Military and defence strategy Books

Book SynopsisLet your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. The Art of War is the earliest-known and most famous treatise on military science. Written by military general Sun Tzu in Ancient China, it provides tactical advice on war strategy and how to adjust your approach in ever-evolving situations. Despite being written over two thousand years ago, its shrewd and penetrating theories are used today as a source of insight into many areas of life, including leadership and corporate strategy. This elegant, compact gift-edition features gold-gilded page edges, ivory paper, golden foil stamping on the cover and beautiful illustrations within, making it the perfect gift for all readers interested in ancient Chinese wisdom.ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history. These compact, foil-embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift.

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Book SynopsisThe original and bestselling leadership book! Sun Tzu's ideas on survival and success have been read across the world for centuries. Today they can still be applied to business, politics and life. The Art of War demonstrates how to win without conflict.Table of ContentsForeword vii An Introduction by Tom Butler-Bowdon xi Part I 1 The Art of War 3 Part II 101 The Sayings of WU TZU 103

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Book SynopsisOne of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics synthesizes the vast history of strategy's evolution in this consistently engaging and surprising account of how it came to pervade every aspect of life.Trade ReviewThis is the paperback version of what is one of the most thorough histories of strategic thinking * Military History *I include this to show that it is possible to find a genuinely new insight on finance by reading beyond the obvious. * Professional Investor *Stunning reviews in hardback * The Bookseller *Professor Freedman teaches War Studies at King's College, and was the official historian of the Falklands War. His book is the type of work you dive into, reread, underline, and ponder. And I did just that, making copious notes while being watched by the guy sitting next to me. He leaned over and pointed at the book. "Excellent choice, sir. Couldnt pick a better book." * Ancient Rome Refocused, Rob Cain *The book is a masterly and definitive account of strategy. * David Lorimer, Network Review *Rich in detail and deeply contextualising, this book is not only the longest but also the most diverse work in recent years on the evolution of strategy ... This book belongs with the classics in the field of strategic studies ... it provides a huge fund of information about the concept of strategy. It is first and foremost its historical depth that requires Freedman's work to be included in every library of status. * Marcel Berni, Reviews in History *[Freedman's] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy. * Washington Post *Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument. * The Economist *This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom. * Financial Times *Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others * of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one.Kirkus Reviews *Sir Lawrence Freedman's 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy. * New Criterion *Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. * Mark Stout, War on the Rocks *Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a 'number of false starts' with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, it's been well worth the wait. * The Daily Beast *Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedman's dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power. * Publishers Weekly starred review *A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it. * National Review *An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline. * strategy + business *A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions. * Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog *Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the world's leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." * Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power *A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes. * Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University *This is a wonderful book * a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative.Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History *This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies. * CHOICE *[Freedman's] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy. * Washington Post *Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument. * The Economist *This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom. * Financial Times *Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others * of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one.Kirkus Reviews *One the most significant works in the fields of international relations, strategic studies, and history to appear in recent years. * Foreign Affairs *Sir Lawrence Freedman's 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy. * New Criterion *Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. * Mark Stout, War on the Rocks *Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a 'number of false starts' with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, it's been well worth the wait. * The Daily Beast *Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedman's dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power. * Publishers Weekly starred review *A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it. * National Review *An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline. * strategy + business *A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions. * Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog *Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the world's leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." * Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power *A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes. * Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University *This is a wonderful book * a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative.Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History *This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsDEDICATION ; PREFACE ; Part I ORIGINS ; 1 ORIGINS 1: EVOLUTION ; 2 ORIGINS 2: THE BIBLE ; 3 ORIGINS 3: THE GREEKS ; 4 SUN TZU AND MACHIAVELLI ; 5 SATAN'S STRATEGY ; Part II STRATEGIES OF FORCE ; 6 THE NEW SCIENCE OF STRATEGY ; 7 CLAUSEWITZ ; 8 THE FALSE SCIENCE ; 9 ANNIHILATION OR EXHAUSTION ; 10 BRAIN AND BRAWN ; 11 THE INDIRECT APPROACH ; 12 NUCLEAR GAMES ; 13 THE RATIONALITY OF IRRATIONALITY ; 14 GUERRILLA WARFARE ; 15 OBSERVATION AND ORIENTATION ; 16 THE REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS ; 17 THE MYTH OF THE MASTER STRATEGIST ; PART III STRATEGY FROM BELOW ; 18 MARX AND A STRATEGY FOR THE WORKING CLASS ; 19 HERZEN AND BAKUNIN ; 20 REVISIONISTS AND VANGUARDS ; 21 BUREAUCRATS, DEMOCRATS, and ELITES ; 22 FORMULAS, MYTHS, AND PROPAGANDA ; 23 THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE ; 24 EXISTENTIAL STRATEGY ; 25 BLACK POWER AND WHITE ANGER ; 26 FRAMES, PARADIGMS, DISCOURSES, AND NARRATIVES ; 27 RACE, RELIGION, AND ELECTIONS ; PART IV STRATEGY FROM ABOVE ; 28 THE RISE OF THE MANAGEMENT CLASS ; 29 THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS ; 30 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ; 31 BUSINESS AS WAR ; 32 THE RISE OF ECONOMICS ; 33 RED QUEENS AND BLUE OCEANS ; 34 THE SOCIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE ; 35 DELIBERATE OR EMERGENT ; PART V theories of strategy ; 36 THE LIMITS OF RATIONAL CHOICE ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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Book SynopsisAn engaging guide to the various ways in which war is now waged—and how to adapt to this new realityTrade Review“This brisk everyman’s guide—straight-talking and free of jargon—is a useful tasting menu to a fast moving, constantly evolving set of problems. . . . A lively reminder that war adapts to technology, that civilians are part of modern conflict whether they like it or not.”—Roger Boyes, Times (UK)“Galeotti’s field guide is an admirably clear overview (in his words, ‘quick and opinionated’) of a form of conflict which is vague and hard to grasp. Variously described as hybrid, sub-threshold or grey-zone warfare, this is the no man’s land between peaceful relations and formal combat.”—Helen Warrell, Financial Times“A valuable and accessible guide to the insidious methods adopted regularly by the Russians and others to wage war by more covert means.”—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs “The Weaponisation of Everything needs to be on the curriculum of every military and national security college in the Western world. . . . [Galeotti] has done more to decode the environment in which we find ourselves than all the think tanks put together.”—Jason Logue, Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies“A thought-provoking and important work. Galeotti wears his considerable knowledge lightly.”—Mark Urban, author of The Skripal Files: The Life and Near Death of a Russian Spy“Necessary reading for the strategically inclined. Wars are no longer won on battlefields, and Galeotti explains where and how to win. Governments around the world will find it a necessary wake-up call.”—Sean McFate, author of The New Rules of War: How America Can Win Against Russia, China, and Other Threats“Consistently interesting and always accessible, a book that contributes greatly to the public debate on the future of war.”—Jeremy Black, author of Military Strategy: A Global History“A terrific book written in a fast and lively style, and covering all the relevant issues. . . . Galeotti is a well-known authority in this field.”—Chris Bellamy, author of Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War

