Right Backed by Might: History Without Clarity.

• Author: Stott, Bethany
• Position: Right Backed by Might: The International Air Force Concept - Review

Roger Beaumont's latest book, "Right Backed by Might: The International Air Force Concept," provides an in-depth military and political history of the Western world as it relates to the concepts of "international police force (IPF) and "international air force" (IAF).

As an Air Force officer candidate and a student of Western European politics and history, I found it a disappointing reading experience.

The idea of having standing multi-national military and policy forces has been studied for decades, and it would have been interesting to hear from Beaumont--who is a credible expert--about why these forces have not materialized as many had hoped. But Beaumont fails to offer his opinions on the matter.

Academics will find this book elementary, and those with only a mild interest won't get past the first few pages. But I would strongly recommend it for someone writing a research paper--the sources listed are numerous and mostly primary.

The true history buff, however, will be frustrated by the lack of new insight or information. The novice will learn the chronological order of events in modern military and political history, but not much else. Beaumont presupposes the reader has a vast knowledge of history and consequently glosses over the events that comprise it. The result is that there is no real target audience for this book.

"Right Backed By Might" attempts to provide an outline of the history of the modern world as a backdrop to the story of an international air force; the concept of an IAF comes up frequently, but most often in the context of the League of Nations and the United Nations. He mentions many failed attempts and designs for various IAFs, but given the nature of air power--and its propensity to change quickly--these precedents may or may not be useful. He also fails to give sufficient attention to the way these concepts have evolved in recent years.

The book moves very quickly, and does not go into any significant depth, up until the events of the 1940s. The '40s, '50s, and '60s are all carefully detailed. But after that, when his thesis should be picking up speed, given the huge advances in air power since the 1970s and the increase in global cooperation, he slows down, merely glossing over the events of the 80s and 90s. He makes no significant mention of any current plans for an international air force, although several entities out there today seem suspiciously akin to one.

The insufficient coverage of modern times stems...