Neill Lochery – författare

Lisbon had a pivotal role in the history of World War II, though not a gun was fired there. The only European city in which both the Allies and the Axis power operated openly, it was temporary home to much of Europe's exiled royalty, over one million refugees seeking passage to the U.S., and a host of spies, secret police, captains of industry, bankers, prominent Jews, writers and artists, escaped POWs, and black marketeers. An operations officer writing in 1944 described the daily scene at Lisbon's airport as being like the movie Casablanca," times twenty. In this riveting narrative, renowned historian Neill Lochery draws on his relationships with high-level Portuguese contacts, access to records recently uncovered from Portuguese secret police and banking archives, and other unpublished documents to offer a revelatory portrait of the War's back stage. And he tells the story of how Portugal, a relatively poor European country trying frantically to remain neutral amidst extraordinary pressures, survived the war not only physically intact but significantly wealthier. The country's emergence as a prosperous European Union nation would be financed in part, it turns out, by a cache of Nazi gold.

When World War II erupted in 1939, Brazil seemed a world away. Lush, remote, and underdeveloped, the country and its capital of Rio de Janeiro lured international travellers seeking a respite from the drums of the war. Rio: at the end of civilization, as we know it," claimed Orson Welles as he set out for the city in 1942. But Brazil's bucolic reputation as a distant land of palm trees and pristine beaches masked a more complex reality,one that the country's leaders were busily exploiting in a desperate gambit to secure Brazil's place in the modern world.In Brazil , acclaimed historian Neill Lochery reveals the secret history of the country's involvement in World War II, showing how the cunning statecraft and economic opportunism of Brazil's leaders transformed it into a regional superpower over the course of the war. Brazil's natural resources and proximity to the United States made it strategically invaluable to both the Allies and the Axis, a fact that the country's dictator, Getúlio Dornelles Vargas, keenly understood. In the war's early years, Vargas and a handful of his close advisors dexterously played both sides against each other, generating enormous wealth for Brazil and fundamentally transforming its economy and infrastructure.But Brazil's cozy neutrality was not to last. Forced to choose sides, Vargas declared war on the Axis powers and sent 25,000 troops to the European theatre. This Brazilian expeditionary force arrived too late,and was called home too early,to secure a significant role for Brazil in the postwar order. But within Brazil, at least, Vargas had made his mark, ensuring Rio's emergence as a major international city and effectively remaking Brazil as a modern nation.A fast-paced tale of war and diplomatic intrigue, Brazil reveals a long-buried chapter of World War II and the little-known origins of one of the world's emerging economic powerhouses.

‘I fell in love with Porto and I love it still. The city’s spectacular bridges, its vertiginous riverbanks, steep with ancient buildings, the old port houses, the wide squares: I was entranced by them all.’ J.K. ROWLING One of the oldest cities in Europe, rising from the steep banks of the Douro (the river of gold) with picturesque praças, churches and houses with colourfully tiled facades, Porto is recognised the world over for its wonderful Port wine. Its ancient name Portucale forms the origin of the country – Portugal. Today, Porto is a vibrant commercial and cultural centre that is proud of its historic links to the outside world. An essential read from one of the world’s foremost writers on Portugal, Porto: Gateway to the World uses the beautiful buildings and landmarks across the city to take the reader on a journey through its rich history, from its origins right up to the modern era.

The first major English language profile of Benjamin Netanyahu, the divisive and controversial Prime Minister of Israel.Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the longest serving Prime Ministers of Israel. For much of the world, Netanyahu is a right-wing nationalist zealot; for many Israelis he is a centrist who is too soft on Arabs and backs down too easily in a fight.Love him or loathe him, Netanyahu has been at the very centre of Arab-Israeli politics since 1990, when he became the telegenic Israeli spokesman for CNN''s coverage of the Persian Gulf War, arguably ushering in the Americanization of the Israeli media. Netanyahu is famous for his TV skills, but there is so much more to reveal - good and bad - about the man and his place in Israeli, Middle Eastern and world political history.Using the juncture of the Oslo Accords to take the reader back to Netanyahu''s formative years, Neill Lochery, a renowned scholar of Middle Eastern politics and history, chronicles not only the Prime Minister''s life but also the issues his career has encompassed, from the rise of militant Islam to the politics of oil; from the transformation of Israeli politics by the 24/7 cable news cycle to the US''s changing role in the Middle East.At present there is no major profile of Netanyahu in the English language, so the publication of this book is a landmark of considerable importance, especially as in March 2015 he was re-elected for a further term in office.

Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the longest serving Prime Ministers of Israel. For much of the world, Netanyahu is a right-wing nationalist zealot; for many Israelis he is a centrist who is too soft on Arabs and backs down too easily in a fight. Love him or loathe him, Netanyahu has been at the very centre of Arab-Israeli politics since 1990, when he became the telegenic Israeli spokesman for CNN''s coverage of the Persian Gulf War, arguably ushering in the Americanization of the Israeli media. Netanyahu is famous for his TV skills, but there is so much more to reveal - good and bad - about the man and his place in Israeli, Middle Eastern and world political history. At present there is no major profile of Netanyahu in the English language, so the publication of this book is a landmark of considerable importance, especially as in March 2015 he was re-elected for a further term in office. Using the juncture of the Oslo Accords to take the reader back to Netanyahu''s formative years, Neill Lochery, a renowned scholar of Middle Eastern politics and history, chronicles not only the Prime Minister''s life but also the issues his career has encompassed, from the rise of militant Islam to the politics of oil; from the transformation of Israeli politics by the 24/7 cable news cycle to the US''s changing role in the Middle East.

''Lisbon and Portugal''s best days are behind them'' is a common theme put forward by writers who focus their attention on the golden era of Portuguese discoveries, the Empire and the role of Lisbon as a major Atlantic power. Neill Lochery''s book demonstrates that Portugal is not suffering from such inevitable decline. Out of the Shadows is a full account of post-authoritarian democratic Portugal (1974 to Present) following the Carnation Revolution which began on April 25th 1974 and based on documentary sources, personal accounts and unpublished documents from the National Archive in Kew. In 1974 a dramatic overnight coup led to the fall of the ''Estado Novo'' dictatorship in Portugal - in Lisbon the events became known as the Carnation Revolution. As the colonies collapsed, the United States helped airlift 13,000 refugees from Angola back to Portugal as US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger maneuvered to advance the moderate side of the government in Lisbon over the radicals and thus guarantee US interests.As Neill Lochery argues, one of the major misunderstandings of the post-revolution era in Portugal has been the concentration on domestic over international factors in helping to shape its story. Having emerged from its twentieth century financial crisis and bail out and thus ''out of the shadows'', he argues that Portugal is a country of huge relevance to the present day and of great future significance to the European continent. Indeed, the strengthening of bonds between Portugal and its European neighbours can be seen to be more important than ever, given the heightened tensions in European politics, the refugee crisis and the prospect of a changing European Union.

Out of the Shadows is a full account of post-authoritarian democratic Portugal (1974 to Present) following the Carnation Revolution which began on April 25th 1974 and based on documentary sources, personal accounts and unpublished documents from the National Archive in Kew.''Lisbon and Portugal''s best days are behind them'' is a common theme put forward by writers who focus their attention on the golden era of Portuguese discoveries, the Empire and the role of Lisbon as a major Atlantic power. Neill Lochery''s book demonstrates that Portugal is not suffering from such inevitable decline.In 1974 a dramatic overnight coup led to the fall of the ''Estado Novo'' dictatorship in Portugal - in Lisbon the events became known as the Carnation Revolution. As the colonies collapsed, the United States helped airlift 13,000 refugees from Angola back to Portugal as US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger maneuvered to advance the moderate side of the government in Lisbon over the radicals and thus guarantee US interests.As Neill Lochery argues, one of the major misunderstandings of the post-revolution era in Portugal has been the concentration on domestic over international factors in helping to shape its story. Having emerged from its twentieth century financial crisis and bail out and thus ''out of the shadows'', he argues that Portugal is a country of huge relevance to the present day and of great future significance to the European continent.Indeed, the strengthening of bonds between Portugal and its European neighbours can be seen to be more important than ever, given the heightened tensions in European politics, the refugee crisis and the prospect of a changing European Union.