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Book SynopsisFrom bestselling author Robert Greene comes a brilliant distillation of the strategies of war that can help us gain mastery in the modern world. Spanning world civilisations, and synthesising dozens of political, philosophical, and religious texts, The 33 Strategies of War is a comprehensive guide to the subtle social game of everyday life. Based on profound, timeless lessons, it is abundantly illustrated with examples of the genius and folly of everyone from Napoleon to Margaret Thatcher and Hannibal to Ulysses S. Grant, as well as diplomats, captains of industry and Samurai swordsmen.Trade ReviewTranslatable to virtually every facet of daily life ... a rich mine of ideas and information ... readable and stimulating. * Scotland on Sunday *Entertaining ... mostly due to the Rambo-inspired mentality that oozes from every khaki-ed, muscle-bound phrase. * Daily Telegraph *Very good ... an enormous number of directed anecdotes from warfare, politics and the arts. -- Nicholas Fearn * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisHas any war in history gone according to plan? Monarchs, autocrats and elected leaders alike have a dismal record on launching and prosecuting wars. From pursuing over- ambitious goals, to making decisions without considering intelligence, terrain, morale or the enemy's capabilities, they have all erred. This not only wastes the lives of civilians, the enemy and one's own soldiers, but also means a failure to accomplish your objectives. Conflict scholar and former soldier Mike Martin takes the reader through the hard, elegant logic of how to fight an interstate war on land, including the factors that are often overlooked: the importance of psychology, training, getting the logistics right, and maintaining your esprit de corps. He then explains how to orchestrate the building blocks of military force--from infantry, artillery and air support, to information and cyber warfare-- in order to prevail over your adversary. 'How to Fight a War' explains in cool and precise prose the art of using extreme violence to convince your enemy that they should submit. It should be read by everyone who seeks to understand today's conflicts and those to come--and by all those who wish to lead us through the next decade of wars.Trade Review'Colourful, punchy, admirably challenging and clear--essential reading for every soldier, officer and General.' -- General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, British Army; 'War is abhorrent and complicated. But it is also human. In this easy-to-read book Mike Martin strips away much of its technical characteristics and reminds us that war is determined by some basic tenets that only a fool ignores. How to Fight a War is for statesmen, diplomats and generals to keep by their side when conflict beckons.' -- General Douglas Chalmers (CB, DSO, OBE) Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, 2018-2021; Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge University

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Book SynopsisOne of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics synthesizes the vast history of strategy's evolution in this consistently engaging and surprising account of how it came to pervade every aspect of life.Trade Review[Strategy: A History] elegantly synthesises strands of thought. * RUSI Journal *This is an epic undertaking, of considerable intellectual ambition. It displays the familiar Freedmanian virtues: clarity, economy, proficiency, sagacity a compound of deep immersion, practised exposition, and a certain practical wisdom in it... In strategy, everything is connected. Freedman shows us how. * The Guardian *To the best of my knowledge, this is the only book ever attempted on the entire historical and conceptual domain of strategy. Indeed, I am somewhat awestruck by the scope of the mission that Freedman set himself. ... Strategy is a very considerable, indeed monumental, product that no one else has had the temerity to attempt. * Colin Gray, International Affairs *A discursive account with many interesting passages ... There is much of interest in Freedman's book. * Jeremy Black, History Today *Arguably the best book ever written on strategy (in its widest sense). * Gerard DeGroot, Washington Post *Freedman offers a wide-ranging, scholarly and entertaining history of the concept. He ranges from David and Goliath to Peter Drucker, by way of Marx and Machiavelli - and emphasises the importance of responding flexibly to events. * Books of the Year, Financial Times *This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom. * Janan Ganesh, Financial Times *Magisterial ... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument. * The Economist *[A] fascinating, at moments playful book. * Bruce Anderson, The Sunday Times *Freedman's writing is admirably lucid, and the breadth of his knowledge and scholarship astonishing...Both as a history of ideas and as a work of reference, it is invaluable Erudite, wise and illuminating, Strategy is a book to be savoured and treasured. * Sir David Goodall, The Tablet *This is an original and intriguing approach. * Richard Overy, Literary Review *[A] vast exploration of strategy that is difficult to read, full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it. * Victor Davis Hanson, National Review *An ambitious and sprawling book ... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a "number of false starts" with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, it's been well worth the wait. * The Daily Beast *Will surely become a standard reference in the discipline ... ambitious and impressive. * strategy+business.com *A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes. * Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University *Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the world's leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest. * Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power *Erudite, wide-ranging, and covering an astonishing array of subjects relating to strategy. * Azar Gat, author of War in Human Civilization *Freedman's writing is admirably lucid, and the breadth of his knowledge and scholarship astonishing... Both as a history of ideas and as a work of reference, it is invaluable Erudite, wise and illuminating, Strategy is a book to be savoured and treasured, not least in its conclusion: that "in the end, all we can do is to act as if we can influence events. To do otherwise is to succumb to fatalism." * The Tablet *So erudite, so wide-ranging, and so knowledgeable ... impressive achievement. No single book on strategy is as intellectually intimidating; and none moves as easily as his does across time and space. * The World Today *Immensely learned and wide-ranging, beautifully written and full of insight ... a fine book. * Michael Williams, University of Hertfordshire *Table of ContentsDEDICATION ; PREFACE ; Part I ORIGINS ; 1 ORIGINS 1: EVOLUTION ; 2 ORIGINS 2: THE BIBLE ; 3 ORIGINS 3: THE GREEKS ; 4 SUN TZU AND MACHIAVELLI ; 5 SATAN'S STRATEGY ; Part II STRATEGIES OF FORCE ; 6 THE NEW SCIENCE OF STRATEGY ; 7 CLAUSEWITZ ; 8 THE FALSE SCIENCE ; 9 ANNIHILATION OR EXHAUSTION ; 10 BRAIN AND BRAWN ; 11 THE INDIRECT APPROACH ; 12 NUCLEAR GAMES ; 13 THE RATIONALITY OF IRRATIONALITY ; 14 GUERRILLA WARFARE ; 15 OBSERVATION AND ORIENTATION ; 16 THE REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS ; 17 THE MYTH OF THE MASTER STRATEGIST ; PART III STRATEGY FROM BELOW ; 18 MARX AND A STRATEGY FOR THE WORKING CLASS ; 19 HERZEN AND BAKUNIN ; 20 REVISIONISTS AND VANGUARDS ; 21 BUREAUCRATS, DEMOCRATS, and ELITES ; 22 FORMULAS, MYTHS, AND PROPAGANDA ; 23 THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE ; 24 EXISTENTIAL STRATEGY ; 25 BLACK POWER AND WHITE ANGER ; 26 FRAMES, PARADIGMS, DISCOURSES, AND NARRATIVES ; 27 RACE, RELIGION, AND ELECTIONS ; PART IV STRATEGY FROM ABOVE ; 28 THE RISE OF THE MANAGEMENT CLASS ; 29 THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS ; 30 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ; 31 BUSINESS AS WAR ; 32 THE RISE OF ECONOMICS ; 33 RED QUEENS AND BLUE OCEANS ; 34 THE SOCIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE ; 35 DELIBERATE OR EMERGENT ; PART V theories of strategy ; 36 THE LIMITS OF RATIONAL CHOICE ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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Book SynopsisThe official manual designed to provide guidance in special forces and unconventional warfare operations for commanders and staff at all levels.They can be swift, silent, and deadly. That's why armed guerrillas are feared by even the largest, best-equipped fighting forces. No tank, rocket-propelled grenade, or infantry battalion can match the guerrilla team's ability to exact brutality with precision, instill fear in enemy hearts, and viciously deflate morale. From the snows of Korea to the jungles of Southeast Asia to the mountains of Afghanistan, the U.S. Army has employed guerrilla tactics to deadly effect. Those tactics and techniques, being used today by U.S. soldiers, are laid out in the U.S. Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook. Topics covered include: Offensive combat operations Interdiction Defensive operations Psychological operations in support of unconventional warfare Demobilization And more! Employing small, heavily-armed, and well-oiled fire teams, guerrilla warfare has played an invaluable role in the success of nearly every U.S. campaign for decades. Here, its methods are detailed: raids and ambushes, demolition, counterintelligence, mining and sniping, psychological warfare, communications, and much more.Here is an inside look at the guerrilla strategies and weapons that have come to be feared by enemies and respected by allies. Not another outside perspective or commentary on unconventional warfare, this is the original—of use to soldiers in the field and to anyone with an interest in military tactics.

