In A Short History of the Unfinished Cold War , author Michael Loren Hastings provides an account of the largely misunderstood period of tension and conflict between world powers. Drawing on experience serving in the U.S. armed forces during the height of the Cold War, Hastings details the many factors that led to the conflict at the end of World War II. This is augmented by extensive research that provides a succinct, yet comprehensive, history. Hastings refutes the belief that the Cold War ended with the collapse of the former Soviet Union and argues that the threat to Western democracy is as severe as ever. For this reason, and many others, it is important to understand this war, from its inception to its present, unfinished state. Perhaps then mankind will be able to avert conflict and war that could be the cause of its undoing. About the Author Michael Loren Hastings attended the Virginia Military Institute and served a number of years in the Army Corps of Engineers 18th Engineer Brigade. He has spent the last quarter century in the construction of infrastructure and transportation systems. Hastings is the author of Echoes of Babylon and Standing Alone . He currently resides in his native town of Barrington, New Hampshire.