Introduction Hard power is the use of military and economic means to influence the behaviour or interests of other political bodies. This form of political power is often aggressive (coercion), and is most immediately effective when imposed by one political body upon another of lesser military and/or economic power. Refer to Power Projection. Hard power… Read More
Introduction In politics (and particularly in international politics), soft power is the ability to attract and co-opt, rather than coerce (contrast hard power). In other words, soft power involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. A defining feature of soft power is that it is non-coercive; the currency of soft power includes… Read More
Introduction Power projection (or force projection or projection of power) is a term used in military and political science to refer to the capacity of a state to deploy and sustain forces outside its territory. Refer to Soft Power and Hard Power. This ability is a crucial element of a state’s power in international relations.… Read More
Introduction Air Vice Marshal David Miller Niven, CB, CBE is a former Royal Air Force officer who served as the inaugural Commander of Joint Helicopter Command from 1999 to 2002. Not to be confused with David Niven (the British Army officer and actor). RAF Career Educated at the University of St Andrews, Niven joined the… Read More
Introduction James David Graham Niven (01 March 1910 to 29 July 1983) was an English actor, memoirist and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in Separate Tables (1958). Other noted roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death, Phileas Fogg in… Read More
Introduction A rearguard is that part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more generally, a rearguard action may refer idiomatically to an attempt at… Read More
Events 587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple. 238 – The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day, Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed emperor, the sixth emperor of the year. 904… Read More