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Book SynopsisLate Roman Combat Tactics by Dr. Ilkka Syvänne is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand land combat in the period from the Tetrarchy to the death of Heraclius, a period when the Romans faced serious and growing military threats on many fronts. The author's detailed analysis provides the reader with a complete understanding of the combat equipment worn by the soldiers, types of troops, tactics, different unit orders and formations used by the late Romans and their enemies. Importantly, he lays out the developments and changes in these aspects across this critical period, assessing how the Romans adapted, or failed to adapt to the varied and changing array of enemies, such as Persians, Avars and Arabs. The discussion examines how the Romans fought at every level, so that it covers everything from the individual fighting techniques all the way up to the conduct of large-scale pitched battles. There is an immense amount of technical detail but the human element and the exper

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Book SynopsisThroughout the 17th century large parts of Europe were depopulated during the wide-ranging and savage wars of religion and dynasty, involving all of the major powers. This was therefore a key period in the development of 'modern' infantry tactics, such as the use of pole-arms and muskets together - hence the popular expression 'pike and shot'. These infantry tactics involved different national schools on thought and practice, and were tested bloodily in great battles. This title covers the Dutch-Spanish wars of independence, The Thirty Years' War and the English Civil Wars.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Maurice of Nassau counters Spanish tactics, 1590s · The Swedish method – Gustavus Adolphus adapts Dutch doctrine for more aggressive operations against German armies, 1630s · English veterans use Dutch tactics and German experience against the Scots, 1630s · The English Civil Wars, 1642–50: early Royalist armies use Swedish tactics, Parliamentary generals Dutch/German tactics – developments 1642–45 – the different influences carried over into the New Model Army · Conclusions

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Book SynopsisAs the rest of the world worries about what a future might look like under Chinese supremacy, Luttwak worries about China’s own future prospects. Applying the logic of strategy for which he is well known, he argues that the world’s second largest economy may be headed for a fall unless China’s leaders check their military ambitions.Trade ReviewNational security strategist Edward Luttwak's provocative and insightful analysis of the 'logic of strategy' provides a well-documented, contrarian assessment of whether China's 'rise' will be peaceful or polarizing. He stresses the paradox that China's economic strength and territorial aggrandizement are inciting opposition by a growing coalition of states determined to weaken Beijing's power and influence. Luttwak asserts that only by maintaining Deng Xiaoping's policy of 'low posture' development, and downplaying military modernization, can China avoid international 'geo-economic resistance' and attain the domestic growth and global stature it seeks. -- Richard H. Solomon, former President of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Senior Fellow at the RAND CorporationLuttwak presents a rich, persuasive, and lucid analysis of the strategic implications of China's rise and of the anxieties it generates. China's foreign policy and military investments are raising concerns that require the sort of well-informed, precise argumentation that Luttwak delivers. Based on a long-term view of China's strategic inclinations and extensive research on current developments, this book offers medium-term predictions of the likely outcomes that the 'logic of strategy' may dictate, and thus explains with great clarity the issues at stake. Luttwak's work is a must-read for laymen and specialists alike, and an essential contribution to the political debate. -- Nicola Di Cosmo, Institute for Advanced Study, PrincetonWith muscular behavior and rhetoric on the uptick and China pouring money into its military, political strategists have begun to consider Chinese military dominance of the Pacific and a concurrent American decline as foregone conclusions. So it is refreshing to see Edward Luttwak take a different tack in The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy and argue that Chinese military dominance in the Pacific is 'the least likely of outcomes.' China can't simultaneously enjoy a burgeoning economy and a rapidly growing military, he contends, because countries will band together to protect themselves, using military coalitions and trade protectionism to counter China's rise. -- Mary Kissel * Wall Street Journal *Most commentators on China focus on its seemingly inexorable rise and the threat that this poses to other world powers. In this well-argued book, Luttwak takes a different view. He questions whether China's rising power is sustainable. China's continued and rapid growth in economic capacity and military strength and regional and global influence cannot persist, he argues, because of the mounting opposition it is evoking. -- Frank Dillon * Irish Times *Luttwak detects a fundamental conflict between China's search for continuing economic growth, which the Communist Party has made its prime claim to rule, and its quest for military expansion combined with increased foreign policy assertiveness...Luttwak's book, which includes a refreshing put-down of the supposed superiority of traditional Chinese statecraft so admired by Henry Kissinger among others, is timely, coming as it does amid the current maritime confrontations in East Asia. -- Jonathan Fenby * Times Higher Education *The Rise of China vs. The Logic of Strategy is a sober book. Staying with the evidence, it avoids flights of fancy but grips readers' attention all the way through. Here, finally, is an expert on China who knows what he's talking about. -- Caleb Nelson * World *Luttwak's contribution to the China debate is to be welcomed. We need informed outsiders to weigh in with their views, and he has spent years visiting the country and talking to the Chinese, including the People's Liberation Army. Written with his customary panache, his vigorous and highly readable contribution will challenge congealed thinking. -- George Walden * Bloomberg.com *Over the past few decades, Edward Luttwak has gained a reputation as the bad boy of strategic theory and historical scholarship. This time, he has outdone himself. He has debunked Sun Tsu, the Clausewitz of the East and much beloved by teachers of military theory for decades...In The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy, Luttwak goes beyond an attack on Sun Tsu. He argues that the dominant strategic and cultural arrogance of the Han people--the largest ethnic group in China--could undermine efforts to lift the Middle Kingdom to the ranks of true superpower status. Luttwak further argues that this assumption of cultural and intellectual superiority is driving China's neighbors into a camp of strategic containment similar to what Germany created for itself in the years leading up to World War I...It will be interesting to see whether the book is read with interest or banned once it is translated and made available on the Chinese mainland. It is a cautionary tale that deserves Chinese attention. -- Gary Anderson * Washington Times *[Luttwak's] thesis is sensible and not to be discounted lightly. * The Economist blog *Edward Luttwak's book on the limitations of China's ascent to power blends careful observation of recent events with an understanding of its past...The explanatory innovation that lifts Luttwak's book above the ruck of recent books on China's rise is his use of geo-economics--an expression he coined in 1980--to explain global resistance to Beijing's march. He argues that countries across the world, without explicit coordination, will resist China's export-oriented strategy to generate wealth and military power. This "invisible hand" explanation is in refreshing contrast to the usual containment and other political explanations about what may happen in East China in the coming years. -- Siddharth Singh * Mint *Entertaining and provocative...A bold book that flatly predicts that China won't successfully rise as a superpower, indeed that it cannot in its current incarnation...If accurate, Luttwak's theory means Americans don't have to worry too much. China will essentially self-destruct, at least diplomatically. And the list of problems facing China make it seem that this could well be happening right now. -- Ian Johnson * New York Review of Books *[A] though-provoking book. -- Jonathan Mirsky * Prospect *

