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1. The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew, 1998 680 p. DS599.4 LEE This book by Senior Minister (SM) Lee Kuan Yew needs little introduction. The first of a two-volume work, it has received rave reviews from leaders all over the world. In his memoirs, SM Lee recounts his early life, and his later struggles against the colonialists, the communists and the communalists as he attempted to forge a nation out of a society of many races. This is recommended reading for those who want to know about the making of modern Singapore, and the man who is its founding father.
2. Singapore: An Illustrated History, 1941-1984 Daljit Singh and V.T. Asaru (eds.), 1984 397p. DS599.61 SIN This book presents the history of Singapore from 1941 to 1984 in pictures and short accompanying narratives. It describes the main events and explains why things happened the way they did. The story begins in 1941 and covers major events that have been decisive in shaping the Singapore of today. These include the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore; the Communist United Front activities and insurgency in the 1940s and 1950s; constitutional developments leading to self-government; merger with Malaysia; and then separation and independence; the partnership and the struggle for power between the communists and the PAP; the communal conflicts of the 1960s; and the Indonesian Confrontation. Singapore's political evolution was also influenced by regional and international events, and the most important of these have been given their due place in the book. The last two chapters deal with the formidable problems that confronted an independent Singapore after 1965 and how these were overcome.
3. Defending Singapore (1819-1965), Pointer Supplement Kwa Chong Guan (ed.) 151 p. UA853 DEF The late Professor Wong Lin Ken in a seminal address to the Command and Staff College on 23 November 1978 argued that "the fall of Singapore was more than a military defeat; it was a benchmark, signifying the end of an era, the visible death throes of Pax Britannica". The essays in this POINTER Supplement take their cue from the late Professor Wong's insight and explore the significance of Yamashita's victory within the longer time frame of defending Singapore between Sir Stamford Raffles' landing and Mr Lee Kuan Yew declaring Singapore's independence. Besides Professor Wong's article on the "The Fall of Singapore: A Wider Historical Perspective", there are seven other essays looking at different aspects of the defence of Singapore. As a whole, the essays in this volume attempt to show how military power and war, or the threat of war, have fundamentally shaped our world. A strategic approach to our history is essential so that we can visualise the world in terms of armed conflicts and how we have responded to these conflicts.
4. Malaysia-Singapore Relations - Troubled Past and Uncertain Future? Andrew Tan 82p. D5610.47 TAN A range of bilateral issues has bedeviled relations since independence in 1965 between Singapore and Malaysia. There is evidence of a mutual deterrent relationship. These problems are symptoms of deep underlying mistrust and require astute political and conflict management. This monograph argues that the two countries cannot allow their relations to fluctuate from crisis to crisis. A troubled past need not and should not translate into an uncertain future.
5. Defending the Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore Tim Huxley 335p. UA853 HUX This substantial and scholarly account of Singapore's defence forces and the policies under guiding them since the country's independence in 1965 is the first major study of the subject. The book outlines the background to Singapore's strategic outlook and to the policies that have led to its impressive military capability. The author also describes the roles, structures, training, procurement and logistics within the Armed Forces. He assesses the importance of politics, civilian administration, the defence-industrial capability and regional and international defence alignments.
6. Southeast Asia: An Introductory History Milton Osborne 263 p. DS525 OSB A new edition of a survey of Southeast Asian modern history (previous edition, 1995). It does address the region's early history but concentrates on developments since the 18th century, including the impact of colonial rule, economic transformations, the emergence of independence movements, the impact of social change, and the role of religion, ethnic minorities, and immigrants.
7. From Third World to First: The Singapore Story, 1965-2000 Lee Kuan Yew 778p. DS599.4 LEE It makes evident the former Prime Minister's powerful mind; trenchant decisiveness and unique experience at home and abroad since Singapore started to go it alone as a nation in 1965. Character sketches personal asides and succinct observations illuminate the discussion of national and international events and strategies in the period, which included the Vietnam War, the decline of Maoism and many far-reaching changes in regional and global weightings. Whether or not the reader agrees with or approves of Mr Lee's priorities or policies, it will be impossible to ignore this book, which will remain a primary text and an interpretation of a personality whose influence has stretched well beyond the 'little dot on the map' that is Singapore.
