Strategy: A History by Sir Lawrence Freedman (English) Paperback Book

Description: Strategy by Sir Lawrence Freedman, Lawrence Freedman One of the worlds leading authorities on war and international politics synthesizes the vast history of strategys evolution in this consistently engaging and surprising account of how it came to pervade every aspect of life. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the worlds leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedmansnarrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jominiand Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond ones control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that theinherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations ornations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from Davidsuse of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy. Notes A panoramic study of strategy throughout world civilization, from Ancient Greece through to the nuclear age. Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013, it is now published in a new 2nd edition. Arguably the best book ever written on strategy (in its widest sense) Gerard DeGroot, Washington Post Author Biography Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at Kings College London since 1982, and Vice-Principal since 2003. Elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1995 and awarded the CBE in 1996, he was appointed Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997. He was awarded the KCMG in 2003. In June 2009 he was appointed to serve as a member of the official inquiry into Britain and the 2003 Iraq War. Professor Freedman has writtenextensively on nuclear strategy and the cold war, as well as commentating regularly on contemporary security issues. His most recent book, A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East, won the 2009 Lionel Gelber Prizeand Duke of Westminster Medal for Military Literature. Table of Contents DEDICATIONPREFACEPart I ORIGINS1 ORIGINS 1: EVOLUTION2 ORIGINS 2: THE BIBLE3 ORIGINS 3: THE GREEKS4 SUN TZU AND MACHIAVELLI5 SATANS STRATEGYPart II STRATEGIES OF FORCE6 THE NEW SCIENCE OF STRATEGY7 CLAUSEWITZ8 THE FALSE SCIENCE9 ANNIHILATION OR EXHAUSTION10 BRAIN AND BRAWN11 THE INDIRECT APPROACH12 NUCLEAR GAMES13 THE RATIONALITY OF IRRATIONALITY14 GUERRILLA WARFARE15 OBSERVATION AND ORIENTATION16 THE REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS17 THE MYTH OF THE MASTER STRATEGISTPART III STRATEGY FROM BELOW18 MARX AND A STRATEGY FOR THE WORKING CLASS19 HERZEN AND BAKUNIN20 REVISIONISTS AND VANGUARDS21 BUREAUCRATS, DEMOCRATS, and ELITES22 FORMULAS, MYTHS, AND PROPAGANDA23 THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE24 EXISTENTIAL STRATEGY25 BLACK POWER AND WHITE ANGER26 FRAMES, PARADIGMS, DISCOURSES, AND NARRATIVES27 RACE, RELIGION, AND ELECTIONSPART IV STRATEGY FROM ABOVE28 THE RISE OF THE MANAGEMENT CLASS29 THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS30 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY31 BUSINESS AS WAR32 THE RISE OF ECONOMICS33 RED QUEENS AND BLUE OCEANS34 THE SOCIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE35 DELIBERATE OR EMERGENTPART V theories of strategy36 THE LIMITS OF RATIONAL CHOICE37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE38 STORIES AND SCRIPTSACKNOWLEDGMENTS Review "[Freedmans] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy." --Washington Post"Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument." --The Economist"This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom." --Financial Times"Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others--of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one." --Kirkus Reviews"Sir Lawrence Freedmans 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy." --New Criterion"Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. " --Mark Stout, War on the Rocks"Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a number of false starts with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject,this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, its been well worth the wait." --The Daily Beast"Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedmans dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power." --Publishers Weekly starred review"A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it."--National Review"An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline." --strategy + business"A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions." --Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog"Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the worlds leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." --Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power"A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes." --Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University"This is a wonderful book--a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative." --Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History"This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies." --CHOICE Promotional Winner: W. J. M. Mackenzie Book Prize Prizes Winner of Winner of the 2014 W. J. M. Mackenzie Prize awarded by the Political Studies Association. Long Description Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the worlds leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedmansnarrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jominiand Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond ones control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that theinherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations ornations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from Davidsuse of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy. Review Text "[Freedmans] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy." --Washington Post"Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument." --The Economist"This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom." --Financial Times"Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others--of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one." --Kirkus Reviews"Sir Lawrence Freedmans 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy." --New Criterion"Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. " --Mark Stout, War on the Rocks"Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a number of false starts with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject,this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, its been well worth the wait." --The Daily Beast"Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedmans dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power." --Publishers Weekly starred review"A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it."