A Great Game with New Rules Central Asia is no longer the contested territory in a great geopolitical game fought among great powers. Few borders are seriously contested, unlike the situation in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Despite regional problems involving the exploitation of water resources, inter-ethnic distrust, economic reform, and the development […]
THE GOTHIC ART OF WAR
This is the first in a series of articles on the Goths. Later articles will describe the military organisation and battle tactics of the Romano-Gothic successor states, their weapons and armour, as well as the history of their wars from the emergence of the Goths as a people to the fall of the Gothic kingdoms […]
PRIVATEERS IN THE GREAT NORTHERN WAR, 1700-1721
The Swedish Way of Warfare – with Privateers and Pirates In the 1700s, the Swedish way of warfare was regarded as highly effective. It was also, not infrequently, highly anachronistic. The Swedish army’s persisting – and convincing – use of pikes against enemies armed with muskets is well known. Less noted perhaps, is the fact […]
FROM MUSCOVY TO RUSSIA: THE EMERGENCE OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY, 1462-1689
The Army of Muscovite Russia – From the Middle Ages to Imperial Russia Medieval Russia was divided into a number of independent princepalities and republics. In the fourteenth century Moscow, ruled by a Grand Duke or Prince (velikiy knyaz’), gained a leading rle among them, a feat achieved chiefly by accepting tributary status to the […]
THE PROSPECTS FOR GENOCIDE IN CHECHNYA AND EXTREMIST RETALIATION AGAINST THE WEST
The failure of the Chechen separatist movement has made it imperative to find a working policy for the volatile Russian North Caucasus. There is a risk of extremist retaliation against the West, which would mean that the present terrorist threat in Russia becomes a transnational threat. The paper describes the prospects for Russia in dealing […]
THE TATMADAW: BURMA’S ARMED FORCES AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE
Since 1988, Burma has expanded its military from what was in effect a mere counter-insurgency force to what is likely to become the largest military force in South-East Asia. Moreover, a rapid and thorough modernisation process has armed the battle-hardened army with modern weaponry. The air force and navy too have increased their capabilities. For […]
OSTINDISKT FAKTORI I NAGASAKI BYGGS UPP PÅ NYTT
På en konstgjord ö, Dejima, i nuvarande Nagasakis hamn, byggdes redan på 1500-talet bostäder för utländska köpman. Så småningom uppfördes här ett holländskt, ostindiskt faktori. Ön blev med århundradena fast land och bebyggt med allt fler och all högre kontorshus. Men nu ska Dejima med sitt gamla faktori återuppstå till fyrahundraårsjubileet av det första holländska […]
WARS AND WARRIORS OF THE NORDIC BRONZE AGE
PART 1: Armies of the North PART 2: The Struggle for Ireland, 1772-1457 BC What do we know about the wars of the Nordic Bronze Age? Archaeology provides some answers, and if taken with a fair amount of scepticism and acceptance of uncertainty, old chronicles bring additional small nuggets of what might possibly have happened. […]
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF YAMATAI: JAPANESE WARRIORS OF THE YAYOI PERIOD, 300 BC – AD 300
The Yayoi period is sometimes regarded as the Japanese Bronze Age. This is not strictly true, as iron was in widespread use and Japan accordingly never had a true bronze age. However, the Yayoi period succeeded the stone-age Jomon period, and was itself followed by the iron-dominated Kofun period, during which a new potent force […]
LEKSAKER, VAR DE FÖRST KULTFÖREMÅL – OCH ÄR TRÄHÄSTARNAS URSPRUNG OSTASIEN?
Är leksaker föremål, som har tillverkats endast för barnens lekar? Eller är leksaker vardagsföremål, som barn hittar eller lånar för att leka med? Och är alla de kottar, stenar och träpinnarsom barn använder i leken även de att betrakta som leksaker? Föreliggande artikel behandlar trähästar och andra träföremål som påträffats i Novgorod. The article describes […]
STREET GANGS OF SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY JAPAN – PART 2: THE TOWN MAGISTRATE AND THE EDO POLICY
Soon after Edo (present Tokyo) in 1603 had been chosen as the new capital of Japan, vicious street gangs took over the streets of the city. Until 1687, when most gangs were suppressed, they formed a colourful and violent part of Japanese organized crime. Get Full text in PDF
STREET GANGS OF SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY JAPAN – PART 1: WITH SWORD AND TOBACCO PIPE
Soon after Edo (present Tokyo) in 1603 had been chosen as the new capital of Japan, vicious street gangs took over the streets of the city. Until 1687, when most gangs were suppressed, they formed a colourful and violent part of Japanese organized crime. Get Full text in PDF
IN SEARCH OF THE OPIUM WARLORDS OF THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE: A REPORT FROM THE THAI-BURMESE BORDER
Opium and its modern derivative heroin have for long remained a serious threat against civilisation as we know it, both in the East and in the West. Today, a large share of the available heroin comes from the area known as the Golden Triangle, the vast borderlands between Thailand, Burma, and Laos… Get Full text in […]
Burma: Ethnicity and Insurgency
New York: Praeger, 1993 (ISBN-13: 978-0275943707, ISBN-10: 0275943704)
VIKINGS AND SAMURAI: CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE JAPANESE AND THE SWEDES
The Japanese and the Swedes are more similar than most people would believe. There are indeed several underlying social and cultural factors, which are shared by both Japan and Sweden. This paper describes and analyses the most striking similarities, in order to create a framework that can assist in forecasting the future of Japan’s economy […]
