Fighting Talk: Forty Maxims on War, Peace, and Strategy (Praeger Security International) [Kindle Edition]

Colin S. Gray (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Attributing his inspiration for this work to the seminal military thinker Carl von Clausewitz, Gray has come up with 40 maxims of military strategy that he believes cover most of the intellectually essential elements for the education of a strategist and presents them accompanied by short explanatory essays. They are grouped into sections on war and peace, strategy, military power and warfare, security and insecurity, and history and the future."

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Reference & Research Book News

"[Gray] has sustained and enhanced a reputation as the English-speaking world's leading strategic thinker. Gray's work has always eschewed abstraction for empiricism. His theoretical studies never fall prey to wishful thinking or mirror-imaging. His strategic analyses incorporate strong historical elements. Fighting Talk, though unpretentious in structure, represents the distillation of a career's worth of study and reflection in these contexts."

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The Journal of Military History

Book Description

Through forty maxims developed by the author, this book offers advice on how we can best cope with the perils that lurk for us in future strategic history.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1716 KB
• Print Length: 208 pages
• Publisher: Praeger; annotated edition edition (April 30, 2007)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001WAK14M
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,130 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #41 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > History > Military > Strategy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why strategy still matters, September 7, 2007

By 

A. B. Powers - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fighting Talk: Forty Maxims on War, Peace, and Strategy (Praeger Security International) (Hardcover)

Colin Gray's "Fighting Talk" is far more than a collection of maxims. It's a collection of 40 short, original essays each devoted to a specific aspect of strategy. Gray combines his masterful command of classic strategic theory (such as Thucydides, Sun Tzu and particularly Clausewitz)with clear writing to produce a book that is full of insights for both practicing strategists as well as students of international relations and security studies. Gray is at his best when discussing how strategy serves as the bridge between government policy and military action, making a convincing argument that a sound strategy can overcome weak tactics but the best tactics cannot correct an unsound strategy. Another of the book's strong points is Gray's explanations of Clausewitz's more well known theories such as the trinitarian model and friction. Gray makes these concepts understandable to readers who may have never heard of "On War", as well as providing insights for those who have studied the Prussian for years. The book's one weakness (which does not affect its five star rating), is Gray's neglect of the work of naval strategists, such as Julian Corbett. Gray does compensate for this by overtly stating that students of strategy who truly concentrate on the works of Thucydides, Sun Tzu and Clausewitz will receive a thorough education in their field. There is not much one can say to contradict this statement, beyond the fact that a specific study of the impact of sea power on strategy can only complement that which is learned through studying the masters recommended by Gray. I recommend this book without reservation to students; practicing strategists in government, business and the armed forces; and to those members of the citizenry wanting to make sense of what they view on CNN.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That Every Diplomat, General, and Political Leader Needs, December 14, 2007

By 

J. K. Van Riper (New Bern, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fighting Talk: Forty Maxims on War, Peace, and Strategy (Praeger Security International) (Hardcover)

A first-rate book. If our national leaders had read this book it would have educated them on strategic matters and maybe kept this great nation out of the troubles it now faces. Unlike most books of maxims or principles, this one is extremely useful. Although the forty maxims in the book can be read in any order, it is best to start with the introduction and go maxim by maxim. I hope our next president has this book on his (or her) desk for reference every day he (or she) is in office.

Jim

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read, April 5, 2008

By 

Terence J. Daly "COIN maven" (San Francisco CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fighting Talk: Forty Maxims on War, Peace, and Strategy (Praeger Security International) (Hardcover)

Colin S. Gray's "Fighting Talk" is one of those rare books that must be read by anyone who wants to be an informed citizen, voter -- or human being. Approve of War or disapprove, we still have to understand this violent phenomenon that has dominated human history. In 40 concise, punchy essays Dr. Gray, the dean of contemporary strategic historians, explains strategy, military power and warfare, security and insecurity, and, finally, the history and future of War. When you are finished you will understand the nature and phenomenon of War better than 98 percent of Americans, including especially, regretfully, the resident of that large, white dwelling on Pennsylvania Avenue. LTCOL Terence J. Daly USAR(Ret)