WAR AND POWER

Phillips O Brien is one of the keenest observers of modern strategy and his new book takes a deep historical look at the evolution of warfare and its implications for conflicts like the ongoing one in Ukraine Francis Fukuyama War and power are two of the most widely discussed issues in all of human history and yet they are time and again misunderstood often disastrously so Whilst we might think the outcome of war is determined by so called Great Powers who dominate their opponents with their impressive size and military prowess the reality of modern conflict as renowned strategic historian Professor Phillips Payson O Brien demonstrates is very different He urges us instead to look for Full Spectrum Powers For if we are considering how powerful a nation is and who will win a war we need to think less about weapons and more about the economies and societies that produce them less about individual battles and more about sustaining campaigns and alliances in which states operate Using fascinating examples from the late 19th century to the present day War and Power explains how misunderstanding war and power has led to terrible even preventable conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and how more accurate analysis can help us cons