Publisher Description

Using a series of historical case studies, experts explore what actually is winning in a military context. What does it mean to win a war? How does this differ from a simple military victory? How have different cultures and societies answered these questions through history, and how can we apply these lessons? When considering how a war might be 'won', there are three big ideas that underpin how success can be measured: ownership, intervention for effect, and fighting for ideas. These three main themes also contain a series of sub-themes: internal and external, short-term and long-term, military success versus political success, and tactical outcomes versus campaign effects versus strategic success. This book examines the constituent parts of what may comprise victory or winning in war and then travels, chronologically, through a wide variety of historical case studies, further exploring these philosophical components and weaving them into a factual discussion. The authors of each chapter will explore the three big ideas within the context of their individual case studies, offering pointers as to where, within that framework, their case study may sit. The message of this book is not just an academic exploration for its own sake, but a really vital aspect (both morally and practically) of the political and military business of the application of force. In short, know in advance how you wish to end before you start. AUTHOR: Matthias Strohn is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Buckingham, and a senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies, RMAS. Previously he lectured at Oxford and the Joint Forces Command and Staff College, Shrivenham. He specializes in the history of the German army in the 20th century, with emphasis on command and leadership, and the development and application of doctrine, and has published widely. He holds a commission in the German army and is a member of the military attaché reserve. He has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with both the British army and the German Bundeswehr.

Author Biography

Matthias Strohn, MSt (Oxon), DPhil (Oxon), FRHistS, is head of historical analysis at the Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research and the British Army's strategic think tank, visiting professor of military studies at the University of Buckingham, and a member of the academic faculty at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Matthias was educated at the universities of Münster (Germany) and Oxford. He holds a commission in the German Army and is a member of the military attaché reserve. He deployed to Iraq (with the British Army) and Afghanistan (with both the British Army and the German Bundeswehr). Matthias was awardedthe highest German military decoration, the 'Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Gold,' and has published widely on 20th-century German and European military history; he has authored and edited over 20 books and numerous articles.

Table of Contents

Introduction – Sir Hew Strachan1 'Winning' in Classical Antiquity and the Roman Conception of Victory – Ali Parchami2 The European Concept of 'Winning' in the Middle Ages – John France3 The Early Modern Period in Europe, 1500–1715 – David Parrott4 From the Age of Reason to the European Nation State, 1750–1850 – Jonathan Riley5 'Winning' in World War I, 1914–1919 – Lothar Höbelt6 'Winning' in the World Wars. The British Conceptions of the War-Time Leaders Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, 1914–1945 – Rob Johnson7 'Winning' in the Cold War and the Nuclear Age, 1945–1990 – Jonathan Riley8 Western Strategic Goals and 'Winning' in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 – Daniel Marston and Carter Malkasian9 A Hollow Victory? Assad's Regime and 'Winning' the Conflict in Syria since 2001 – Richard Kuno10 The Impact of History, Politics and Religion: Three Contrasting Conceptions of 'Winning' in Iran since 1979 – Ali Parchami11 The Chinese Concept of 'Winning' – Kerry Brown12 A Decisive British Victory? The Confrontation with Indonesia, 1963–1966 – Christopher Tuck13 The Ambiguity of Victory: The Spectrum of 'Winning' in African History – Richard Reid14 The Provisional IRA and the Elusive Concept of 'Winning' since 1969 – Aaron Edwards15 Russian Views of 'Winning': 'Velikaya Pobeda' 'pobedonosnaya voina' – Andrew Monaghan16 'Winning the Peace': The Peacebuilding Paradigm and its Implications for Peacekeepers in the 21st Century – Nicholas ReesConclusion: So, What is 'Winning'? Andrew Sharpe

Review

Although much of the book's focus is about winning in conventional wars, the insights about the components in measuring effectiveness in such warfare also apply to assessing effectiveness in counterterrorism. * Perspectives on Terrorism 05/07/2021 *
Comprising sixteen excellent and thought-provoking essays by eighteen noted military historians and former warriors, the book comprehensively examines the realities of war and the wide-ranging concepts of victory. At the same time, it offers a very good general history of warfare. * Baird Maritime 05/07/2021 *
…a salutary reminder that it is all too possible to win the war but lose the peace.
...an extremely rich book, containing a multitude of insights. * Militaire Spectator 02/08/2021 *
…extremely readable and jargon-free. […] very instructive collection. * RUSI Journal 05/07/2021 *

Long Description

What does it mean to win a war? How does this differ from a simple military victory? How have different cultures and societies answered these questions through history, and how can we apply these lessons? When considering how a war might be 'won', there are three big ideas that underpin how success can be measured: ownership, intervention for effect, and fighting for ideas. These three main themes also contain a series of sub-themes: internal and external, short-term and long-term, military success versus political success, and tactical outcomes versus campaign effects versus strategic success. This book examines the constituent parts of what may comprise 'victory' or 'winning' in war and then travels, chronologically, through a wide variety of historical case studies, further exploring these philosophical components and weaving them into a factual discussion. The authors of each chapter will explore the three big ideas within the context of their individual case studies, offering pointers as to where, within that framework, their case study may sit. The message of this book is not just an academic exploration for its own sake, but a really vital aspect (both morally and practically) of the political and military business of the application of force. In short, know in advance how you wish to end before you start.

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