8. Singapore: the Chain of Disaster Woodburn Kirby 270 p. D767.5 KIR The book is an authoritative account by the British Official Historian on the loss of Singapore, in the war against Japan. In this incisive, forthright book, General Woodburn Kirby argues that the blame for this defeat, the greatest national humiliation ever suffered by Britain, must be placed squarely on the shoulders of successive British Governments, whose decisions from as early as 1919 built up the chain which led inevitably to disaster. Kirby allows that two major errors were made in the military conduct of the British campaign, but claims that at that stage nothing could have been done to save the gallant but ill-trained and ill-equipped garrison. The airforce was obsolescent and at barely half the strength agreed upon by the Chiefs of Staff; the mainland of Malaya was virtually without protection; the so-called fortress of Singapore had no defences on the landward side - in short, the naval base was lost even before the foundation stone of the great dry dock which was to make Singapore the keystone of British interests in the Far East was laid in 1928.
9. Japan's Greatest Victory, Britain's Worst Defeat Masanobu Tsuji 271 p. D767.5 TSU The author of this book was the Chief of Operations and Planning Staff, of the 25th Japanese Army. Tsuji's greatest personal triumph, as well as that of the 25th Army, was to defeat the British army of twice as big as that of the Japanese. In this book Tsuji tells his deep-seated desire to free East Asia from European rule and a belief in the glorious destiny of Japan; the research and the planning for the capture of Malaya and Singapore, and the operations of the 25th Army Campaign. His account of the Japanese approach to war and their climatic victory over the British Empire provides a rare and fascinating view of Japanese military prowess.
10. Malaysia's Security Perspectives Andrew Tan 54p. UA853 TAN A well-developed and informed understanding of Malaysia's security perspectives is necessary given the strategic importance of Malaysia to Singapore. This research project aims to examine the key factors which have affected the formulation of Malaysia's national security policy, and how Malaysia has attempted to realise these objectives. This study will demonstrate the complexity of factors that have given rise to Malaysia's broad strategy of comprehensive strategy, which incorporates political, military, economic, social, cultural and psychological dimensions.
11. Defence and Decolonisation in Southeast Asia: Britain, Malaya and Singapore 1941-1968 Karl Hack 341p. DS596.3HAC The 1941-68 process of British decolonisation from Malaya and Singapore is detailed in this substantially referenced monograph. The major issues and aims behind British military and political actions in relation to the communist insurgency, the rubber trade, anti-colonial political activity, the Indonesian "Confrontation" and many other events, are explored. New archival material and the passage of time enable a fresh focus on many events of this crucial period in Southeast Asian development.
12. Pacific Century: The Emergence of Modern Pacific Asia Mark Borthwick 590 p. DS518.1 BOR The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly emerging as a global economic and political powerhouse. Looking at both Southeast and East Asia, this richly illustrated volume stresses broad, cross-cutting themes of regional history, with an emphasis on the interactions between cultures and nations. Borthwick begins his discussion with an overview of political evolution and cultural and economic trends from ancient times through the eighteenth century. He then considers more recent developments in Asia in their historical context, balancing national and international factors that underlie economic growth and political change in the region. The conclusion weighs the key domestic and international issues facing the nations of Pacific Asia and the probable interactions these nations will have with North America and with the global economy. This book is suitable as an interdisciplinary introduction to Asia and the Pacific.
