ANALYSING DEFENCE DEPENDENCY: THE IMPACT OF THE ROYAL NAVY ON A SUB‐REGIONAL ECONOMY

This paper provides a methodology for estimating the economic impact of defence spending at a sub‐regional level. It does so by calculating the income and employment generated by Britain’s Royal Navy and associated defence activities in the City of Portsmouth and its surrounding area, during the financial year 2003–2004. In an era of military consolidation, the paper offers an insight into the multifaceted impact of defence‐related expenditure. Hence, it presents a generic framework that could prove useful to other researchers when seeking to measure the sub‐regional impact of naval, airforce and army facilities in other national contexts.     

Empirical analysis of the defense interdependence between Japan and the United States

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the defense interdependence between Japan and the United States (US) in the short and long run and to investigate whether Japan is a follower or a free rider of the “US” over the 1975–2009 period. Given that mutual aid between Japan and the US has been maintained, the empirical results suggest that Japanese defense has a stable relationship with US defense. Furthermore, the results reveal that Japan is not a free rider but rather a follower in the period under consideration.     

How not to pay for the war

As a result of allied subsidy and the influence of sunk costs, the marginal cost of the Gulf War to the US was reduced to negligible size. This result is at variance with the Olson‐Zeckhauser thesis that in an alliance “the small exploit the large.” A game theoretic alternative explanation suggests that the relation between allies resembles the game of Chicken, successfully played by the US. The ability to shift the marginal costs of war in the short term raises questions about the possible underestimation of long term effects.     

‘Brown Bess’ vs ‘Miss Minie’

Following the publication of the article ‘Trusty Bess’: the Definitive Origins and History of the term 'Brown Bess', the author was made aware of an intriguing illustration that perfectly captures the meaning of that famous nickname. This short note details this archival document and sheds light on both its place in the lore of ‘Brown Bess’ and its wide historical context in terms of the Victorian attitudes to military small arms development.     

Guerrillas and bandits in the Serranía de Ronda, 1810–1812

The Spanish Guerrilla (1808–1812) which has given its name to ideologically motivated insurgencies is usually portrayed as a patriotic uprising against the French occupation forces of Napoleon. It was that, in part, but also many other things besides. This case study illustrates its overlap and convergence with banditry but also with social unrest turned into uprisings directed by poor Spaniards against their creditors, as in the storming of Ronda by insurgents in 1810. From the propaganda of the day to the subsequent Spanish patriotic historiography, there has been a tendency to exaggerate the amplitude of events and also the damage that was done to the French forces and the casualty figures inflicted on them.     

“This program will not be a threat to them”: Ballistic Missile Defense and US relations with Russia and China

Although the Obama Administration has differed from its predecessor in a number of respects, on the specific issue of Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), there is a striking continuity. The Obama Administration has remained committed to the BMD project, even as it has modified the schedule of deployments and prioritized different systems from the Bush Administration. Significantly, this has led to Chinese and Russian balancing in the nuclear sphere. As a result, there is evidence of a security dilemma-type dynamics in US relations with China and Russia. At present, there is no study that analyzes Russian and Chinese hard internal balancing against the USA in the sphere of missile defense during the Obama Administration. This article fills this gap.     

美军训练转型的特点及启示

美军是世界新军事变革的积极倡导者和先行者,其以信息化为核心的全面军事转型计划启动早,成效明显,具有丰富的实践经验。借鉴美军的训练转型经验,对于准确理解和把握战斗力生成模式转变的特点规律,探索战斗力生成模式转变的方法途径,破除制约战斗力生成的瓶颈,加快推进战斗力生成模式转变,提升信息化条件下的作战能力,具有一定的理论和现实意义。     

因情成梦,因梦成戏——由《牡丹亭》浅析汤显祖的戏剧创作观

汤显祖是明代著名的戏剧家,其戏剧作品历来为世人称道,在中国戏剧史上占有重要地位,因此,对其戏剧创作观的研究始终具有重要意义。结合汤显祖的作品以及他的创作经历,笔者认为他在《复甘义麓》的信中,提到的＂因情成梦,因梦成戏＂八字更是简单明确地概括了其戏剧创作观。作为＂临川四梦＂之一的《牡丹亭》,是汤显祖的代表作品。一部《牡丹亭》不仅奠定了汤显祖在明清戏曲史上无人可比的地位,同时也集中体现了汤显祖的戏剧创作理念。本文试以《牡丹亭》为例,论述汤显祖的戏剧创作观。     

艾丽丝·门罗的生态女性主义思想

艾丽丝·门罗是加拿大当代文坛著名的女性作家之一。短篇小说集《姑娘们和女人们的生活》是她的早期代表作。以其中第一篇短篇小说《沼泽路》为例探究艾丽丝·门罗的生态女性主义思想。主人公贝尼叔叔是一个具有母性特征的男性,他热爱大自然,喜欢孩子和小动物,宽容、爱护女性。通过一个普通劳动者的故事充分反映了艾丽丝·门罗倡导人与人、人与自然之间和谐相处,解放女性与自然的生态女性主义思想。     

浅谈《孙子兵法》中的战场造势理论

《孙子兵法》问世两千多年以来,其学术价值受到历代军事家、史学家、哲学家们的广泛重视和一致赞誉。对于战场造势的研究,尤以孙子兵法为最先和最具代表性。其中,先胜后战、因情造势和择人任势等内容,是《孙子兵法》中战场造势理论的核心和精华。