{"title":"Martin Plaut","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMartin Plaut\u003c\/strong\u003e specialises in incisive explorations of African history and conflict, offering readers a profound understanding of the political and military dynamics shaping the continent. His works delve deeply into the complexities of regional struggles, providing clear-eyed analysis backed by meticulous research.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom in-depth accounts like \u003cem\u003eUnbroken Chains\u003c\/em\u003e to detailed examinations such as \u003cem\u003eUnderstanding Ethiopia's Tigray War\u003c\/em\u003e, Plaut's books illuminate the causes and consequences of critical historical events, making them essential reading for those interested in history and military affairs in Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"unbroken-chains-by-martin-plaut-9781805264026","title":"Unbroken Chains","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA new, full history of slavery in Africa, from the Pharaohs to the present.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSlavery has ravaged African societies since at least 2,500 BCE, from Egypt to the Cape; from Mauritania to Somalia. Most writing covers just one fraction of this history: the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Yet Indian Ocean slavery was equally sizeable, and far longer-lived. Historians often neglect the continent's internal practices, too—Ethiopian kingdoms enslaving conquered peoples; the Sokoto Caliphate capturing men and women on a scale matching the US plantations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOverlooked stories of enslavement matter. In 1794, Congress authorised construction of the US Navy's first six ships to protect civilian vessels from North Africa's Barbary corsairs, who raided as far as Britain and the Caribbean, enslaving hundreds of thousands of Europeans. And, since abolition of the trans-Atlantic trade, international focus on 'modern' slavery has left Africans enslaved as chattel today with few champions. The UN and African Union are too embarrassed to confront leaders still permitting this practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUnbroken Chains\u003c\/em\u003e is the first full account of the bondage systems that have scarred African communities over the millennia. It is an illuminating, powerful read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487737626860,"sku":"9781805264026","price":69.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/f15d74ebb5239a2efab773bd36a4b8cf.jpg?v=1775769684"},{"product_id":"understanding-ethiopias-tigray-war-by-martin-plaut-9781787388116","title":"Understanding Ethiopia's Tigray War","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe war in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray began in November 2020. It inflicted more casualties than any other contemporary conflict in the world. It has also been among the least understood.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe fighting and accompanying blockade led to an estimated 600,000 deaths—more than the number who died in the 1984-5 famine. International journalists were banned as the region was sealed off from the outside world by Ethiopian and Eritrean governments prosecuting a strategy designed to crush Tigray at almost any cost.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHatred of Tigrayans was stoked by senior advisers to Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed: they have called Tigrayans 'weeds' who must be uprooted, their place in history extinguished. Their language was reminiscent of that which preceded the genocide in Rwanda.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe war was also orchestrated by Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki, who came to wield increasing influence over Ethiopian affairs. It drew in Somali troops as well as Eritrean forces. Peace agreements signed in November 2022 ended the worst of the violence, but without resolving the war's underlying drivers, which continue to feed a tense and uncertain situation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Ethiopia's Tigray War\u003c\/i\u003e provides the first clear explanation of the factors that led to the conflict, unravelling their roots in Ethiopia's long and complex history. It describes the battles that were fought at such terrible cost and the immense suffering, particularly of women, who were brutally abused.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487738249452,"sku":"9781787388116","price":57.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/e5c7c211bcf429bd68694eb0e8d0fd62.jpg?v=1775769654"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/martin-plaut.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}