Going to War: British Debates from Wilberforce to Blair [Hardcover]

Going to War overturns conventional views of the role of public opinion, the armed forces, parliamentarians, NGOs and writers in the formation of British debates about impending wars. It shows the pressures and the reasons which have led to Britain's involvement in so many conflicts.Preface Chronology Introduction Culture and Circumstance The Anglican Church and War Civil Society The Media and War War and Literature The Rise of the Armchair Strategists The Professional Military Parliamentary Debates Public Opinion Iraq and Afghanistan Do Debates Matter? Brief Biographies References Bibliography

' It is not easy in a thousand words to do justice to Philip Towle's latest book ... it offers a rich and often absorbing account of decisions to go to war made by British governments over the last 200 years. It is a taut book, written with remarkable economy [yet] the ground covered is extensive and his survey is typified by wide knowledge and a searching fairness.'

- Hugh Berrington, RUSI Journal

PHILIP TOWLE?has worked for the Australian National University in Canberra and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He has taught in the Centre of International Studies at Cambridge University, UK?since 1980 and was previously its Director. This is his twelfth book on International History and Security.