Modern War #8 SE Holy Land

“There’s a gap in military history magazines”, said Dr. Cummins, “There is no publication covering just the last 40 years. Military history did not end after the Vietnam War. No magazine focuses only on recent and current conflicts. No magazine shows you what might happen tomorrow – until now. Modern War: Military History in the Making will fill that gap.”

Modern War, available bi-monthly beginning in September 2012 at bookstores and newsstands nationwide such as Barnes & Noble, will explore the Cold War era, recent conflicts spanning from 1990 to present, as well as potential new wars. Articles will go in-depth to analyze the “how” and “why” of conflicts supported with copious maps, charts and photographs. Regular columns will examine weapons, systems and new arenas.

Holy Land: The Next Arab-Israeli War

The premise of Holy Land is that there is a revitalization of the militant Arab world. They then challenge the Israelis, using not only conventional military forces, but also the full spectrum of conflict, including insurgency and terrorism. The game includes several possible scenario options for different types of conflict. Holy Land game shows some of the major factors involved. The Holy Land game system is based upon Decision: Iraq; there are two players in Holy Land, various Arab powers and foreign fighters, the latter possibly including Al Qaeda and Iranian support, among others, and the Israelis, with possible coalition support.

Both players have a set of pieces that represent both conventional and unconventional forces. Players move their pieces across the spaces on the map and engage in various kinds of conflict in order to destroy enemy forces, seize critical objectives, and change the Netwar Index, which is an index used to indicate how successful each side has been in meeting their goals. Furthermore, one unique feature of the Holy Land is that as units engage in combat, their effectiveness may increase or decrease as they gain experience in fighting, or become demoralized.

The game map shows Israel and adjoining countries, divided into large rectangular boxes known as regions, representing the general geography of the area. Players deploy their units into region boxes.

The game includes two maps (22x34”) and 352 counters.

Articles in this issue include:

Holy Land: Future conflict in the Middle East.

Other Articles

·         Soviet Pilots in the Korean War: Soviet pilots took to the skies over Korea against UN air forces in one of the Cold War's secret fights.

·         Six Day Cold War: The run-up to the 1967 Arab-Israeli War nearly saw the great powers clash.

·         USMC Over the Horizon: the Marines are developing a whole new way to hit the beaches.

·         Thailand Insurgency: A low key insurgency has considerable impact in the Far East.