Books

Here are the most recent books I have written.  You can find them on all Amazon sites:

Amazon.co.ukAmazon.comAmazon.itAmazon.deAmazon.frAmazon.esAmazon.inAmazon.ca

If you can not find them, or if they are not available in your country or region, please contact me at carno.polo@gmail.com.

The full list of my publications is here.

ALONG THE MEKONG
Fast and Slow Boats in Cambodia and Laos

From the splendor of Angkor to the tribes of the jungle in northern Laos, a trip by fast hydrofoils, rickety vans, narrow pirogues, and sturdy boots. The author leads us to archeological UNESCO sites and pristine waterfalls. He mingles with the locals, eats their food, and sleeps in improbable quarters in villages that hardly ever see a foreign face. Over several weeks he takes pictures and lots of notes, always respectful of the local customs, except once, and he pays for his mistake! The book includes maps and 25 photos by the author. Photos are Black&White in the paperback version and full color in the kindle version.
____________________

BEYOND THE WALL

Adventure of a Volkswagen Beetle 
on the other side of the Iron Curtain


1980: the Cold War between capitalist West and socialist East is in full swing. Tensions are high but, at the academic level, some channels of useful exchange remain open. The author and two classmates would join one such program linking a leading American university and its counterpart in Poland. They travel to Warsaw here by car and, in addition to attending classes, travel far and wide within the country as well as to several of the neighbors in the socialist bloc where the Soviet Union called all the shots. They drive across the USSR and visit the Berlin Wall, the symbol of the division of Europe. Throughout, Marco took detailed notes of what they saw and heard.

Almost four decades later, the East-West division of Europe is gone. Marco recently found his diary and decided to publish an expanded version of it. His written notes from 1980 have been enriched with descriptions and analyses of historical events that will help the reader see his personal experience in a more significant cultural, social, political and economic context.

The author hopes this real-life story will help younger generations, who did not live through the Cold War, better appreciate the blessing of living in a European continent that is immensely more open, rich and free than it was then.
____________________


JOURNEYS THROUGH THE MALDIVES

Unveiling the islands of an archipelago on the brink

Tales from the many trips to the Maldives of the author. Avoiding the tourist resorts, he visited remote villages, where tradition is combined with innovation and technology, meeting local people and trying to understand their culture. Always island hopping by boat, he went from postcard-perfect uninhabited islands and through the streets of the bustling capital Malé, in its hidden corners often overlooked by tourism. In dozens of dives, he witnessed the richness of wildlife and the sparkling colors of these seas.

But the islands are facing rapid changes and serious problems, and they are not always the paradise they seem. The Maldives are at a turning point, with political, economic and environmental changes that pose difficult challenges to the government and to the nation.

The book is completed by an analytical index, a chronology of the Maldivian history and a bibliography. The kindle book includes 36 color photographs while the paperback contains 11 B&W photos.



____________________

VIAGGIO ALLE MALDIVE

Arcipelago in bilico: una non-guida per svelare le sole



Seconda edizione aggiornata al 2015. Racconto dei molti viaggi alle Maldive dell'autore, che evitando i villaggi turistici ha girato per le isole dei pescatori, incontrando la gente e cercando di capirne storia e cultura. Gironzolando sempre in barca, Marco ci porta a spasso per villaggi tranquilli, dove la tradizione si sposa con l'innovazione e la tecnologia. Ci guida per le strade della brulicante capitale Malé, nei suoi angoli nascosti spesso trascurati dal turismo frettoloso. Durante decine di immersioni subacquee, egli è testimone della ricchezza faunistica e dei colori sfavillantii di questi mari. Ma le isole stanno affrontando gravi problemi e rapidi cambiamenti, e non sono sempre il paradiso che sembrano. Le Maldive sono ad una svolta, con cambiamenti politici, economici ed ambientali che pongono difficili sfide al governo ed alla nazione.Il libro è corredato di un utile indice analitico, una cronologia della storia maldiviana, una bibliografia e alcune fotografie in bianco e nero. La versione kindle contiene oltre 30 fotografie a colori.
____________________

The Command and Control of 
NATO Nuclear Forces in Europe



This book examines the development of command and control systems for nuclear weapons in NATO Europe during the Cold War. This is a reprint of his book originally published in 1993.

The United States and Europe had for a long time stressed different aspects of their common concern for the control of nuclear forces. The US mostly feared failure of negative control, ie the possibility of accidental or inadvertent use. The Europeans shared this concern but emphasized the need for reliable positive control of the deterrent, ie the assurance that it would function as planned in an emergency. Unsurprisingly, American views prevailed and moved the UK and France to develop their own national deterrent.

Written at the end of the cold war, this book argued for the creation of a European deterrent, integrated with NATO, on the basis of the French and UK forces.

Since then, these two countries have repeatedly discussed this issue, and that is why, twenty-five years after it was written, the conclusions of this book are still relevant for current policy. Renewed US unilateralism after the election of president Trump reinforces the notion that in the nuclear weapons domain, as in others, the Europeans should take more responsibility.

The author holds a Ph.D. in Defense Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a retired member of the international staff at NATO Headquarters.

No comments:

Post a Comment

All relevant comments are welcome and will be published asap, but offensive language will be removed.