceylon, Mauritius, and Swaziland. This permits the full and dramatic range of action involved in imperial warfare - from policy-makers and military planners in Whitehall to chiefs recruiting soldiers in African villages - to be viewed as part of an interconnected whole. After examining the martial reasons for acquiring colonies, Distant Drums considers the colonial role in the First World War. It then turns to the Second World War, documenting the recruitment of colonial soldiers, their manifold roles in British military formations, and the impact of war upon colonial home fronts. It reveals the problems associated with the use of colonial troops far from home, and the networks used to achieve the mobilization of a global empire, such as those formed by colonial governors and regional naval commanders."--Publisher's description