In October and November of 2001, small numbers of soldiers from the Army Special Forces entered Afghanistan, linked up with elements of the Northern Alliance (an assortment of Afghanis opposed to the Taliban), and, in a remarkably short period of time, destroyed the Taliban regime. Trained to work with indigenous forces and personnel like the Northern Alliance, these soldiers, sometimes riding on horseback, combined modern military technology with ancient techniques of central Asian warfare in what was later described as "the first cavalry charge of the twenty-first century." In this engaging book, two national security experts and Department of Defense insiders put the exploits of America's special operation forces in historical and strategic context. David Tucker and Christopher J. Lamb offer an incisive overview of America's turbulent experience with special operations. Using in-depth interviews with special operators at the forefront of the current war on terrorism and providing a detailed account of how they are selected and trained, the authors illustrate the diversity of modern special operations forces and the strategic value of their unique attributes. From the first chapter, this book builds toward a set of recommendations for reforms that would allow special operations forces to make a greater contribution to the war on terrorism and play a more strategic role in safeguarding the nation's security. Along the way, the authors explain why special operations forces are: -Distinguished by characteristics not equally valued by their own leadership -Strategically crucial because of two mutually supporting but undeniably distinct sets of capabilities not found in conventional forces -Not to be confused with the CIA and so-called paramilitary forces, nor with the Marines and other elite forces -Unable to learn from the 1993 failed intervention in Somalia and the national-oversight issues it revealed -Better integrated into the nation's military strategy and operations than ever before but confused about their core missions in the war on terror -Not "transformed" for future challenges as many assert but rather in need of organizational reforms to realize their strategic potential Despite longstanding and growing public fascination with special operators, these individuals and the organizations that employ them are little understood. With this book, Tucker and Lamb dispel common misconceptions and offer a penetrating analysis of how these unique and valuable forces can be employed to even better effect in the future.

United States Special Operations Forces

History

Tucker, David

Lamb, Christopher

Military

Columbia University Press

In this book, two national-security experts put the exploits of America’s special operation forces in historical and strategic context. David Tucker and Christopher J. Lamb offer an incisive overview of America’s turbulent experience with special operations. Starting with in-depth interviews with special operators, the authors illustrate the diversity of modern special operations forces and the strategic value of their unique attributes. Despite longstanding and growing public fascination with special operators, these forces and their contribution to national security are poorly understood. With this book, Tucker and Lamb dispel common misconceptions and offer a penetrating analysis of how these unique and valuable forces can be employed to even better effect in the future. The book builds toward a comprehensive assessment of the strategic utility of special operations forces, which it then considers in light of the demands of future warfare. This second edition of United States Special Operations Forces, revised throughout to account for lessons learned in the twelve years since its first publication, includes two new case studies, one on High Value Target Teams and another on Village Stability Operations, and two new appendixes charting the evolution of special operation missions and the best literature on all aspects of U.S. special operation forces.

As a profession that works directly to improve the human condition, social work has made a special effort to integrate social science knowledge with its methods for identifying and dealing with human problems. This book is about the relationship between the systematic study of human problems and actions to improve them. The group of experts do not provide practical instructions; they do not provide advice on how to conduct evaluation studies or how to solve the problem of homelessness. Instead, the contributors examine the questions and issues that arise, and the knowledge gained, when purposeful attempts are made to understand and solve human problems using the best available social science knowledge.
The issue of the integration of social work and the social sciences has not been examined in any depth in current research. The social sciences have evolved steadily through the years and social workers have increasingly relied on them―both substantively as well as in terms of research methodologies. In turn, social work has contributed to this dialogue by providing challenging research questions, in formulating critiques of social science theory and methodology, and in emphasizing the need to study social problems in their complex environments. The book's goal is to define how social work and the social sciences can continue to build on a clear sense of the issues and developments common to both.

Integrating Knowledge and Practice

Politics & Social Sciences

Sarri, Rosemary

Garvin, Charles

Social Sciences

Praeger

Thoroughly vetted by Adobe's AIR development team, Adobe AIR 1.5 Cookbook addresses fundamentals, best practices, and topics that web developers and application designers inquire about most. The hands-on recipes in this cookbook help you solve a variety of tasks and scenarios you may encounter using Adobe AIR to build Rich Internet Applications for the desktop. It's an ideal way to learn the nuances of Adobe AIR, with practical solutions you can use right away, and detailed explanations of why and how they work. These recipes will help you:
<ul>
<li>Build an AIR application with Flex, Flash, or HTML and Ajax</li>
<li>Create a database and connect it to your application</li>
<li>Put together native menus for PCs and Macs</li>
<li>Work with the Service Monitor Framework</li>
<li>Utilize the Adobe AIR Update Framework</li>
<li>Create branded desktop experiences with custom chrome and custom application icons</li>
<li>Distribute your AIR application with the Seamless Install Badge</li>
</ul>
And more. Adobe AIR 1.5 Cookbook includes dozens of recipes from rising stars in the AIR development community-David Tucker, Rich Tretola, Marco Casario, and Koen De Weggheleire-along with the best solutions posted by visitors to the Adobe AIR Cookbook community website hosted by Adobe and O'Reilly (www.adobe.com/go/air_cookbook). If you're ready to expand your skill set with Adobe AIR, this is the book you've been waiting for.