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Book SynopsisWe live in an age of subterfuge. Spy agencies pour vast resources into hacking, leaking, and forging data, often with the goal of weakening the very foundation of liberal democracy: trust in facts. Thomas Rid, a renowned expert on technology and national security, was one of the first to sound the alarm. Even before the 2016 election, he warned that Russian military intelligence was 'carefully planning and timing a high-stakes political campaign' to disrupt the democratic process. But as crafty as such so-called active measures have become, they are not new. In this astonishing journey through a century of secret psychological war, Rid reveals for the first time some of history's most significant operations - many of them nearly beyond belief. A White Russian ploy backfires and brings down a New York police commissioner; a KGB-engineered, anti-Semitic hate campaign creeps back across the Berlin Wall; the CIA backs a fake publishing empire, run by a former Wehrmacht U-boat commander that produces Germany's best jazz magazine.Trade ReviewMindbending... The Kremlin's renewed efforts will ensure that Active Measures appears on the reading list of government officials and security experts. But it would be a disservice to reduce it to such a narrow space. For this is a book about something much bigger: our relationship with truth and our desire for lies -- Peter Pomerantsev * Spectator *In rich detail, Rid walks us through a hundred years of political warfare, recounting the exploits powers both major and minor inflicted on one another via the disinformation units of their intelligence agencies. Some of the stories are hair-raising -- Jonathan Freedland * NYRB *Groundbreaking ... Thomas Rid looks deep into neglected East European State Security archives, tracks down Cold War-era active measures officers, and examines fresh digital forensics in order to tell the true history of what we now know as disinformation. Active Measures is full of great stories that give contemporary events the historical context that has, until now, been missing. -- Anne Applebaum * Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gulag: A History *Clausewitz for the cyber era -- John S Gardner * Guardian *Thomas Rid's timely Active Measures is an instant classic. He provides a comprehensive look at the political attacks we witnessed in 2016, and reminds us that deception and disinformation have deep historical roots. He also shows that the effects of active measures can be long-lasting, but can also boomerang on those who initiate them. As free societies look to defend against future deception campaigns, they will need to understand both the past and the new technologies that help to weaponize the practice in the present. Thomas Rid's excellent book is the best place to start. -- John Sipher * former member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service *Thomas Rid, a recognized expert in information security, investigates the history of disinformation, taking us back to its modern origins. He tells a series of thrilling stories of how this subtle game was played by the founder of the Soviet secret police, his successors at the KGB, their Western counterparts, and contemporary Russian intelligence operators. Rid has produced a book that is destined to become a seminal work on the topic. -- Andrei Soldatov * coauthor of The Red Web: The Kremlin's War on the Internet *Active Measures provides a comprehensive look at the disinformation game, from the 1920s through the digital revolution. Thomas Rid gives the reader an insider's view of how high-profile influence campaigns are designed and executed, thus providing historical perspective that can help us blunt the impact of disinformation. For that reason alone, Active Measures is a must-read. -- Nada Bakos * former analyst and targeting officer at the CIA *Skillfully illuminates and demystifies this ballyhooed but much-misunderstood subject * Publishers Weekly starred review *Engrossing ... invaluable -- James Gibney * The American Scholar *

