Michael Handel

Masters of War: Classical Strategic Thought Michael Handel 2 Rev Exp edition

Masters of War is the first comprehensive study based on a detailed textual analysis of the classical works on war by Clausewitz and Sun Tzu and to a lesser extent by Jomini and Machiavelli. Brushing stereotypes aside, the author takes a fresh look at what these strategic thinkers actually said - not what they are widely believed to have said. He finds that despite their apparent differences in terms of time, place, cultural background and level of material/technological development, all had much more in common than is previously supposed. In fact, the central conclusion of this book is that the logic of waging war and of strategic thinking is as universal and timeless as human nature itself. This second, enlarged, edition contains a new chapter on the Clausewitzian principles of continuity and the culminating point of victory. There are also six new appendices.