13. The Singapore Mutiny R. W. E. Harper & Harry Miller, 1984 254 p. UB785 HAR In mid-February 1915 half of the Fifth Light Infantry of the British Indian Army stationed in Singapore suddenly rose up in an unexpected and terrifying mutiny. Before the mutineers were finally suppressed, 40 Europeans had been killed and the colonial government of Singapore had received the shock of its life. The event took place at the height of the First World War and because colonial defence forces had been withdrawn for more urgent service in Europe, the Fifth Light Infantry had become the only regular unit left in Singapore for its defence from possible German attack. The book describes in detail the events which took place and how a desperate administration had to rely on the assistance of the marines on board Russian, Japanese and French warships patrolling the area to help local volunteer forces overcome the mutineers. The book also reveals the findings - kept secret for 50 years - of a court of inquiry into the mutiny. What emerges is that the Singapore Mutiny was more than just 'a local little disturbance' as it was officially passed off as at the time. It is a story of how weak military leadership in a racially sensitive situation led to a mutiny that could have been avoided.
14. Between Two Oceans: A Military History of Singapore From First Settlement to Final British Withdrawal Murfett Malcolm, John Miksic, Brian Farrell, and Chiang Ming Shun 398p. UA853 BET In this scholarly and wide-ranging work, source material from UK, India, Singapore, USA and Australia are used to trace the geo-strategic development of Singapore since the 13th century. Some myths often regarded as factually correct are revised. The authors are academics connected to the National University of Singapore. An important study of largely unexplored area.
15. Singapore's Foreign Policy: Coping With Vulnerability Michael Leifer 177p. DS6107 LEI This text examines the deep influence in Singapore's foreign policy of the government's perception of the island-state's domestic and international vulnerability.
16. Singapore: The Air-Conditioned Nation: Essays on the Politics of Comfort and Control, 1990 - 2000 George Cherian 223p. DS599.64 GEO The book presents a collection of stimulating essays that get to the very heart of the Singapore system and the dynamics shaping it, revealing many of the tensions and contradictions inherent in the "air-conditioned nation" and the factors accounting for the political success of the ruling People's Action Party.
17. Political Change in Southeast Asia: Trimming the Banyan Tree Michael R. J. Vatikiotis 230 p. JQ96 VAT In the West, industrialisation and new-found wealth catalysed political enlightenment and participatory democracy. However, the experience of Southeast Asia has been rather different. Rapid economic growth has not resulted in an even distribution of wealth and progress towards participatory democracy has been slow. Strong governments hold sway over free markets supported by the middle class, seemingly content to sacrifice gratification for collective stability. Some now argue that the Western model of political change is not applicable in the Southeast Asian context. Vatikiotis examines the contrast between the assumptions on political change based on the Western experience and the Southeast Asian reality. He argues that traditional concepts of power, which stress authoritarian values and paternalism, have not simply survived but have thrived during the post-colonial period despite pressures to Westernise. He points out that while the desire to preserve power has prompted local the ruling elite to make exaggerated claims about 'Asian' values, the societies they govern are also finding ways of resisting tyranny.
18. The Undeclared War: The Story of the Indonesia Confrontation, 1962-1966 James Harold & Denis Sheil-Small, 1979. 201 p. DS646.3 JAM The Undeclared War tells, for the first time, the full story of Britain's most vital victory since the Second World War. The war in Borneo could easily have become another Vietnam. It was only leadership of a very high quality and troops of a very high standard of training and versatility, which prevented the conflict from growing into a full-scale war. This book tells how British, Gurkha and Commonwealth troops guarded a thousand-mile frontier against incessant Indonesian guerrilla attacks, and how they achieved near-total mastery of some of the most difficult fighting terrain in the world by playing and outwitting the enemy at his own game.
19. The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern War Charles Townshend, 1977 354 p. U21.2 OXF This well illustrated book examines the techniques, technology, and theory of warfare from the 'military revolution' of the seventeenth century to the present day. The expert contributors explore major developments and themes, including the growth of modern military professionalism and mass armies; the extraordinary achievements of Napoleon's armies; the roles of nationalism in battle grounds as varied as the American Civil War and the former Yugoslavia, colonial wars; the concept and reality of 'total war'; guerrilla warfare and 'people's wars. The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern War offers a comprehensive overview of military conflict over several centuries. It is a fascinating thematic approach to the study of modern war on land, at sea and in the air.
