The Return of Direct Defense in Europe: Reader’s Reviews

We have recently received reviews on our book The Return of Direct Defense in Europe and would like to share them with our readers.

Review by Romuald Dzemo

The Return of Direct Defense in Europe: Meeting the Challenge of 21st Century Authoritarian Powers by Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte is a political essay that boldly and accurately examines contemporary threats to modern democracy and how Europe positions itself in response to these threats. It is a timely work that dares to unveil the complexity in geopolitical strategy and international relations, exposing the shifts in conflict, and underlining the roles played by major powers such as Russia and China when it comes to fueling tensions. These two powers have created regimes and political strategies that are counter to the Western liberal democracies designed more than half a century ago. This book explores Putin’s narrative, the political relations between the UK and the United States, Putin’s global engagement and what to expect from it, the role of contemporary authoritarianism in shaping the art of warfare, factors that drive the rise of nuclear weapons, and a lot more. In this context, the authors examine European alliances and zoom in on what individual countries like Sweden and Denmark are doing to ramp up their direct defense.

This is a brilliantly written, well-researched political book that gives readers a jaw-dropping commentary on the political challenges that Europe faces at this time. There are highlights on what is happening in Crimea and the implications of migration from war-torn countries in the Middle East. Russia’s intervention in the civil war in Syria is an act that has had an enormous impact on international politics and the authors explore the shock of this behavior with intelligence and brilliance. This book is not only timely but a powerful expose of what is playing out in the world of international relations and the uncertainty it predicts for the future, with splits within organizations like NATO and the European Union. With the threats from China and Russia, and the controversy that continues to build around Trump’s presidency and the upsurge of the coronavirus, this book responds to the question: How does Europe plan to defend herself against the incessant threats and the mounting uncertainty. The Return of Direct Defense in Europe: Meeting the Challenge of 21st Century Authoritarian Powers is an intelligently articulated, compelling essay that offers powerful interpretations of contemporary history and predicts what the future might look like for Europe. It is as informative as it is cautionary.

Review by K.C. Finn

The Return of Direct Defense in Europe: Meeting the Challenge of 21st Century Authoritarian Powers is a work of non-fiction that covers such pertinent current affairs as international politics, culture, relations between countries, and military decision-making, and was penned by author duo Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte with forewords and data from other respected parties in the field. Focusing predominantly on Putin’s Russia and the People’s Republic of China as the authoritarian powers under the lens, this intelligently penned and wisely considered work explores how Europe might navigate and respond to the influence and power of such places. The work also explains the state of development as it stands now in intricate detail.

Author team Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte have crafted a fantastic treatise which will be of interest to anyone looking to the future of the world’s military powers, and the consequences of decision making in the face of modern narratives and ideologies. One of the things which I found most refreshing about the work was the fullness of context surrounding current affairs, bringing so much rich detail from the past as evidence of the points that were made. The prose is technically sound and takes a little getting into, but once the contextual information begins to fall into place, readers will find themselves deeply involved – and concerned – by the state of our world today. For its forward-thinking ideas and dedication to providing a detailed picture of past, present, and future, I would highly recommend The Return of Direct Defense in Europe to everyone with an interest in its subject matter.

Review by Vincent Dublado

True to its authors’ claims, this book’s title is easy to digest, yet the subtitle requires careful examination, as the resurgence of Putin’s Russia poses new challenges to the European Union’s (EU) defense policy. This is the principal idea in The Return of Direct Defense in Europe: Meeting the Challenge of 21st Century Authoritarian Powers by Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte. As the Allied commitment to promoting peace and stability in the North Atlantic area is a resolved and united effort for collective defense, it now faces a big challenge and must be re-examined as it faces both internal and external threats. While the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) works closely with the EU in matters concerning security and defense, this book focuses on the dynamics of change in Europe triggered by the return of direct defense and less on the role of Washington and its policies.

As experts in foreign policy, Laird and Delaporte provide a sharp viewpoint on the geopolitical implications of the EU’s direct defense and even trace back case examples of security relations such as the Gordievsky Affair. They pull no punches in explaining how Europe is responding to the new challenges posed by Putin’s Russia, even soliciting the ideas of key military and political leaders who have a relevant say on the matter, which puts great credibility on their work. The Return of Direct Defense in Europe is a must-read for anyone who wishes to be informed about the geopolitical affairs of Europe, and how its states, collectively or individually, are responding to external threats through the EU or NATO. It is an imperative concern that demands attention. As the years ahead are uncertain, this book also gives an idea as to how EU’s Direct Defense might change if Russia takes more aggressive steps in the future.

Review by Foluso Falaye

The Return of Direct Defense in Europe examines the historical, present, and future state of the defense of Europe against different threats, including terrorism, war, pandemics, and 21st-century authoritarianism. The book touches on the threat of any forces acting to create a division within NATO and the EU and the similarities and differences between the agendas of the Soviet Union and that of Russia. In focusing on the dynamics of change in Europe actuated by the return of direct defense in Europe, Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte treat a major question among several others: how can we modify the direct defense of Europe in ways that would not initiate another Cold War? This and a lot more are discussed in the book.

What a thorough, well researched, and well put together book! With quotes from past and present world leaders, references to other books and articles, and contributions from national defense experts and other professionals, The Return of Direct Defense in Europe is brimming with vital information about the state of defense of different countries in Europe and their relationships with other parts of the world, like the United States, North Africa, the Middle East, and China. The campaign for ensuring unity among European countries and defending against authoritarianism is one I feel should be embraced by all six continents, and eventually by all humans altogether. Apart from the obvious stance taken against authoritarianism in Russia and China, Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte adopt a neutral, non-biased approach in covering the topic. Like any good book, The Return of Direct Defense in Europe will leave you wealthier in knowledge than when you started it.

Review by Pikasho Deka

The Return Of Direct Defense In Europe: Meeting The Challenge Of 21st Century Authoritarian Powers is an observational study on the rise of Russia and China as authoritarian superpowers of the 21st century and their political, economic, cultural, and strategic impact on the European Union, NATO, Britain, United States, and the other liberal western democracies as a whole. Author Robbin F. Laird and Murielle Delaporte shine a dazzling light on the Russian annexation of Crimea and its ramifications on the geopolitics of Western Europe and Northern American countries. The book focuses on the key strategic powers in Europe to combat potential Russian aggression, the Nordic flank backed by the UK and the US, the central alliance of Germany and France, and the southern part including Greece, Turkey, Spain, and Italy.

The Return of Direct Defense In Europe provides an insightful and in-depth analysis of the policies enacted by some of the world’s biggest superpowers. The authors cite other books and articles in the chapters and use quotes from people engaged in diplomatic affairs across Europe to craft a well-written narrative. Laird and Delaporte’s narrative is complemented by interviews with some notable figures with backgrounds in global geopolitics. Seeing the authors’ backgrounds, it comes as no surprise that they had access to some of those sources. But still, I found the amount of time, effort, and research put into the book to be quite remarkable. It was an informative and engaging experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in global geopolitics.

The book can be bought through our website:

The book is available as of October 28, 2020 on Amazon in an e-book version.

The paperback version will be released on December 22, 2020.

Over the next few weeks, the book will be available on a wide range of book sellers as well but the following are offering the e-book now but the paperback on release date: SCRIBD, KOBO, ESENTRAL, and CIANDO.