Kaushik Roy is Guru Nanak Chair Professor in the Department of History, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. He specialises in warfare in Eurasia and is currently associated with the 'Warring with Machines' Project of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Norway.

Michael W. Charney is Professor of Asian and Military History at SOAS, University of London, where he teaches the history of violence, cities and the emergence of the contemporary world. His work mainly focuses on Southeast Asia and Africa.