‘HUGELY IMPRESSIVE’ – THE INDEPENDENT
‘AN ASTONISHINGLY FINE HISTORY’ – COUNTRY LIFE
‘FASCINATING’ – DAILY MAIL
The history of the world’s most successful military alliance, from the wrecked Europe of 1945 to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
As they signed NATO into being after World War II, its founders fervently believed that only if the West’s democracies banded permanently together could they avoid a catastrophic global atomic conflict. Over the 75 years since, the alliance has indeed avoided war with Russia, also becoming a major political, strategic and diplomatic player well beyond its borders. It has survived disagreements between leaders from Eisenhower, Churchill and de Gaulle to Trump, Stoltenberg and Merkel, faced down Kremlin foes from Stalin to Putin and endured unending questions and debate over what new nations might be allowed to join.
Deterring Armageddon takes the reader from backroom deals that led to NATO’s creation, through the Cold War, the Balkans and Afghanistan to the current confrontation with the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine. It examines the tightrope walked by alliance leaders between a powerful United States sometimes flirting with isolationism and European nations with their ever-evolving wishes for autonomy and influence. Having spent much of its life preparing for conflicts that might never come, NATO has sometimes found itself in wars that few had predicted – and with its members now again planning for a potential major European conflict.
It is a tale of tension, danger, rivalry, conflict, big personalities and high-stakes military and diplomatic posturing – as well as espionage, politics and protest. From the Korean War to the pandemic, the Berlin and Cuba crises to the chaotic evacuation from Kabul, Deterring Armageddon tells how the alliance has shaped and been shaped by history – and looks ahead to what might be the most dangerous era it has ever faced.
‘Utterly eye-opening – compelling, haunting and continually illuminating. As Peter Apps so brilliantly demonstrates in this gripping book, the story of the NATO alliance is in many ways a parallel global history of the last 75 years. As well as all the outbreaks of seething tension between the US and its European allies – and the counter-moves of rival powers – this is also an account of just how often in those postwar years that we all stood on the edge of the most terrible abyss. With mesmerising fluency, and dazzling research, Apps follows the criss-crossing threads of the Cold War and beyond. Those threads converge in our shadowed present, and the conflict in Ukraine. In order to fathom today’s dark world, Apps has explored a labyrinth of once-classified history, and he brings dazzling clarity.’ – Sinclair McKay
‘AN ASTONISHINGLY FINE HISTORY’ – COUNTRY LIFE
‘FASCINATING’ – DAILY MAIL
The history of the world’s most successful military alliance, from the wrecked Europe of 1945 to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
As they signed NATO into being after World War II, its founders fervently believed that only if the West’s democracies banded permanently together could they avoid a catastrophic global atomic conflict. Over the 75 years since, the alliance has indeed avoided war with Russia, also becoming a major political, strategic and diplomatic player well beyond its borders. It has survived disagreements between leaders from Eisenhower, Churchill and de Gaulle to Trump, Stoltenberg and Merkel, faced down Kremlin foes from Stalin to Putin and endured unending questions and debate over what new nations might be allowed to join.
Deterring Armageddon takes the reader from backroom deals that led to NATO’s creation, through the Cold War, the Balkans and Afghanistan to the current confrontation with the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine. It examines the tightrope walked by alliance leaders between a powerful United States sometimes flirting with isolationism and European nations with their ever-evolving wishes for autonomy and influence. Having spent much of its life preparing for conflicts that might never come, NATO has sometimes found itself in wars that few had predicted – and with its members now again planning for a potential major European conflict.
It is a tale of tension, danger, rivalry, conflict, big personalities and high-stakes military and diplomatic posturing – as well as espionage, politics and protest. From the Korean War to the pandemic, the Berlin and Cuba crises to the chaotic evacuation from Kabul, Deterring Armageddon tells how the alliance has shaped and been shaped by history – and looks ahead to what might be the most dangerous era it has ever faced.
‘Utterly eye-opening – compelling, haunting and continually illuminating. As Peter Apps so brilliantly demonstrates in this gripping book, the story of the NATO alliance is in many ways a parallel global history of the last 75 years. As well as all the outbreaks of seething tension between the US and its European allies – and the counter-moves of rival powers – this is also an account of just how often in those postwar years that we all stood on the edge of the most terrible abyss. With mesmerising fluency, and dazzling research, Apps follows the criss-crossing threads of the Cold War and beyond. Those threads converge in our shadowed present, and the conflict in Ukraine. In order to fathom today’s dark world, Apps has explored a labyrinth of once-classified history, and he brings dazzling clarity.’ – Sinclair McKay
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Reviews
Peter Apps has created a quintessential guide for understanding NATO, from its historical development to its future pathways... Deterring Armageddon is a must-read as we enter a new era of heightened global risk and shock events.
Compelling and informative - a must-read for anyone serious about understanding both the history and future of Western military strategy.
Utterly eye-opening - compelling, haunting and continually illuminating. As Peter Apps so brilliantly demonstrates in this gripping book, the story of the NATO alliance is in many ways a parallel global history of the last 75 years. As well as all the outbreaks of seething tension between the US and its European allies - and the counter-moves of rival powers - this is also an account of just how often in those postwar years that we all stood on the edge of the most terrible abyss. With mesmerising fluency, and dazzling research, Apps follows the criss-crossing threads of the Cold War and beyond. Those threads converge in our shadowed present, and the conflict in Ukraine. In order to fathom today's dark world, Apps has explored a labyrinth of once-classified history, and he brings dazzling clarity.
Hugely impressive
A well-researched, highly readable account of the military, strategic - and indeed personal - twists and turns in NATO's history ... fascinating and enthralling ... relevant and important.
Explains in absorbing detail the conception, birth and life [of NATO] so far ... an astonishingly fine history.
A masterful portrait of an organisation often misunderstood but absolutely central to much of contemporary international politics ... expertly crafted.
Fascinating ... We should be very grateful to Peter Apps ... for writing a thorough history of NATO from birth in 1949 to today
an impressive chronicle, rich in anecdote, of Nato's history from its uncertain founding amid the wreckage of post-second world war Europe to the present day ... Several themes recur in Apps' well-paced narrative of the backroom deals, political posturing, big personalities, and recurring crises that have tested Nato ever since.
'Excellent ... Peter Apps's account is longer and more comprehensive, in effect providing a history of the big transatlantic policy debates since 1945, with surprisingly little left out. He covers the ground efficiently, enlivening the discussion with vivid pen portraits of the key characters.
Peter Apps takes us on a journey through NATO's history with the kind of storytelling flair that one would expect from someone steeped in the art of journalism - and an eye for the kind of anecdote that brings engagingly to life what could too easily be a dry bureaucratic subject.