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Book SynopsisFeaturing specially commissioned artwork, archive photography, and full-color maps, this engrossing study investigates the doctrine, training, equipment, and combat record of the French and German troops who clashed in three key battles during the epic struggle for the Verdun sector at the height of World War I. On February 21, 1916, the German Army launched a major attack on the French fortress of Verdun. The Germans were confident that the ensuing battle would compel France to expend its strategic reserves in a savage attritional battle, thereby wearing down Allied fighting power on the Western Front. However, initial German success in capturing a key early objective, Fort Douaumont, was swiftly stemmed by the French defenses, despite heavy French casualties. The Germans then switched objectives, but made slow progress towards their goals; by July, the battle had become a stalemate. During the protracted struggle for Verdun, the two sides'' infantrymen faceTable of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Bois des Caures Mort-homme Fort Vaux Analysis Aftermath Unit Organizations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Financial Times Best books of 2022: Politics ''The prolific military chronicler and analyst Mark Galeotti has produced exactly the right book at the right time.'' The Times A new history of how Putin and his conflicts have inexorably reshaped Russia, including his devastating invasion of Ukraine. Written by one of the world's leading experts on modern Russia, Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts into which Russia has plunged since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and then president. From the First and Second Chechen Wars to the military incursion into Georgia, the annexation of Crimea, and the eventual full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mark Galeotti has created a vivid insight into the inner workings of the Kremlin. Updated for this paperback edition to include both the aborted coup of June 2023 and a clear overview of how and why the Russian military has struggled in Ukraine, this is aTrade ReviewThe prolific military chronicler and analyst Mark Galeotti has produced exactly the right book at the right time. * The Times *Galeotti’s work is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand current events in Ukraine. -- Gillian Tett * The Financial Times *Putin’s Wars is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Russia’s military. * Literary Review *The definitive work on this subject to date. * History of War *Mark Galeotti is one of the most insightful and incisive analysts on Russia’s past, present, and future. Russia’s February 2022 expanded invasion of Ukraine tragically highlights the critical importance of understanding the connection between politics and war. Galeotti vividly shows how Russia has waged its wars... [and] how those wars shaped the country’s politics and, in turn, how politics shaped Moscow’s military campaigns. * Joshua C. Huminski, Director, Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs, Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress *This is a vivid account of how Putin has used armed force during his time in power, culminating in the deadly war in Ukraine. * Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King’s College London *An accessible, lucid and vivid comprehensive contemporary account of the inner workings, logic and rationales of the central military pillar of Putinism. I unreservedly recommend this gem. * Dr Graeme P. Herd, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies *Putin’s Wars is Galeotti at his finest: writing that moves like a spy novel and enough information for the student or professional reader … An excellent and accessible contribution to the field for seasoned Russian observers and those interested in the larger sweep of how it all transpired. * Dr Yuval Weber, Bren Chair of Russian Military and Political Strategy at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity at the US Marine Corps University *Table of ContentsAuthor’s Note List of Illustrations List of Maps and Diagrams Abbreviations Cast of Characters Chronology 1. Introduction PART ONE: BEFORE PUTIN 2. Born in Chaos 3. A Military in Crisis 4. The First Chechen War 5. The Wars of Russian Assertion PART TWO: ENTER PUTIN 6. Putin’s Priorities 7. The Second Chechen War 8. Ivanov, the Initiator 9. Serdyukov, the Enforcer 10. Georgia, 2008 (1): Tbilisi’s Move … 11. Georgia, 2008 (2): … Moscow’s Counter 12. ‘New Look’ Army PART THREE: THE NEW COLD WAR 13. Shoigu, the Rebuilder 14. Crimea, 2014 15. Donbas, 2014– 16. Lessons of the Donbas War 17. Syria, 2015– (1): The Unexpected Intervention 18. Syria, 2015– (2): Lessons of the Syrian Campaign PART FOUR: REARMING RUSSIA 19. Rumble for Ruble 20. Armiya Rossii 21. The Sky is Russia’s! 22. Contesting the Sea 23. Power Projection: Blue and Black Berets 24. The Spetsnaz 25. The Nuclear Backstop PART FIVE: THE FUTURE 26. Political Warfare 27. New Generation Warfare 28. The Challenges of the Future 29. Ukraine 2022: Putin’s Last War? 30. Conclusions: The Eurasian Sparta? 31. Ukraine: A Dispatch on a War in Progress Notes Selected English-language Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNo library is complete without history’s oldest treatise on warfare.Dated to about fifth century BC, The Art of War is considered the oldest treatise on war in the world. Attributed to Sun Tzu of the Zhou dynasty, the book is composed of thirteen chapters, each addressing a particular aspect of warfare, such as planning offenses, military combat, and the employment of spies. Influential in eastern civilization for millennia and in western culture since its first translation in the 18th century, the teachings of this book have been applied to scenarios as varied as office politics, the Vietnam War, and American football. Now this living military heirloom is available as part of the Word Cloud Classics series in a chic affordable edition for readers everywhere.

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Book SynopsisWhat if you could combine the agility, adaptability, and cohesion of a small team with the power and resources of a giant organization?When General Stanley McChrystal took command of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq in 2003, he quickly realized that conventional military tactics were failing. The allied forces had a huge advantage in numbers, equipment and training - but none of the enemy''s speed and flexibility.McChrystal and his colleagues discarded a century of conventional wisdom to create a ''team of teams'' that combined extremely transparent communication with decentralized decision-making authority. Faster, flatter and more flexible, the task force beat back al-Qaeda.In this powerful book, McChrystal and his colleagues show how the challenges they faced in Iraq can be relevant to any leader. Through compelling examples, the authors demonstrate that the ''team of teams'' strategy has worked everywhere from hospital emergeTrade ReviewIn addition to being a fascinating and colourful read, this book is an indispensable guide to organizational change * Walter Isaacson, from the foreword *This is a bold argument that leaders can help teams become greater than the sum of their parts * Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit *Team of Teams is erudite, elegant, and insightful. An unexpected and surprising wealth of information and wonder, it provides a blueprint for how to cope with increasing complexity in the world. A must read for anyone who cares about the future - and that means all of us * Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn extraordinary treatise on the need to teach the principles of sound strategy to today's leaders... It makes sense of our world, but is also capable of beautifully crafted pithy historical judgements. ... It is a book that cares about liberty, choice and a moral compass, that warns against the hubris of an angry Bonaparte on the turn in a Russian winter, against leaders who do not listen or learn. A training manual for our troubled times -- Roger Boyes * The Times *On Grand Strategy is many things - a thoughtful validation of the liberal arts, an argument for literature over social science, an engaging reflection on university education and some timely advice that lasting victory comes from winning what you can rather than all that you want. -- Victor Davis Hanson * The New York Times *A brilliant book - learned, seductively written, deep -- Roger Kimball * New Criterion *Gaddis has indisputably earned the right to plow different fields of historical inquiry, which he does in On Grand Strategy with self-evident glee and peripatetic curiosity -- Gordon M. Goldstein * Washington Post *A long walk with a single, delightful mind, which makes it much easier for the reader to comprehend the lessons that cohere across continents and millennia -- John Nagl * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe nature of war is constant change. We live in an era of exponential technological acceleration which is transforming how wars are waged. Today, the battlespace is transparent; multi-domain sensors can see anything, and long-range precision fire can target everything that is observed. Autonomous weapons can be unleashed into the battlespace and attack any target from above, hitting the weakest point of tanks and armoured vehicles. War now develops at hyper-speed, risking operational, informational, and organisational paralysis induced by the rapid convergence of key disrupters in the battlespace. Hit with too many attacks in multiple domains, all occurring simultaneously, the force is paralysed.Imagine a peer fight against Communist China, a new war in Europe against a resurgent Russia, or a conflict against Iran in the Middle East. How can our forces survive an enemy-first strike in these circumstances? Can we adapt to the ever-accelerating tempo of war? Will our forces be able to mask from enemy sensors? How will leaders execute command and control in a degraded communications environment? Will our command posts survive, and will our commanders see and understand what is happening in order to plan, decide, and act in real time? Written by military strategy and leadership expert, John Antal, this book addresses these tough questions and more.Table of ContentsIntroduction: How War is Changing 1. Learning from the Second Nagorno Karabakh War and the Russian-Ukrainian War 2. The Transparent Battlespace 3. The First Strike Advantage 4. The Tempo Of War 5. Top Attack 6. Full Automation 7. The Kill Web 8. Visualizing the Battlespace in All Domains—Executing Mission Command 9. Decision Dominance 10. Conclusion: Implications for the Defense of Taiwan

