The battle for skies
Encyclopedia
The Battle for Skies is a novel by Russian author Maxim Kalashnikov
, first published in 2000 by the Great Resistance publisher. It is the second part of Kalashnikov's historical, geopolitical and economical series of novels (the sequel to The Broken Sword of the Empire
).
The Battle for Skies is essentially the big missing part of The Broken Sword of the Empire -- what the author meant to write about the Cold War
but didn't include into the first book. A few changes can yet be seen. Kalashnikov was deeply touched by the Yugoslavian crisis (Operation Allied Force
) in 1999. As a result, he wrote the introduction of the second book by exposing his thoughts about this war. Notably, the author draw a distinct parallel between the events in Yugoslavia
and the state of affairs in Russia. Kalashnikov was convinced that it was only an exercise for the "Westerners" (NATO country-members), and that the same destiny would await Russia in the close future.
Maxim Kalashnikov
Vladimir Alexandrovich Kucherenko , better known by the pen name Maxim Kalashnikov , is a Russian patriotic writer, publicist, and political activist....
, first published in 2000 by the Great Resistance publisher. It is the second part of Kalashnikov's historical, geopolitical and economical series of novels (the sequel to The Broken Sword of the Empire
The broken sword of the Empire
The Broken Sword of the Empire is a novel by Russian author Maxim Kalashnikov, first published in 1998 by the Great Resistance publisher. It is the first part of Kalashnikov’s historical, geopolitical and economical series of novels....
).
The Battle for Skies is essentially the big missing part of The Broken Sword of the Empire -- what the author meant to write about the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
but didn't include into the first book. A few changes can yet be seen. Kalashnikov was deeply touched by the Yugoslavian crisis (Operation Allied Force
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
) in 1999. As a result, he wrote the introduction of the second book by exposing his thoughts about this war. Notably, the author draw a distinct parallel between the events in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and the state of affairs in Russia. Kalashnikov was convinced that it was only an exercise for the "Westerners" (NATO country-members), and that the same destiny would await Russia in the close future.
Structure
The Battle for Skies is larger than its predecessor. It is divided into four parts :- Part I: World War IV-the wolf hour. It is essentially a large introduction, which explains the important points of what the author calls "the Fourth World War" (1999-....), using an argumentation structured as a discussion between Maxim Kalashnikov and the Russian economist Mikhail DelyaginMikhail DelyaginMikhail Gennadyevich Delyagin , born 1968, is a modern Russian author, politician and economist. Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Science. Delyagin took part in the experts team by the Supreme soviet council from 1990 to 1991 and obtained an academic degree in economics in 1998...
. According to the author, NATO had started World War IV with the Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia. Like the Cold War, it is based on local conflicts (e.g.: IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
), but it also includes a full scale financialFINANCIALFINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
and mediaMass mediaMass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
global war. - Part II: The glory of our fathers. This is a historically accurate description of the Cold War from 1945 (Churchil's Operation UnthinkableOperation UnthinkableOperation Unthinkable was a British plan to attack the Soviet Union. The creation of the plan was ordered by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945 and developed by the British Armed Forces' Joint Planning Staff at the end of World War II in Europe.-Offensive operations:The initial...
) to the détenteDétenteDétente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
of the 1970s through a Soviet perspective. - Part III: The "Black Bird" hunters. Here the author continues the history of the Cold War. Yet as Kalashnikov approaches to the end, the writings tend to take a rather fantastic perspective. A parallel universe is modeled where the Soviet Union is ruled by a mystical "Commander in chief", which corresponds in every detail to the Stalin figure.
- Part IV: the Ubercorporation Empire: Memories of the future. This last part is a description of an utopian Russia which has achieved global control after a victory in the Cold War.