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Hidden Warriors
Hannah West
£90.00May 2027
Advances in Critical Military Studies
The Militarisation of British DemocracyThe Iraq and Afghan Wars and the Rise of Authoritarianism
£29.99
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Published 28 February 2027
About this book
Critiques the British military’s role in the Iraq and Afghan Wars and its threat to democracy and pursuit of permanent war
- Argues that a militarist coalition or ‘military-industrial complex’ have driven Britain into a state of permanent war
- Demonstrates that permanent war has militarised British society and politics with governments unable to properly control the military
- Suggests that the military promote conservative-authoritarian military values which are antagonistic to democracy
- Concludes that the prosecution of the Iraq and Afghan wars was incoherent and futile
- Shows that the Chilcot Report (2016) provides ample evidence of the power of the military to pressure and manipulate the government into war and drive policy
This book argues that the pursuit of war and the further militarisation of British democracy since 9/11 has led the UK into a permanent state of war and made the nation particularly prone to military aggression rather than managing conflict through negotiation. Within NATO, Britain is among the most belligerent nations ratcheting up military expenditure and the use of violence to manage conflict. The militarisation of British (and Western) states and authoritarian values have been manufactured to provide domestic support for permanent war. Failure in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Ukraine and the Middle East has not reduced confidence in the use of military aggression as NATO seeks confrontation in a ‘New Cold War’ between ‘democracy’ and ‘authoritarian’ Russia and China. Paradoxically, Britain and the West’s militarisation proposes to destroy democracy in order to save it, and to provide authoritarian states with the excuse to become more authoritarian.
Reviews
Paul Dixon’s new book exposes the extraordinary belligerence of the British state, due in large part to the slow rise of influence wielded by the military elite over democratic politics. It is an extraordinary history and a warning to citizens of the world today.
When things go well, Britain's armed forces are applauded for their professionalism. When things go wrong, they are often portrayed as institutions lacking any agency of their own, and operating entirely at the whim of politicians. That view is simplistic, and Paul Dixon's book is an important and necessary corrective.
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Part One: Militarism Against Democracy
1. The Failure of the Ruling Class
2. The Conservative-Authoritarian Politics of the Military
3. The Power of the Security State and the Failure of Authoritarianism
4. The Authoritarian Temptation: The Militarist Coalition and the Dominant Military Narrative
5. The Militarisation Offensive: Crisis, Moral Panic and Military Power
6. Ground Truth? The ‘Strategy of Optimism’ and the ‘Culture of Silence’
Part Two: Fighting America’s Wars
7. ‘A Grand Strategic Error’: The Military’s Pursuit of the ‘Bad’ War in Iraq
8. The Iraq War: Fighting with the Americans
9. “Don’t ask, don’t tell, just do It”: The British Military Goes to Helmand
10. “Shedding Blood” in Afghanistan: Politicians in Power?
11. Forever Wars: Military Power, the Conservatives
and Authoritarian Populism
Conclusion: A Militarised Democracy Fighting America’s Wars
Bibliography