April 30 this year marks the 30th anniversary of communist North Vietnam’s conquest of South Vietnam, symbolised by the image of a Soviet-built T-54 tank smashing through the gate of the Presidential Palace in Saigon. But, as Quynh Dao argues, many influential Western public figures and media commentators to this day persist in misunderstanding what…
FORGOTTEN ARMIES: The Fall of British Asia, 1941-1945By Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper London: Allen Lane / Penguin. Hardback. RRP $65.00 At the end of the 1930s, British rule in Southeast Asia seemed secure. Although there was a push for independence in India, and Burma had obtained some autonomy, the British presided over largely stable…
Adventure set in wartime Poland DESPITE THE BARKING DOGSBy Stanislaw Gotowicz Adelaide: self-published, Paperback RRP: $24.95 + P&H Available from the Thomas More Centre, Adelaide.Orders ph: (08) 8379 0246, or e-mail: [email protected] Stanislaw Gotowicz, in his 80th year has produced his second book in English, drawing deeply on his personal experiences of wartime Poland and…
The effectiveness of sea power is not lost on national security policy-makers in Beijing, writes Jeffry Babb. China has a long maritime history and its use of sea power to influence outcomes in foreign affairs is well developed. For this reason, it is important for China’s neighbours to take notice of developments in Chinese sea…