A Handful Of Bullets: How The Murder Of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Still Menaces The Peace, by Harlan K. Ullman

As someone who reads a fair amount about World War I and its repercussions [1], I was pleased to finally snag a book from the Naval Historical Institute for an academic book review, as it has been some time since my last book review for them. Part of the reason I wanted to read the book, of course, related to its subject material, in that untangling the consequences of fateful actions is something I do fairly often and very naturally. Additionally, I was curious to solve a mystery as to why the Naval Institute Press, the publisher connected to the Naval Historical Institute (and the US Navy), published a book relating to a distinctly non-naval aspect of WWI history. It seems obvious that there were connections of great strategic interest, I would think, and that is worth reading to find out for myself.

In looking very briefly over the materials, I saw that the author of the book, whose name is not familiar to me, was given credit for the concept of “shock and awe,” though he appears wary of taking any credit for how it was applied in the Second Gulf War. The book itself appears divided into three parts and from what I have seen in flipping through it casually (I will probably take a deeper look at it later this week to review for the Naval Historical Institute, there are a few notable qualities to it. One of those qualities is the long dureè view of the implications of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and how it relates not only to military history and other geopolitical concerns, but also to economic concerns and the need for statesmen rather than mere politicians to be at the helm. Additionally, this books strikes a somewhat apocalyptic tone by looking at four “horsemen” not unlike those of Revelation that I am familiar with as a student of biblical prophecy [2] and has a special interest in regional conflicts that could spark massive global conflicts, particularly involving China [3]. This looks like a rewarding and thought-provoking read, and I look forward to devouring it in my fashion.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/book-review-sketches-of-the-east-africa-campaign/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/book-review-to-rule-the-waves/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/book-review-guide-to-the-collapse-of-yugoslavia-1991-1999/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/book-review-a-mad-catastrophe/

[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/keeping-the-black-rider-at-bay-on-agricultural-exports/

[3] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/non-book-review-fire-on-the-water/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/non-book-review-rebalancing-u-s-forces/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/let-slip-the-dogs-of-war-crisis-in-the-spratly-islands/