A powerful alien ship. Heading to Earth. Intent unknown. Bad: mission control lost contact with the interstellar explorers on Concordia. Worse: mission control now detects an unknown ship leaving the Alpha Centauri system. Heading to Earth at relativistic speeds. Driven by engines more potent than anything humans ever built. Silent about its purpose. Its crew unknown. Leclerc, head of mission control, knows what he must do. If the ship comes to conquer or destroy Earth, the planet has only one chance. Its rival factions must set aside their cold war. They must turn their weapons of mass destruction to the common good. They must come together to prepare a mutual, desperate defense. But powerful alien technology could give one faction a military edge over the other. Enough to risk blowing up the world for a chance to conquer it. Leclerc must do more than find common ground with his former foes. He must face the lust for power of shadowy figures on his own side. The fate of the world hinges on what one man does... …and what he discovers about the crew of the alien ship.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in support of a Marxist-Leninist government, and the subsequent nine-year conflict with the indigenous Afghan Mujahedeen was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Cold War. Key details of the circumstances surrounding the invasion and its ultimate conclusion only months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 have long remained unclear; it is a confidential narrative of clandestine correspondence, covert operations and failed intelligence. The Secret War in Afghanistan undertakes a full analysis of recently declassified intelligence archives in order to asses Anglo-American secret intelligence and diplomacy relating to the invasion of Afghanistan and unveil the Cold War realities behind the rhetoric. Rooted at every turn in close examination of the primary evidence, it outlines the secret operations of the CIA, MI6 and the KGB, and the full extent of the aid and intelligence from the West which armed and trained the Afghan fighters. Drawing from US, UK and Russian archives, Panagiotis Dimitrakis analyses the Chinese arms deals with the CIA, the multiple recorded intelligence failures of KGB intelligence and secret letters from the office of Margaret Thatcher to Jimmy Carter. In so doing, this study brings a new scholarly perspective to some of the most controversial events of Cold War history. Dimitrakis also outlines the full extent of China's involvement in arming the Mujahedeen, which led to the PRC effectively fighting the Soviet Union by proxy. This will be essential reading for scholars and students of the Cold War, American History and the Modern Middle East.

A survivor turned assassin questions her loyalties. Now she's the target… The entire galaxy knows about the Incepti Cataclysm. The occupation force from Vela destroyed a planet with nanotechnology. Only a few Inceptis fled the wave of death in time to join their brethren scattered across the Democracy. Anara Orden. Daughter of survivors. Recruited by fellow Inceptis to join Democracy intelligence. Though young and good of heart, she kills without qualms. She knows her employers only order her to terminate Velan agents threatening the Democracy. Her new assignment sends her through interstellar jump points to the planet Conatus Prime. She knows where and when to encounter her target. She knows how to use a vial of a mysterious new poison. Then she sees her target. A middle-aged man. A college professor. A fellow Incepti… Feel the thrills and chills of epic space opera in Escape from Conatus, book one of The Incepti Cataclysm trilogy.

"Military science fiction [concentrating] on the psychology and politics of societies in conflict." ---Analog, on The Confederated Worlds series The Confederated Worlds implanted in his brain the skills to make him a soldier. He had to learn for himself how to survive interstellar war. Tomas Neumann seeks escape from his backwater planet and overbearing mother, and a mentor to replace his long-dead father. "Taking the shilling"---enlisting in the Confederated Worlds military---promises both. But despite the soldier's skills implanted in his brain, combat against fellow humans, especially ones who should have welcomed him as a liberator, threaten to destroy him, in body and in spirit. Grieving for lost comrades, demoralized by harrowing combat, can Tomas learn what he needs to survive? Because soon, with the fates of thousands of his fellow soldiers in the balance, he will face his war's ultimate challenge.

This monumental six-volume resource offers engaging entries of major diplomatic, military, and political events driving world conflicts from ancient times to the present. Now from ABC-CLIO, long regarded as a premier publisher of military history, comes a monumental resource that encapsulates the entire scope of conflict among human societies. Spanning nearly five millennia, from the earliest documented fighting to the present, A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East, provides a comprehensive survey of major military events. With coverage that reaches beyond the battles, this work examines the political and diplomatic forces driving world conflicts, revolutions, forced changes of governments, international treaties, and acts of aggression and terrorism. Written by acclaimed military historian Spencer C. Tucker, these six chronologically organized volumes offer an accessible, richly detailed timeline of military conflict across human history. The concise entries cover all important events on the battlefield and in the corridors of power, with special features highlighting hundreds of key leaders and weapon systems. From specific data on casualties to coverage of evolving weapons technology to insightful analyses of the social impact of war, A Global Chronology of Conflict is an essential resource for students, researchers, history buffs, and general readers alike.

War has come to the galaxy. What's more important? Victory or truth? The entire galaxy knows about the Incepti Cataclysm. The occupation force from Vela destroyed a planet with nanotechnology. Only a few Inceptis fled the wave of death in time to join their brethren scattered across the Democracy. Anara Orden. Daughter of survivors. Recruited by fellow Inceptis to join Democracy intelligence. A loyal assassin, until she learned the truth and vowed to protect those who know it at all costs. Desperate to silence the truth forever, Democracy intelligence demands the Velans surrender Anara and her closest ally. While fleets prepare to attack through interstellar jump points, the outmanned Velans debate strategies. A massive warship battle. Guerrilla resistance behind enemy lines. With millions of lives at stake, Anara proposes a bold alternative. Sometimes, the best resistance… …is no resistance at all. Feel the thrills and chills of epic space opera Victory for Carina, book three of The Incepti Cataclysm trilogy.

The most comprehensive and up-to-date student reference on the Cold War, offering expert coverage of all aspects of the conflict in a richly designed format, fully illustrated to give students a vivid sense of life in all countries affected by the war. ABC-CLIO is proud to announce the latest addition to its widely acclaimed legacy of historical reference works for students. Under the direction of internationally known expert Spencer Tucker, Cold War: A Student Encyclopedia captures the vast scope, day-to-day drama, and lasting impact of the Cold War more clearly and powerfully than any other student resource ever published. Ranging from the end of the Second World War to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cold War: A Student Encyclopedia offers vivid portrayals of leading individuals, significant battles, economic developments, societal/cultural events, changes in military technology, and major treaties and diplomatic agreements. The nearly 1,100 entries, plus topical essays and a documents volume, draw heavily on recently opened Russian, Eastern European, and Chinese archives. Enhanced by a rich program of maps and images, it is a comprehensive, current, and accessible student reference on the dominant geopolitical phenomenon of the late-20th century.

An assassin turned guardian finds a refuge. But in a galaxy approaching war, no place is safe… The entire galaxy knows about the Incepti Cataclysm. The occupation force from Vela destroyed a planet with nanotechnology. Only a few Inceptis fled the wave of death in time to join their brethren scattered across the Democracy. Anara Orden. Daughter of survivors. Recruited by fellow Inceptis to join Democracy intelligence. A loyal assassin, until she learned the truth and vowed to protect those who know it at all costs. Her new mission sends her and her allies through interstellar jump points to the Velan capital world. Though safer, she cannot rest. Democracy intelligence pursues her, in a bid to silence the truth forever. And there's one thing she does not know. New enemies lurk in the shadows, waiting for the time to strike… Feel the thrills and chills of epic space opera Revelation in Vela, book two of The Incepti Cataclysm trilogy.