Indefensible

Reviews / Votes

In an unflinching assessment of the arguments that support the global trade in conventional weapons, Holden holds this new book up to its title, finding such myths to be indefensible.' * Arms Control Today * Debunks the myths commonly used to defend the indefensible. The author helps us to recognise those myths on the basis of a breathtaking, well-researched array of cases, and leads us to the conclusion that change is not only needed, but is actually possible. * Ana Gomes MEP, member of the EU Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs * Bristling with facts, figures, and incisive case studies, Indefensible shines a bright light on the dark underbelly of the global arms trade. Cynicism, corruption, and sheer stupidity have produced a world awash with weapons. Holden and his collaborators show how we got into this mess and offer a way out. * Andrew J. Bacevich, author of America's War for the Greater Middle East * Essential reading for all those who believe that there are alternatives to the incessant cycle of wars and conflict. It is a calm and systematic analysis, which leaves the reader in no doubt that the arms trade can and must be challenged. * Anna Macdonald, Control Arms * Holden and his colleagues' measured, succinct and cogent analysis of the shallowness of conventional wisdom is invaluable. This excellent book deserves the widest possible readership. * Nicholas Gilby, author of Deception in High Places: A History of Bribery in Britain's Arms Trade * A ground breaking effort in myth-busting, bringing together the foremost scholars on the global arms trade to untangle the web of lies surrounding this deadly industry. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the players who make modern warfare and all its attendant suffering possible. * Nick Turse, investigative journalist and author of Kill Anything that Moves * Indefensible not only explains what is wrong with the arms trade, but also provides us with the tools needed for change. * Wendela de Vries, Dutch Campaign Against the Arms Trade *