An Introduction to War Theory

This remarkable admission initiated the writing of An Introduction to War Theory. This book is for the reader who is starting his or her journey in war theory – students, journalists, junior military professionals – and anyone with a general interest who would like to know more about how wars actually work.

A few years ago the author, Chris Brown, gave a lecture to a group of fifty eminent historians. He asked them two questions: had they ever written about war? Of course they all had, history is war. And how many had read a book about the theory of war? There was a resentful silence. This remarkable admission initiated the writing of An Introduction to War Theory. In the same vein, the pre-eminent military historian Michael Howard, having lectured young army officers at Sandhurst on the Italian Campaign of 1942, was asked a single question by an impatient captain: OK, but what were its lessons? Here are those lessons, distilled. This book is for the reader who is starting his or her journey in war theory – students, journalists, junior military professionals – and anyone with a general interest who would like to know more about how wars actually work.