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This is a joint effort by a significant and brilliant “war fighting�� general and a distinguished military historian and biographer (and member of the House of Lords). Their intent is to chronicle major wars since the end of WW2 with a view towards assessing what made these wars distinctive and how they contributed to the evolution of military theory and practice since 1945. As a result, the book comprises a series of chapters/cases, with each focusing on a distinctive conflict. Sometimes the chapters are related and speak to parts of a broader episode (Iraq/Afghanistan).

What could happen? This seems like a “dream team�� of two stars who are thoroughly knowledgeable of the material, both by study and experience. The threat, of course, is “too many cooks …��. One does not get to the position of either of the authors by being shy and retiring, but the perspectives of the soldier/scholar and senior academics will likely differ sharply on some points. The facts of these conflicts are well known and so there are few exposes. How well will the analysis mesh?

I built my expectations around the contributions that would come through the joint perspectives of the two very different authors as they apply (effectively) the central organizing framework used in the book for evaluating the quality (or lack of quality) of various military efforts. The framework was developed by Petraeus while at Harvard and it provides the organizing lens for the chapters. The framework concerns strategic leadership. First, Strategic leaders need to successfully grasp their environment - the context for their action - and craft an effective approach to respond to the environment. Strategic leaders must also effectively communicate their strategic approach to the rest of their organizations and more broadly to other key actors involved in the overall effort - stakeholders. Strategic leaders must analso oversee the effective implementation of their strategies - how their big strategic ideas get translated into effective action over some course of time. Finally, leaders need to learn from their experiences and the results of employing a strategy such that it can be refined and made more effective. As a framework for strategic leadership, this is good, if fairly standard. It tends to focus on particular commanders, although the authors do make clear that they are concerned with how the implementation and learning from the strategy are organized. Different leaders in a situation can also change over time. This framework is followed through with consistently and help the book gain and maintain a position towards its subject cases that readers should find valuable.

The early chapters cover well known history and do so effectively. Especially important early on is the development of strategies for wars of decolonization, of which Vietnam and Algeria are two big elephants in the room. The analysis is clear and insightful. I particular like how the authors make comparisons across the post-WW2 period, such as between the US exit from Vietnam versus the US exit from Afghanistan. The chapters on the various wars involving Israel and its Arab neighbors are also extremely well done, especially given recent developments in Gaza. Since the historical record on these cases is clear, how the authors compare and contrast cases is a big source of value for readers.
The Afghan and second Iraq wars are where Petraeus�� insight shines and is almost of sufficient heft to be its own volume, although it works well here The penultimate chapter on the Russo-Ukraine is effective, although the book apparently went to press before the most recent offensive by Ukraine.

The last chapter is a comprehensive tour of possible developments in future wars based on the most recent developments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and especially Ukraine. It has a clear focus on how technology will likely continue to change warfare. This “progress�� view is interesting, although the authors also note how wars can occasionally retrogress relative to recent wars (Russia in the war with Ukraine - although Ukraine is breaking new ground in responding to Russia.)

It would have been good if the authors could have worked through their application of the strategic framework in detail for each chapter - to provide examples for using the framework as a tool. That is not a fatal flow, however, and the authors did utilize the framework at multiple points. Overall, this is a first rate book that shows the benefits of joint authorship of distinguished partners.




Stay tuned.