20. The Art of War: War and Military Thought Martin Van Creveld 244p. U27 VAN This work covers the history of military thought from the philosophy and doctrine of the pursuit and practice of warfare. Starting with the ancient Chinese writers, the book takes the reader through Greece, Rome, Byzantium and the Middle Ages to the moderns like Frederick the Great and Clausewitz.
21. The Second War in the East Willmott, H. P 224p. D767 WIL Until its loss in World War II, Japan had not known failure in centuries of warfare. This record of the conflict goes beyond mere description to illuminate why Japan instigated a conflict with the only nation--the United States--capable of defeating her, as well as the crucial shifts in the nature of naval power and strategy that occurred during the fighting. Set off on the road to war, analysing the effects of the first world conflict; Japan's policies in China; the first victories, as Japan surges through Asia; the great battles of Midway and Guadacanal; and the final defeat, with the devastating launch of the first nuclear weapons.
22. The Gulf Conflict, 1990-1991: Diplomacy and War in the New World Order Lawrence Freedman & Efraim Karsh, 1993 504 p. DS79.72 FRE This book provides the most authoritative and comprehensive account to date of Iraq's occupation of Kuwait, its expulsion by a coalition of Western and Arab forces seven months later, and the aftermath of the war. Blending compelling narrative history with objective analysis, Freedman and Karsh inquire into the fundamental issues underlying the dispute and probe the strategic calculations of all the participants. As seen by the authors, the conflict offers a remarkable "snapshot" of the international system at the start of the 1990s and an opportunity to explore the global impact of the break-up of the Soviet empire in Europe. Resisting the temptation to view the situation in the Gulf as a prize-fight between George Bush and Saddam Hussein, Freedman and Karsh analyse the war in relation to more general problems on the conduct of diplomacy and the role of military force in the "New World Order." They have produced what promises to be the standard work on the Gulf conflict.
23. The New Terrorism Walter Laqueur 312p HV6431 LAQ In The New Terrorism, Walter Laqueur recounts the history of terrorism and examines the future of terrorist activity worldwide. Laqueur traces the chilling trend away from terrorism perpetrated by groups of oppressed nationalists and radicals seeking political change to small clusters of fanatics bent on vengeance and simple destruction. Coinciding with this trend is the alarming availability of weapons of mass destruction. Chemical and biological weapons are cheap and relatively easy to make or buy. Even nuclear devices are increasingly feasible options for terrorists. And with the information age, cyber terrorism is just around the corner. Laqueur argues that as a new quasi-religious extreme right rises, with more personal and less ideological motivations than their left-wing counterparts, it is only a matter of time before the attainability of weapons of mass destruction creates a terrifying and unstable scenario.
24. Soldiers: A History of Men in Battle John Keegan & Richard Holmes, 1985. 288 p. U21.2 KEE Wars are conflicts between states and societies. Soldiers are the human means through which wars are fought. The book tells its story through the different types of soldiers who have fought each other since warfare began. Written by two leading British military historians, it recounts the rise of warfare from its origins as a clash between foot soldiers armed with primitive edged weapons to its present state of sophisticated confrontation between automated electronic systems. It also deals with how soldiers are motivated to fight which the authors believe is the responsibility of the commander, whose selection, training and character is perhaps, the nub of the subject to which this fascinating book is dedicated.
25. Acts of War: The Behaviour of Men in Battle Also published as Firing Line Richard Holmes, 1986 436 p. U21.2 HOL This book attempts to document Clausewitz's "fog of war" as experienced by the individual soldier. It explores the behaviour of soldiers at the front line under enemy fire, primarily, his conduct and ability to cope with the extreme physical and psychological pressure of combat. Holmes found that the soldier's threshold for stress and motivation to fight depended on several factors. These include the physical and psychological conditioning for combat; leadership quality, and group cohesiveness. Sources of Holmes' work came mainly from interviews with soldiers who fought in the World Wars, the Korean War, and Arab-Israeli Wars, the Vietnam War and the Falklands War. The basic underlying theme of this work is that despite the technical superiority of modern weaponry, the human elements such as higher morale, better esprit de corps and effective leadership are still the deciding factors in battle.
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