Dr Andrew Monaghan will be at the Lewes Speakers festival on 22 July. He will appear in discussion first with Dr Florence Gaub on her new book The Cauldron: NATO's Campaign in Libya; and then in discussion with LTG (red) Ben Hodges, former Commander of US Army Europe, on his book, What does Russia's resurgence mean for Euro-Atlantic security?
Florence Gaub, The Cauldron: NATO’s Campaign in Libya
In March 2011, NATO launched a mission hitherto entirely unthinkable: to protect civilians against Libya's ferocious regime, solely from the air. NATO had never operated in North Africa, or without troops on the ground; it also had never had to move as quickly as it did that spring. It took seven months, 25,000 air sorties, 7,000 combat strike missions, and 3,100 maritime hailings for Tripoli to fall. This talk tells, for the first time, the whole story of this international drama. It spans the hallways of the United Nations in New York, NATO Headquarters in Brussels and, crucially, the two operational epicentres: the Libyan battlefield, and Joint Force Command Naples. Gaub offers a comprehensive exploration of both the war's progression and the many challenges NATO faced, from its extremely rapid planning and limited understanding of Libya and its forces, to training shortfalls and the absence of post-conflict planning. This is a long-awaited account of the Libyan war: one that truly considers all the actors involved.
Lt General Hodges, What does Russia’s resurgence mean for Euro-Atlantic security?
Euro-Atlantic security is quickly and significantly evolving. Following the end of the Cold War, many assumed that Europe had seen the last of state against state warfare. There was also a shift from thinking in terms of collective defence towards collective security. But since the eruption of war in Ukraine in 2014, there has been a radical rethink. Russia is seen to pose a major challenge to the international order. The ongoing deterioration of relations between the Euro-Atlantic community and Russia since then, with mutual accusations of cyber attacks, interference in domestic politics, disagreements and high tension in the war in Syria and, most recently the attempted murder of the Skripals in Salisbury, have reintroduced a state of high tension in European security.
Hodges and Monaghan will discuss how European security is changing, and what this means in practical terms. They look at whether it is possible to return to thinking in terms of "collective defence" and what that might mean in the 21st Century. LTG Hodges will reflect on his time in service, his priorities and the problems he faced, and the roles of the US and NATO in European security. They will also talk about the tensions within the Alliance and the TransAtlantic relationship, and how is Russia seen in Washington, D.C. and Brussels.
