White Flag

FOREWORD BY GENERAL SIR MIKE JACKSON After the pain of Iraq and Afghanistan, it is hard to imagine the UK being drawn into another war. Defence chiefs warn that there is a real prospect of future conflict, but they have struggled to persuade most politicians to take them seriously. Our leaders have concluded there are no votes in defence, and have progressively run down the armed forces. Today, the army is at its smallest since the Napoleonic Wars; the RAF is less than half its size twenty five years ago, and the Royal Navy will struggle to muster the ships and weapons required to protect our new aircraft carriers. Is there really a risk of war? Is our military less capable and, if so, what could that mean for our future? White Flag? explains what has happened to our armed forces in recent years and asks whether their decline endangers our safety and prosperity.

Recommendations -- Killings of Gazans conveying civilian status -- Failure to investigate -- International legal standards.

In 1945 Okinawa, a seven year old girl is wandering about carrying a white flag.

During the Autumn of 1857, in a remote region of what is now Southern Utah, acts of great treachery were committed against innocent people. The loss of life was staggering and unprecedented in American history. Evidence shows the responsible parties to be from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, including the Prophet Brigham Young. This story strives to honor the historical record.

The American Civil War began with a laying down of arms by Union troops at Fort Sumter, and it ended with a series of surrenders, most famously at Appomattox Courthouse. But in the intervening four years, both Union and Confederate forces surrendered en masse on scores of other occasions. Indeed, roughly one out of every four soldiers surrendered at some point during the conflict. In no other American war did surrender happen so frequently. David Silkenat here provides the first comprehensive study of Civil War surrender, focusing on the conflicting social, political, and cultural meanings of the action. Looking at the conflict from the perspective of men who surrendered, Silkenat creates new avenues to understand prisoners of war, fighting by Confederate guerillas, the role of southern Unionists, and the experiences of African American soldiers. The experience of surrender also sheds valuable light on the culture of honor, the experience of combat, and the laws of war.

Jamie Peacock is known and respected as one of the most powerful and redoubtable forwards in world rugby. The inspirational skipper at Bradford Bulls until 2005, when he helped them claim the Super League Trophy, the 2003 Man of Steel is now a key figure at hometown club Leeds Rhinos, who he helped to the title in 2007. Having just led Great Britain to their first Test series win in fourteen years, he is also set to captain England in the much-anticipated 2008 World Cup. Coming from a forthright Yorkshireman, this autobiography will pull no punches in describing rugby league as Jamie sees it. Replete with opinions and anecdotes, it is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the modern game. This new paperback edition is fully updated to include the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.