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Book SynopsisA new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea in the Indo-Pacific Competition at sea is once again a central issue of international security. Nowhere is the urgency to address state-on-state competition at sea more strongly felt than in the Indo-Pacific region, where freedom of navigation is challenged by regional states’ continuous investments in naval power, and the renewed political will to use it to undermine its principles. The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific provides an original framework in which five “factors of influence” explain how and why naval power matters in this pivotal part of the world. An international group of contributors make the case that these five factors draw upon a longstanding influence of naval power on regional dynamics and impact the extent to which different states in the region use naval power: the capacity to exert control over sea-lanes, the capacity to deploy a nuclear deterrent at sea, the capacity to implement the law of the sea in an advantageous way, the ability to control marine resources, and the capacity for technological innovation. The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific offers a fresh approach for academics and policy makers seeking to navigate the complexity of maritime security and regional affairs.Trade ReviewAn impressively timely contribution to our military strategy debates with respect to dealing with Chinese naval aggression in the Indo-Pacific, a new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea. * Midwest Book Review *The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific is a most incisive and valuable study, defining maritime power as a control feature of regional security. The book's contributors provide a comprehensive macro-overview with interlinked sub-regional analyses. * Australian Naval Institute *Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsForeword: Vice Adm. Anne Rondeau, (USN, Ret.)AcknowledgmentsList of Acronyms1. Naval Power and a Framework for Regional Security in the Indo-PacificAlessio Patalano, James A. Russell, and Catherine L. Grant Part I: The Factors of Influence in Indo-Pacific Security2. Geopolitics and Strategic Geography in Sino-US CompetitionChristopher Twomey3. Law, Order, and Maritime (In)StabilityPeter Dutton4. Maritime Resources and Regional CompetitionClive Schofield5. Nuclear Order at SeaNicola Leveringhaus6. Technology, Escalation, and War in the Indo-PacificJames A. Russell Part II: Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific as History7. Asian States and Early Imperial Competition in the Indian OceanRyan Gingeras8. The “Problem of Asia” and Imperial Competition before WWIRichard Dunley9. The Far East Between the World WarsDaniel Moran 10. Superpower Rivalry and the Strategic Balance in the Cold WarKevin Rowlands Part III: Naval Power and Contemporary Security in the Indo-Pacific 11. Northeast AsiaIan Bowers12. East and South China SeasAlessio Patalano and Julie Marionneau13. The Taiwan StraitSheryn Lee14. South PacificJames Goldrick15. Indian OceanJames Wirtz and Abhijit SinghConclusions: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security in the Indo-PacificAlessio Patalano, James A. Russell, and Catherine L. GrantIndexList of Contributors

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Book SynopsisConventional Deterrence is a book about the origins of war. Why do nations faced with the prospect of large-scale conventional war opt for or against an offensive strategy? John J. Mearsheimer examines a number of crises that led to major conventional wars to explain why deterrence failed.Trade ReviewAn intelligent, well-researched, and organized study. * Foreign Affairs *John Mearsheimer has got his timing just right. There is much current talk about the need to this and do that to bolster NATO's conventional forces, but there is no conceptual framework for assessing all these proposals. This is a carefully argued and well-written study that should immediately raise the quality of the debate. Most importantly, it draws effectively on history to illuminate contemporary problems. -- Lawrence Freedman * New Republic *Mearsheimer offers a fine example of how defense policy analysis should be conducted. He demonstrates an excellent grasp of proportion and priority in concentrating on some of the most important yet understudied questions of deterrence and modern warfare. Why, he asks, are offensive strategies accepted or avoided by states facing the prospect of large-scale conventional war? In answering this question, Mearsheimer confronts other questions of politics and perceptions that the strategic nuclear deadlock has only accentuated. The historic and technical details are handled masterfully while lessons are drawn for assessing the pivotal military balance in central Europe. This is a sophisticated yet thoroughly lucid book worthy of careful attention by any student of U.S. national security policy. * Journal of Policy Analysis and Management *

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Book SynopsisFeaturing full-colour artwork, maps and carefully chosen illustrations, this exciting book investigates the Teutonic Knights and their Lithuanian foes during the epic Lithuanian Crusade.The Teutonic Knights were a military order committed to spreading Christendom eastwards into the non-Christian realms of the Baltic and Russia. They progressively extended their control across the various feuding tribes of the Baltic until they confronted the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a relatively well-organized and cohesive state. Fully illustrated, this book investigates the fighting men on both sides, assessing their origins, tactics, armament and combat effectiveness in three clashes of the Lithuanian Crusade. The battle of Voplaukis (1311), triggered by a major Lithuanian invasion of newly Christianized lands, saw the Teutonic Knights defeat the numerous but relatively poorly equipped Lithuanian raiders once they had brought them to battle. As a result, the Lithuanians would begin to prepareTrade ReviewA good introduction to the subject. -- Dave Watson * The Balkan Wargamer *The analysis chapter is interesting and points to the shift from fighting pagan tribes to organised states like Lithuania and Poland. * The Balkan Wargamer *Table of Contents(Subject to confirmation) Introduction The Opposing Sides Combat 1 Combat 2 Combat 3 Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOn 22 June 1941, at 0410hrs, Operation Barbarossa began. More than 3 million German soldiers crossed the border with the Soviet Union and moved east, where 4.7 million Soviet soldiers were waiting for them. Hitler expected his troops would be on the Volga before the end of the year and that important cities such as Moscow and Leningrad would have been captured. But the reality was very different; the Germans made impressive territorial gains, but their offensive eventually came to a halt at Stalingrad in December 1942, which proved to be a turning point in the war.This titanic battle is illustrated here using eyewitness accounts from generals, soldiers and civilians. Attention is not only paid to the course of the battle, but also to the tactics and organizational dimensions of the armies involved, the challenges of the vastness of the country, the dilemmas for people in the conquered areas, and the way the Germans tried to conquer their hearts while at the same time fighting a fierce

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Book SynopsisThe People's Republic of China (PRC) is India's powerful neighbor since the first year of 1950 s. Before that, without prejudice to the issue of its status of sovereignty or Chinese suzerainty, Tibet had de facto fulfilled the role. That fact of past unfamiliarity with Chinese way of politico-diplomatic expressions, aided by China's unilaterally adopted adversarial posture towards India, makes it imperative for India's strategic community to study China's moves very carefully, and draw conclusions for the purpose of managing the strained relationship. This book is a compilation of such observations, analyses and inferences.Study of PRC's various initiatives which have direct or indirect bearing on India and the methods adopted to implement those is a tough call. This is so because in dealing with inter-state relations, the Chinese leadership arrogate the right of defining the issues according to their partisan perceptions and exclusive stratagem. To that extent, papers contained in this book narrate the factual and honest impressions which China's policies and actions, as these relate to India's concerns, depict. The purpose of this book would be served if these impressions are taken note of in PRC's future bilateral discourse in true spirit of mutuality.

