A Sudden Rampage

A Sudden Rampage describes Japan's occupation of Southeast Asia during World War II in the context of its relationship with the outside world. The first two chapters focus on the period between the Meiji restoration, the end of World War I, the interwar period, and the outbreak of war in the Pacific. Subsequent chapters offer a short narrative of the Pacific conflict and a country by country description of Japan's political activities in the occupied region and economic activities undertaken by the Japanese in wartime Southeast Asia. The concluding chapter assesses the contribution the occupation made to postwar Southeast Asia in the light of the suffering and destruction rendered on the region.

“Monumental… [A] vast and detailed study that is surely the finest single-volume history of World War II. Richard Overy has given us a powerful reminder of the horror of war and the threat posed by dictators with dreams of empire.” – The Wall Street Journal A thought-provoking and original reassessment of World War II, from Britain’s leading military historian A New York Times bestseller Richard Overy sets out in Blood and Ruins to recast the way in which we view the Second World War and its origins and aftermath. As one of Britain’s most decorated and respected World War II historians, he argues that this was the “last imperial war,” with almost a century-long lead-up of global imperial expansion, which reached its peak in the territorial ambitions of Italy, Germany and Japan in the 1930s and early 1940s, before descending into the largest and costliest war in human history and the end, after 1945, of all territorial empires. Overy also argues for a more global perspective on the war, one that looks broader than the typical focus on military conflict between the Allied and Axis states. Above all, Overy explains the bitter cost for those involved in fighting, and the exceptional level of crime and atrocity that marked the war and its protracted aftermath—which extended far beyond 1945. Blood and Ruins is a masterpiece, a new and definitive look at the ultimate struggle over the future of the global order, which will compel us to view the war in novel and unfamiliar ways. Thought-provoking, original and challenging, Blood and Ruins sets out to understand the war anew.

This edition includes a new preface which examines the 1992 South Central Los Angeles racial explosion in relationship to Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the 1965 Watts Riot, and helps us understand the history of racism in America and its legacy of antagonism and violence.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century a leading American scientist received a special assignment from a US government's top official. Then he became threatened by a mysterious evil force. The sinister killer threw him into the abyss of Hell where no organic matter can be sustained and no living creature can survive. But the human spirit proved to be undefeated, even suffering the loss of three lives the hero is tough enough to survive, transform to a God, fight back and repel the enemy. His adversary is an ancient incarnation of evil, his enemies are much numerous, but once defeated Gods in a Sacred Zone of Lazakria and robotic creatures from neutral space colonies are awaiting for his help. The divine virtue of the ancient relic of godly power--the Eye of the Beholder--enabled Alan to unlock the mystery of Time Mechanism, a device which could turn the Tide of Time. Destroying enemy naval armadas in a harsh battle, a hero realized that the brutality of the first encounter with the Empire of Evil was nothing else than a beginning of a Mortal Combat--The War of Armageddon.

An understanding of military occupation as a distinct phenomenon first emerged in the 18th century. This book shows how this understanding developed and the problems that the occupiers, the occupied, commentators and the courts encountered.

Civilizations «narrate themselves» in order to establish legitimacy, succeed against others, portray their own merits to their best advantage. The results express societal dynamics, yet also have a retroactive effect and decisively influence the self-conceptions of the «initiating societies». Political philosophies, interpretations of history and social perceptions of artistic achievements all contribute to these narratives. The dignified components, however, are by no means the sole or even the most important ones. Distinction in material culture (technological proficiency, popular art forms, etc.) or economic adroitness are even more consequential. The occidental narrative has been badly vacillating lately. Its severe crisis - due in part to a lack of collective self-confidence, but also to disagreements between its main strands - merits a meticulous analysis of a multitude of criteria. The resulting critique is embedded in reflections on a general theory of narrativity.

Military occupation is a recurrent feature of modern international politics and yet has received little attention from political scientists. This book sets out to remedy this neglect, offering:* an account of military occupation as a form of government* an assessment of key trends in the development of military occupations over the last two centuries* an explanation the conceptual and practical difficulties encountered by occupiers* examples drawn from, amongst others, the First and Second World Wars, US occupations in Latin America and Japan, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and the current occupation of IraqAfter a survey of the evolving practice and meaning of military occupation the book deals with its contested definitions, challenging restrictive approaches that disguise the true extent of the incidence of military occupation. Subsequent chapters explain the diverse forms that military government within occupation regimes take on and the role of civilian governors and agencies within occupation regimes; the significance of military occupation for our understanding of political obligation; the concept of sovereignty; the nature and meaning of justice; and our evaluation of regime transformation under conditions of military occupation.