PREPARING FOR WAR

""A clear-eyed, compelling study of the road to Jan. 6 and the possible future of the politics-versus-religion battle in the U.S."" -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review Watching the eerie footage of the January 6 insurrection, Bradley Onishi wondered: If I hadn't left evangelicalism, would I have been there? The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not a blip or an aberration. It was the logical outcome of years of a White evangelical subculture's preparation for war. Religion scholar and former insider Bradley Onishi maps the origins of White Christian nationalism and traces its offshoots in Preparing for War . This paperback edition includes a new preface from the author that speaks to the contemporary currents of White Christian nationalism. Combining his own experiences in the youth groups and prayer meetings of the 1990s with an immersive look at the steady blending of White grievance politics with evangelicalism, Onishi crafts an engrossing account of the years-long campaign of White Christian nationalism that led to January 6. How did the rise of what Onishi calls the New Religious Right, between 1960 and 2015, give birth to violent White Christian nationalism during the Trump presidency and beyond? What propelled some of the most conservative religious communities in the country--communities of which Onishi was once a part--to ignite a cold civil war?

An original conceptual approach to the study of war, attempting to capture the entire phenomenon of military adaptation—whether strategic, institutional or in the field. The unravelling of the post-Cold War order has intensified geopolitical tensions, driving a global increase in defence spending. Most military organisations are engaged in a process of drastic transformation, trying to scale their activities, learn from contemporary battlefields, and improve readiness. Yet armed forces engaged in such reforms must solve a major dilemma: how to adapt to an uncertain future without losing their current identity, coherence or operational effectiveness. In this incisive and timely study, Olivier Schmitt explores how modern militaries adapt, or fail to adapt, to evolving threats, technologies and political constraints. Drawing on global case-studies--from the trenches of Ukraine to the halls of the People's Liberation Army leadership--he investigates how social expectations, political constraints and organisational cultures collide in the worldwide quest to reform the military. Essential reading for defence professionals, policymakers and scholars of international security, Preparing for War equips readers with the tools to grasp not only the 'how' but the 'why' behind military transformation. In an era of rising defence budgets and shrinking certainties, this book delivers crucial insights into the future of war--and the institutions that must be ready for it.

An original conceptual approach to the study of war, attempting to capture the entire phenomenon of military adaptation—whether strategic, institutional or in the field. The unravelling of the post-Cold War order has intensified geopolitical tensions, driving a global increase in defence spending. Most military organisations are engaged in a process of drastic transformation, trying to scale their activities, learn from contemporary battlefields, and improve readiness. Yet armed forces engaged in such reforms must solve a major dilemma: how to adapt to an uncertain future without losing their current identity, coherence or operational effectiveness. In this incisive and timely study, Olivier Schmitt explores how modern militaries adapt, or fail to adapt, to evolving threats, technologies and political constraints. Drawing on global case-studies--from the trenches of Ukraine to the halls of the People's Liberation Army leadership--he investigates how social expectations, political constraints and organisational cultures collide in the worldwide quest to reform the military. Essential reading for defence professionals, policymakers and scholars of international security, Preparing for War equips readers with the tools to grasp not only the 'how' but the 'why' behind military transformation. In an era of rising defence budgets and shrinking certainties, this book delivers crucial insights into the future of war--and the institutions that must be ready for it.