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Book Synopsis''Wonderful ... among military historians, Roberts is Britain''s crown gem'' Wall Street Journal Taking us from the French Revolution to the Cold War and the Falklands, celebrated historian Andrew Roberts presents us with a bracingly honest and insightful look at nine major figures in modern history: Napoleon Bonaparte, Horatio Nelson, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, George C. Marshall, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Margaret Thatcher.Each of these leaders fundamentally shaped the outcome of the war their nation was embroiled in. How were they alike, and in what ways did they differ? Was their war leadership unique, or did these leaders have something in common, traits and techniques that transcend time and place and can be applied to the fundamental nature of conflict?Meticulously researched and compellingly written, Leadership in War presents readers with fresh, complex portraits of leaders who approaTrade ReviewRoberts is superbly well-qualified to write about these extraordinary leaders. Roberts teaches not just through analysis, as indeed he does, but by example. Each of his chapters is a finely crafted gem of communication. Roberts's description offers vivid detail, spare prose, immortal rhetoric, and a touch of humor. His chapters offer masterly, magnificent portraits of what it takes to steer an army or a nation through a crisis. Any leader would envy the chance to have Roberts as his or her speechwriter or Director of Communications. Every reader can be grateful for such a thrilling and succinct account of leadership. -- Barry Strauss * The New Criterion *A condensation of a wonderful series of lectures Mr Roberts delivered to the New-York Historical Society ... Among military historians, Mr Roberts is Britain's crown gem, and his pithy insights compiled in 'Leadership in War' reflect decades of diligent, patient study. -- Jonathan W. Jordan * Wall Street Journal *Meticulously researched and full of revelations, this is a fascinating read. * Sun *Leadership in War is an understated treasure of 2019...a tour de force of historical portraiture. -- Barnaby Crowcroft * National Review *Leadership in War has the enjoyable feel of a lively dinner table conversation. -- Thomas E. Ricks * New York Times *illuminating experiences are presented in easily digestible form in Andrew Roberts's new book, Leadership in War, a collection of nine portraits of wartime leaders, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Margaret Thatcher. These portrayals were originally delivered as lectures by Roberts, a prolific historian of World War II and biographer of Napoleon and Churchill. The profiles of Napoleon and Dwight D. Eisenhower are the most salient for business readers, but it is not difficult to find insight in nearly all of them -- Daniel Akst * Strategy & Business *Few authors compare to Andrew Roberts. He dips his pen in the most eloquent ink to bring to life figures who have heaps of lessons to teach us -- Marc Nadeau * Bookmarc *Roberts has a gift for finding the anecdote or quotation which reveals an essential truth about his subject. -- Nigel Jones * History Today *Few authors compare to Andrew Roberts. He dips his pen in the most eloquent ink to bring to life figures who have heaps of lessons to teach us -- Marc Nadeau * Bookmarc *His analyses of the criteria needed for success are succinct and... convincing. ... The mysteries of leadership in times of conflict probably evade ultimate explanation, but Roberts, the biographer of Napoleon and Churchill, does much to throw new light on them, -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisIn this unique, interactive story, you are the leader of a U.S. Army M1 Abrams tank platoon. Throughout the text, you will have an opportunity to make life-or-death decisions, and the events that unfold will be dictated by the choices you make. As you progress through the book, you will learn important tactical and operational lessons. Whether or not you are – or want to be – a tank platoon leader you will find this book highly entertaining and instructive.There are two operations to survive – an assault and a counter-reconnaissance mission. In each you must bring your knowledge and judgment to bear on the scenario in order to achieve the objective. If you choose wrong, defeat and even death may be your fate. If you succeed, you can savor the taste of victory and live to fight another day. The scenarios are highly realistic, and there are maps and appendices with detailed specifications of the hardware involved to help you make informed decisions.Written before Operation Desert Storm, and published in 1991, the military technology in Armor Attacks may be dated by today’s standards, but the need for human leadership and effective, rapid decision-making has not changed. Armor Attacks was recognised as an invaluable teaching tool by United States Military Academy, West Point and used to teach cadets the essential skills of leadership, decision-marking and tactics – a decade of USMA leaders trained with this book. To supplement the original text, this new edition includes the West Point instructor reference guide, which explains and amplifies the teaching points of each scenario encountered.Want to know more? Click here to hear John Antal discuss all things gaming - from tabletop war-gaming to WWII video games.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Forewrod by Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, USA (Ret) Preface Introduction Map Symbols Armor Attacks Appendix A: Weapons Data Appendix B: U.S. Unit Organizations Appendix C: Threat Unit Organizations Appendix D: Troop-Leading Procedures Appendix E: Tank Fighting Positions Appendix F: Order Formats Glossary Decision Charts

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Book SynopsisIs there a 'Western way of war' which pursues battles of annihilation and single-minded military victory? Is warfare on a path to ever greater destructive force? This magisterial account answers these questions by tracing the history of Western thinking about strategy - the employment of military force as a political instrument - from antiquity to the present day. Assessing sources from Vegetius to contemporary America, and with a particular focus on strategy since the Napoleonic Wars, Beatrice Heuser explores the evolution of strategic thought, the social institutions, norms and patterns of behaviour within which it operates, the policies that guide it and the cultures that influence it. Ranging across technology and warfare, total warfare and small wars as well as land, sea, air and nuclear warfare, she demonstrates that warfare and strategic thinking have fluctuated wildly in their aims, intensity, limitations and excesses over the past two millennia.Trade Review'This is a real masterpiece. As a history of strategic thinking, ancient and modern, it is comprehensive, learned and authoritative. Its discussion of contemporary issues is shrewd and illuminating. It is lucid, wise, often witty, and above all, deeply humane. It should be essential reading for all students and practitioners of strategy: indeed I doubt whether they will need any other for a long time to come.' Sir Michael Howard, former Regius Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford'Beatrice Heuser has produced a book of immense and unique scholarship. The study provides the most detailed and comprehensive survey yet written on strategic thinking across the ages from Roman times to the contemporary debates about the future of warfare in the twenty-first century. It is essential reading for any serious university or military student of strategic studies or international security.' John Baylis, Emeritus Professor and formerly Pro Vice Chancellor, Swansea University'With this work Beatrice Heuser has made a major contribution. This is much more than just a survey of strategy through the ages, but a deep, intellectual examination of the complex relationships between strategy and war through the course of history.' Williamson Murray, Professor Emeritus of History, Ohio State University'Heuser's history of strategic theory and practice demonstrates extraordinary range, erudition, intelligence, and insight. She appears to have read everything, in many languages, about attempts to apply armed force effectively. The Evolution of Strategy will be the first port of call for those wanting to check up on the development of land strategy in the eighteenth century, maritime strategy in the nineteenth century, nuclear strategy in the twentieth century, or counterinsurgency strategy in the twenty-first century.' Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs'Beatrice Heuser … has written one of the most important books on strategy and war to appear in recent years.' H. R. MacMaster, Survival'… Hauser's deeply intellectual analysis of the history of military strategy achieves its aim and achieves it with style. It is comprehensive without being dry, it is intellectual without being geekish and it is authoritative without being academically arrogant … It should be read, digested, considered and appreciated like one would approach a Cuban cigar and cognac in the study or ante-room. The author is to be congratulated for a fine piece of work and a major contribution to the study of strategy.' Dave Mugridge, The Naval Review'There can be no dispute that this is a major work by a recognised authority. Heuser set out to provide a survey of the literature discussing this subject over much of European history and there can be little doubt that she has achieved her aim.' Australian Defence Force JournalTable of ContentsPart I. Introduction: 1. What is strategy?; Part II. Long-Term Constants: 2. Warfare and mindsets from antiquity to the middle ages; 3. Warfare and mindsets in early modern Europe; 4. Themes in early thinking about strategy; Part III. The Napoleonic Paradigm and Total War: 5. The age and mindset of the Napoleonic paradigm; 6. The Napoleonic paradigm transformed: from total mobilisation to total war; 7. Challenges to the Napoleonic paradigm vs. the culmination of total war; Part IV. Naval and Maritime Strategy: 8. Long-term trends and early maritime strategy; 9. The age of steam to the First World War; 10. The World Wars and their lessons for maritime strategists; 11. Maritime strategy in the nuclear age; Part V. Air Power and Nuclear Strategy: 12. War in the third dimension; 13. Four schools of air power; 14. Nuclear strategy; Part VI. Asymmetric or 'Small' Wars: 15. From partisan war to people's war; 16. Counterinsurgency; Part VII. The Quest for New Paradigms after the World Wars: 17. Wars without victories, victories without peace; 18. No end of history: the dialectic continues; 19. Epilogue: strategy making vs. bureaucratic politics; 20. Summaries and conclusions.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on contemporary memoirs, diaries and letters, this book explores what actually happened in battle in Napoleonic times and how the participants' feelings and reactions influenced the outcome.Trade Review"A stunning evocation of campaigning and battle, presented largely in the words of the participants, and enhanced by Muir's huge...knowledge of his subject." Toby Buchan, Literary Review "A major work." David Seymour, Military Illustrated "An important and useful study." Jeremy Black, Archives "Muir has filled an important gap in the study of the Napoleonic era with this engaging study of the mechanics of a Napoleonic battle." Library Journal

