Description
Book SynopsisA broad-ranging study of the factors that made military alliances succeed or fail in practice. Covering more than 2,500 years from the Peloponnesian War to the Gulf War, case studies examine the role of alliances or coalitions in the articulation and conduct of grand strategy in peace and war.
Trade Review'The need for alliances and coalitions in war are a fact of life not only for second and third tier powers, but even for the USA. They are not a new feature of history, but, as this group of leading experts in their fields richly demonstrates, they have a long pedigree. This excellent historical comparative study shows up the important elements of continuity - the structurally conditioned benefits and challenges - that help us address the issue in the present and the future more wisely. Any diplomat, journalist, military leader or student of international relations would do well to take its conclusions on board.' Beatrice Heuser, University of Reading
'The temptation to devalue alliances is always present, and perhaps it has renewed vigor in the US these days. This book is a timely and well-written reminder that alliances require patience and skills, and, above all, are indispensable to maritime powers like the United States.' Jakub Grygiel, The Johns Hopkins University
Table of Contents1. Introduction: grand strategy and alliances Peter R. Mansoor and Williamson Murray; Part I. Maritime Powers and the Continental Commitment: 2. Grand strategy, alliances, and the Anglo-American way of war Williamson Murray; 3. The Anglo-Prussian alliance and the Seven Years War Dennis Showalter; 4. Preserved by friend and foe alike: the sixth coalition against revolutionary France Richard Hart Sinnreich; 5. The Franco-British military alliance during World War I Paul Harris; 6. The grand alliance in World War II Mark A. Stoler; 7. Adapt and survive: NATO in the Cold War Ingo Trauschweizer; Part II. The Political and Military Challenges of Coalition Warfare: 8. The Peloponnesian War and Sparta's strategic alliances Victor Davis Hanson and David L. Berkey; 9. The Anglo-Burgundian alliance and grand strategy in the Hundred Years War Clifford J. Rogers; 10. The Franco-American alliance during the War for Independence Mark Grimsley; 11. The alliance that wasn't: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I Marcus Jones; 12. The Axis Williamson Murray; 13. The Gulf War, 1990–91: a coalition of convenience in a changing world Richard Swain; 14. Conclusion: alliances and coalitions in the twenty-first century Peter R. Mansoor; Index.
