U S Army War College

Comparing Strategies of the 2nd Punic War U S Army War College

The period of time, 225-202 BC, in the Western Mediterranean, was a crucial turning point in the history of the Western World. The Roman Republic defeated its greatest rival, Carthage, and set the stage for Rome's 600 years domination of the Western World. It determined which culture, Greek/Roman or Semitic/Phoenician, would dominate the development of the Western World. This book will focus on the strategic failure of Carthage and its military leader, Hannibal, during the Second Punic War. It will compare and contrast the national strategies employed by both Rome and Carthage. Carthage failed to effectively employ all aspects of national power into a national strategy, which doomed Carthage when confronted with the more coherent Roman strategy. Hannibal's unparalleled tactical/operational successes in Italy were rendered irrelevant to the war's conclusion.