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Book SynopsisPerspectives on Strategy examines in depth five aspects of strategy. Strategic thought and behaviour are explored and explained from the perspectives of intellect, morality, culture, geography, and technology. Each perspective has attracted persisting controversy. Perspectives on Strategy is strongly complementary to the author''s previous book, The Strategy Bridge: Theory for Practice (OUP, 2010). This new work takes a notably holistic view of strategic phenomena, which serves as a master framework within which detailed examination of strategic history and issues can usefully be pursued in the light of particular perspectives. Foundational for the argument in Perspectives on Strategy is the proposition that distinctive aspects of strategy (e.g. ethics, culture, inter alia) can only be appreciated properly when they are regarded in context. The author shares this view with T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia), who wrote of the ''whole house of war''. Perspectives on Strategy gratefully adapts LaTrade ReviewOne of the most detailed and important investigations of the concept of strategy published in recent decades. * C.Dale Walton, Lindenwood University *Gray . . . is one of the most prolific authors on strategic thought, and one of the most respected . . . anyone interested in the edifice of strategic thought will find it [the book] a useful exercise. * D.McIntosh, Choice Magazine *Table of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Introduction Master Narrative 1: Concepts: Mind and Muscle 2: Ethics: Strategy's Moral Maze 3: Culture: Beliefs, Customs, and Strategic Behaviour 4: Geography: Geopolitics and Deterrence 5: Technology: Magic Bullets? 6: Conclusion: The Whole House of Strategy, Perilous Dualism Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA concise, illustrated guide to these Second World War defences scattered across the British landscape.With invasion a very real threat, in 1940 Great Britain began a huge military construction programme designed to stop an invading army in its tracks. Around vulnerable coastlines, and inland, thousands of pillboxes, anti-tank barriers and other obstacles were erected to defend against attacks from sea and sky. Though many of these structures were dismantled in the wake of the Second World War, the coast and even some inland areas still boast a wealth of fascinating remains. In this fully illustrated introduction, fortifications authority Bernard Lowry guides the inquiring reader in identifying these remaining defensive structures and explains their seemingly ''random'' placement across the British landscape.Table of ContentsAn Island Fortress Britain Alone A Pause for Breath 1942: A New Defence Policy Britain Becomes a Fortified Island 1944: Tidying Up and Aftermath Further Reading Places to Visit Index

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Book SynopsisDescribing in detail weaponry and armor, daily life on the march or in camp, clothing, food, medical care, military law, and titles of the Byzantine army of the seventh century, this text offers insights into the Byzantine military ethos. It also provides data for the historian, and even for the ethnologist.Trade Review"The most important Byzantine military text. . . . The standard translation." * Walter Kaegi, University of Chicago *

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Book SynopsisThis illuminating book remains essential to both ancient historians and students of modern strategy.Trade ReviewAvec un retentissement exceptionnel pour un ouvrage écrit par quelqu’un qui n’était ni historien professionnel, ni spécialiste de l’Antiquité, le livre d’Edward Luttwak sur la grande stratégie de l’empire romain occupe une place à part dans l’historiographie depuis sa publication en 1976. À le relire on reste impressionné par l’ampleur des questions abordées, la concision, la clarté et l’audace de la synthèse, mais aussi par nombre d’observations. Au lendemain de la défaite du Vietnam,—Revue des Etudes AnciennesTable of ContentsList of Maps, Figures, and TablesPreface to the 2016 EditionPreface to the First EditionAcknowledgmentIntroduction1. The Julio-Claudian SystemThe System in OutlineThe Client StatesThe Management of the ClientsThe Tactical Organization of the ArmyThe Strategic Deployment of ForcesConclusion2. From the Flavians to the SeveriThe System in OutlineBorder DefenseBorder DefenseThe Decline of the Client SystemThe Army and the SystemConclusion3. Defense-in-DepthThe System in OutlineThe Changing ThreatThe New Borders of the EmpireWalled Towns and Hard-Point DefensesBorder TroopsProvincial ForcesCentral Field ArmiesConclusionEpilogue. The Three SystemsAppendix. Power and ForceNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An important and innovative analysis."---Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs"Its publication presents a rare occasion that forces one to re-think received wisdom about rebel groups."---Siddarth Singh, Open Magazine ​​​​​​​

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Book SynopsisIt’s the perfect meeting of minds. One, a general whose epigrammatic lessons on strategy offer timeless insight and wisdom. And the other, a visual thinker whose succinct diagrams and charts give readers a fresh way of looking at life’s challenges and opportunities. A Bronze Age/Information Age marriage of Sun Tzu and Jessica Hagy, The Art of War Visualized is an inspired mash-up, a work that completely reenergizes the perennial bestseller and makes it accessible to a new generation of students, entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists, seekers, lovers of games and game theory, and anyone else who knows the value of seeking guidance for the future in the teachings of the past. It’s as if Sun Tzu got a 21st-century do-over. Author and illustrator of How to Be Interesting, Jessica Hagy is a cutting-edge thinker whose language—comprising circles, arrows, and lines and the well-chosen word or two—makes her an ideal phTrade Review“Charts and graphs cartoonist Jessica Hagy has turned [The Art of War] to her own purposes. In The Art of War: Visualized, she updates Sun Tzu's strategic advice as pithy infographics for contemporary readers.” -- Fast Company co.Create “Hagy’s book may appeal to managers in a way the original doesn’t because she’s taken what has always been considered metaphorical business wisdom and visualized it, sometimes literally, as business wisdom.” -- The Harvard Business Review

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Book Synopsis

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