Since the siege at London's Iranian Embassy in 1980, the reputation of special military units such as the SAS has grown steadily. It is now taken for granted that special forces are ideal for a world of small, balkanized conflicts and terrorist activity - with a tactical focus that minimizes casualties, they can also be viewed as election-friendly for democratic governments. Forces from inception to deployment. It looks at all aspects of the overlap between elite forces and the worlds of intelligence and counterterrorism, ...
Read More
Since the siege at London's Iranian Embassy in 1980, the reputation of special military units such as the SAS has grown steadily. It is now taken for granted that special forces are ideal for a world of small, balkanized conflicts and terrorist activity - with a tactical focus that minimizes casualties, they can also be viewed as election-friendly for democratic governments. Forces from inception to deployment. It looks at all aspects of the overlap between elite forces and the worlds of intelligence and counterterrorism, also taking an objective look at the controversial role of Special Forces and freelancers in covert operations such as assassination. Up-to-date, it looks at the relevance of Special Forces to the global fallout of September 11th 2001, their role in Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East. Importantly, it separates the reality from the macho myths to make for an authoritative and often frightening read.
Read Less