Adobe AIR 1.5 Cookbook: Solutions and Examples for Rich Internet Application Developers

Computers & Technology

Casario, Marco

Tretola, Rich

Weggheleire, Koen De

Web Development & Design

Adobe Developer Library

David Tucker has been writing Late for Work throughout his twenty-eight-year career at top city newspapers. In his poems he follows reporters hustling for stories and captures the beauty of everyday life, lived between breaking headlines.

Late For Work

Humor & Entertainment

Ecco

Written by the expert guides of London Walks, London’s oldest, most acclaimed walking tour company, this collection includes local insight and knowledge that can only be gained through years of tour-leading experience. These theme-based walks offer something for everyone, whether a history buff, a fan of the paranormal, or those looking for fun off the beaten path. The walks include Sinister London, focusing on haunted London and Jack the Ripper; Literary London, from Shakespeare to Dickens; Public Houses, showcasing the old pubs of Soho; and a Mystery and Secrets walk exploring the city's hidden past. Perfect for tourists who want to experience London life beyond Trafalgar Square as well as for Londoners eager to step off the Circle Line and discover the secrets on their own doorstep, this guide offers a fascinating glimpse into the capital's rich history. With photos, maps, and illustrations to bring the stories to life, London Stories is for those who love London, written by those who know it best.

London Stories: London Walks

Europe

Virgin Books

Enjoy all that out of London has to offer, and discover the heritage and history behind the scenes in some of England's most picturesque places, such as Bath, Canterbury, Royal Winchester, and Stratford. With stories and advice drawn from the expertise and knowledge of the famous London Walks Company and its small army of guides, this book is perfect for tourists who want to experience English life beyond Trafalgar Square, as well as for Londoners keen to step off the Circle Line and discover the secrets just beyond their own doorstep. With photos, maps, and illustrations to bring the stories to life London Stories: Out of London Walks is the ideal companion of the out of London rambler.

Out of London Walks: Great Escapes By Britain's Best Walking Tour Company

Sports & Outdoors

Barnett., Stephen

Hiking & Camping

The End of Intelligence: Espionage and State Power in the Information Age

Using espionage as a test case, The End of Intelligence criticizes claims that the recent information revolution has weakened the state, revolutionized warfare, and changed the balance of power between states and non-state actors―and it assesses the potential for realizing any hopes we might have for reforming intelligence and espionage. Examining espionage, counterintelligence, and covert action, the book argues that, contrary to prevailing views, the information revolution is increasing the power of states relative to non-state actors and threatening privacy more than secrecy. Arguing that intelligence organizations may be taken as the paradigmatic organizations of the information age, author David Tucker shows the limits of information gathering and analysis even in these organizations, where failures at self-knowledge point to broader limits on human knowledge―even in our supposed age of transparency. He argues that, in this complex context, both intuitive judgment and morality remain as important as ever and undervalued by those arguing for the transformative effects of information. This book will challenge what we think we know about the power of information and the state, and about the likely twenty-first century fate of secrecy and privacy.

Biographies & Memoirs

True Crime

Stanford Security Studies

Using espionage as a test case, The End of Intelligence criticizes claims that the recent information revolution has weakened the state, revolutionized warfare, and changed the balance of power between states and non-state actors―and it assesses the potential for realizing any hopes we might have for reforming intelligence and espionage. Examining espionage, counterintelligence, and covert action, the book argues that, contrary to prevailing views, the information revolution is increasing the power of states relative to non-state actors and threatening privacy more than secrecy. Arguing that intelligence organizations may be taken as the paradigmatic organizations of the information age, author David Tucker shows the limits of information gathering and analysis even in these organizations, where failures at self-knowledge point to broader limits on human knowledge―even in our supposed age of transparency. He argues that, in this complex context, both intuitive judgment and morality remain as important as ever and undervalued by those arguing for the transformative effects of information. This book will challenge what we think we know about the power of information and the state, and about the likely twenty-first century fate of secrecy and privacy.

Stanford University Press

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