--National Review"An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline." --strategy + business"A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions." --Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog"Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the worlds leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." --Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power"A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes." --Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University"This is a wonderful book--a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative." --Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History"This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies." --CHOICE Review Quote "[Freedmans] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy." --Washington Post "Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument." --The Economist "This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom." --Financial Times "Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others--of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one." --Kirkus Reviews "Sir Lawrence Freedmans 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy." --New Criterion "Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. " --Mark Stout, War on the Rocks "Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a number of false starts with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, its been well worth the wait." --The Daily Beast "Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedmans dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power." --Publishers Weekly starred review "A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it."--National Review "An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline." --strategy + business "A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions." --Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog "Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the worlds leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." --Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power "A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes." --Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University "This is a wonderful book--a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative." --Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History "This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies." --CHOICE "[Freedmans] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy." --Washington Post "Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument." --The Economist "This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom." --Financial Times "Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others--of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one." --Kirkus Reviews "One the most significant works in the fields of international relations, strategic studies, and history to appear in recent years." --Foreign Affairs "Sir Lawrence Freedmans 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy." --New Criterion "Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. " --Mark Stout, War on the Rocks "Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a number of false starts with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, its been well worth the wait." --The Daily Beast "Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedmans dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power." --Publishers Weekly starred review "A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it."--National Review "An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline." --strategy + business "A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions." --Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog "Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the worlds leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." --Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power "A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes." --Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University "This is a wonderful book--a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative." --Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History "This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies." --CHOICE Promotional "Headline" Winner: W. J. M. Mackenzie Book Prize Feature Selling point: Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013Selling point: The magnum opus of one of the worlds leading experts on strategy, with decades of scholarly and practical experienceSelling point: A panoramic synthesis of the role of strategy throughout world civilization, from ancient Greece through the nuclear ageSelling point: The magnum opus of one of the worlds leading experts on strategy, with decades of scholarly and practical experienceSelling point: A panoramic synthesis of the role of strategy throughout world civilization, from ancient Greece through the nuclear age New Feature DEDICATION PREFACE Part I ORIGINS 1 ORIGINS 1: EVOLUTION 2 ORIGINS 2: THE BIBLE 3 ORIGINS 3: THE GREEKS 4 SUN TZU AND MACHIAVELLI 5 SATANS STRATEGY Part II STRATEGIES OF FORCE 6 THE NEW SCIENCE OF STRATEGY 7 CLAUSEWITZ 8 THE FALSE SCIENCE 9 ANNIHILATION OR EXHAUSTION 10 BRAIN AND BRAWN 11 THE INDIRECT APPROACH 12 NUCLEAR GAMES 13 THE RATIONALITY OF IRRATIONALITY 14 GUERRILLA WARFARE 15 OBSERVATION AND ORIENTATION 16 THE REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS 17 THE MYTH OF THE MASTER STRATEGIST PART III STRATEGY FROM BELOW 18 MARX AND A STRATEGY FOR THE WORKING CLASS 19 HERZEN AND BAKUNIN 20 REVISIONISTS AND VANGUARDS 21 BUREAUCRATS, DEMOCRATS, and ELITES 22 FORMULAS, MYTHS, AND PROPAGANDA 23 THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE 24 EXISTENTIAL STRATEGY 25 BLACK POWER AND WHITE ANGER 26 FRAMES, PARADIGMS, DISCOURSES, AND NARRATIVES 27 RACE, RELIGION, AND ELECTIONS PART IV STRATEGY FROM ABOVE 28 THE RISE OF THE MANAGEMENT CLASS 29 THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS 30 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 31 BUSINESS AS WAR 32 THE RISE OF ECONOMICS 33 RED QUEENS AND BLUE OCEANS 34 THE SOCIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE 35 DELIBERATE OR EMERGENT PART V theories of strategy 36 THE LIMITS OF RATIONAL CHOICE 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Details ISBN0190229233 Pages 768 Year 2015 ISBN-10 0190229233 ISBN-13 9780190229238 Format Paperback Edition 2nd Language English Media Book Subtitle A History DEWEY 320.6 Short Title STRATEGY Illustrations black & white illustrations Author Lawrence Freedman Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Publisher Oxford University Press Inc NZ Release Date 2015-09-10 US Release Date 2015-09-10 Publication Date 2015-09-10 UK Release Date 2015-09-10 Edited by Ibrahim Abubakar Affiliation University College London, London, UK Position Reader in Bioscience Education Qualifications J.D. Edition Description 2nd Revised edition Imprint Oxford University Press Inc Alternative 9780199325153 Audience General AU Release Date 2015-08-31 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:92648417;

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