The Edge: Is the Military Dominance of the West Coming to an End?

by Mark Urban

The size of western armed forces, their stocks of weaponry and their readiness for combat are declining. Meanwhile, growing nationalism is hampering international cooperation and fuelling conflict everywhere. The west's will - as well as its capability - to shape the world is ebbing away.

Beset by economic woes, western countries are continuing the post-Cold War process of disarmament at the very moment that many believe a new Cold War is starting. NATO members have compared Vladimir Putin's foreign policy to that of Adolf Hitler, newly empowered groups such as ISIS, not to mention some governments, are tearing up the rulebook of acceptable international behaviour, and the military prowess that the western world once regarded as its prerogative is being dwarfed by countries like India and China.

Tightly argued by Newsnight's diplomatic and defence editor Mark Urban, The Edge is a sharp polemic that breaks new ground in examining the workings and consequences of these geo-political tectonics, and shows just how rapidly the balance of power has been upended.

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Politics, History

167 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Mark Urban is a British journalist, author and broadcaster, and is currently the Diplomatic Editor for BBC Two's Newsnight.

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts strong with a wealth of information about the current state of Western militaries, however the author seems to exhaust this point quickly and then descends into well-trodden ground about the global strategic situation. While it may be a good introduction for those without much background studying geopolitics, for an experienced hand in the field there was precious little new information or analysis to be had.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asks more questions than it answers, is not very logical and is difficult to follow, and uses so much vocabulary it becomes too verbose to really follow. Shame as it is good subject matter, and a wide variety of topics are explored, but apart from the first chapter on equipment and procurement the rest of it feels watered down and without much to actually say.

[Pedro Tardio Ascarrunz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was more about the semiotics of war but it´s actually about war, countries and warfare spending from america around the globe. It´s an interesting read but it doesn´t go deep enogh for my taste (very curious guy here) so I´d recommend this book to people who already now a thing or two about the subject, not newcomers like me.

[Nick Harriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but interesting book. Written a decade ago, it is also rather prophetic, beging the questionas to whether things may have worked out differently if the author's views had been taken more notice of.

[Calum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book is far from being obsolete, affairs have moved on somewhat since it was published in 2015 and a new revision is becoming necessary.

[Sunniva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my usual kind of book.

[WIlliam Gerrard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only a short volume, this well-written work documents the weakening of the West in the geopolitical arena. The book first focuses on the reductions in military power of Western nations, both in terms of their military budgets and also their matériel. Despite modern weapons being produced, the volume of forces and the amount of weapons mean that many Western nations and indeed when they are combined in the NATO alliance would struggle to fight in a real nation to nation conflict, in particular with a major power. The author identifies that with the rise of ISIS and Russian annexation of Crimea, the old world order of international relations has been broken down. In the new world order we see rising nationalism, an end to American unipolarity as a superpower and the rise of spheres of influence among growing world powers such as Russia, China, India or Saudi Arabia. A lot of key military figures are consulted for their opinions and most express their frustration with politicians freezing budgets and express their growing concern of standing by to idly spectate international events. There is certainly an unwillingness of Western nations to engage militarily, an identified weakness. The new world may see a decline in liberal democratic values and from reading this book it is clear to identify that the future is most uncertain.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Urban’s short book The Edge is a discussion of current falling military dominance of the west, set against emerging threats from a number of areas. There are numerous citations to support various statements, and in fact this book is well thought out throughout as you might expect from a journalist of Mark Urban’s league. There are no illustrations – they would be irrelevant and distracting - the emphasis here is on policies and ideals rather than on the technological cave of wonders that so many military books concentrate on. The idea of an evolving change in the world military balance is nothing new – history is full of such occurrences – and the situation described here is interesting and thought provoking.

[Iang95ify . · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book makes the argument that the West is eviscerating its military through its spending cuts. Politicians' rhetoric do not match their actions - which are smaller than their words. Author is critical of new expensive programmes - F-35, F-22 jets which have impaired the West's ability to stand up against countries like Russia and China. While the West is spending more on intelligence and cyber-defence, cuts on conventional weapons can still hurt as a sizeable size of the armed forces is still needed for defence and conflict intervention. The statistics Urban describes are quite shocking and the expectations of the West does not match its capabilities.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a worrying read to see just how bad the military situation in the west has got. Its reliance on complicated weapon systems that take years to develop and make, that have cost millions if not billions of pounds/dollars to complete. Also the cut backs in personal to operate these systems and the time it takes to fully train them to operate them effectively. Its a frightening read about the real strength of Western forces.

[Justin Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter than expected. Useful as a general read through, but I feel that the details presented in this book isn't anything than couldn't be covered in a half an hour documentary. Some points are repeated too often without any benefit

[Matthew Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, well supported thesis. I fear he might be right.

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is making me re-think my stance on military spending.

[Liz Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worrying statistics, written 2015 and predictions are coming true.