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Unrestricted Warfare: China's Master Plan to Destroy America Paperback – November 10, 2015

by Qiao Liang (Author), Wang Xiangsui (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 1,609 ratings
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A sobering and fascinating study on war in the modern era, Unrestricted Warfare carefully explores strategies that militarily and politically disadvantaged nations might take in order to successfully attack a geopolitical super-power like the United States. American military doctrine is typically led by technology; a new class of weapon or vehicle is developed, which allows or encourages an adjustment in strategy. Military strategists Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui argue that this dynamic is a crucial weakness in the American military, and that this blind spot with regard to alternative forms warfare could be effectively exploited by enemies. Unrestricted Warfare concerns the many ways in which this might occur, and, in turn, suggests what the United States might do to defend itself.

The traditional mentality that offensive action is limited to military action is no longer adequate given the range of contemporary threats and the rising costs-both in dollars and lives lost-of traditional warfare. Instead, Liang and Xiangsui suggest the significance of alternatives to direct military confrontation, including international policy, economic warfare, attacks on digital infrastructure and networks, and terrorism. Even a relatively insignificant state can incapacitate a far more powerful enemy by applying pressure to their economic and political systems. Exploring each of these considerations with remarkable insight and clarity, Unrestricted Warfare is an engaging evaluation of our geopolitical future.

For a more durable Echo Point Books hardcover edition of Unrestricted Warfare please search ISBN 1626543062.


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  1. Print length
    212 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Echo Point Books & Media
  4. Publication date
    November 10, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.45 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1626543054
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1626543058
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Echo Point Books & Media
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 10, 2015
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint ed.
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1626543054
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1626543058
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.45 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 1,609 ratings

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Liang Qiao

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4.6 out of 5 stars
1,609 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and thought-provoking, particularly appreciating its coverage of Chinese military philosophy. Moreover, they consider it a must-read for US military personnel, and one customer notes it's written by two Colonels in the People's Liberation Army. However, the pacing receives mixed reactions from customers.

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33 customers mention "Interest"29 positive4 negative

Customers find the book informative and thought-provoking, with considerable discussion of Chinese military philosophy.

"Very informative and complete" Read more

"Such a great addition to your personal library. Once you read it you'll see things differently...." Read more

"I found it interesting and informative" Read more

"...There is considerable Chinese military philosophy discussed including the 36 Strategies, which most American military readers have not encountered..." Read more

32 customers mention "Readability"27 positive5 negative

Customers find the book readable, though some note it is a tough read that requires effort to understand, while others appreciate that it is translated as described.

"...It reads fairly well although I did encounter a few places where I wasn't entirely sure what the book was trying to say...." Read more

"...I don’t feel the book is well written...." Read more

"...find on these pages many familiar conventions along with clear, concise explanations of how those conventions are being applied to the modern world...." Read more

"Enjoyed the book" Read more

7 customers mention "Reading requirement"7 positive0 negative

Customers consider this book a must-read for US military personnel, with one customer noting it provides insights into the Chinese way of interpreting warfare.

"...The book also cites a number of Chinese theorists on war, which I think I useful...." Read more

"This book should be required reading for all military officers...." Read more

"...This is a must read for all US Military personnel, Intelligence Community, State Department and Politicians who want to understand China's strategy,..." Read more

"Impressed that it is written by two Colonels in the People' Liberation Army, laying out boldly the plan of warfare, which is nothing like what we..." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book.

"...It is an all-inclusive, multi-front war...." Read more

"...This promotes an over-reliance on technology and an unwillingness to support prolonged war...." Read more

"Great book on military thinking and the future of warfare..." Read more

"Unrestricted Warfare: China's Master Plan to Destroy America..." Read more

A glimpse into the other guys' playbook...
5 out of 5 stars
A glimpse into the other guys' playbook...
Such a great addition to your personal library. Once you read it you'll see things differently. The book discusses how nations can leverage non-traditional methods of warfare to achieve their strategic objectives. It explores the use of economic, cyber, and terrorist tactics alongside conventional military operations. This provocative work has sparked significant debate and analysis in military and strategic circles worldwide.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Jomoore K. Toney
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Very informative and complete
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  • fitzalling
    5.0 out of 5 stars Globalization greatly increases leverage over opponents
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I'm trying to learn more about China. This book was referenced in a book I read by U.S. General Spalding entitled "War Without Rules." The book was written by two Chinese PLA colonels and published in 1999 so it's about a quarter century old. According to General Spalding the book has been read and considered within the U.S. military. I have the paperback and it's 193 pages, not including a short afterword and some information on the authors' backgrounds. It reads fairly well although I did encounter a few places where I wasn't entirely sure what the book was trying to say. I don't know if this was due to translation challenges or it was just me. I got through the book fairly quickly.

    My main takeaway was that globalization has offers a potential opponent many more levers to influence the actions of others than simply resorting to kinetic (bombs and bullets) warfare. Economic warfare is certainly possible and in the colonels' view has been resorted to by the West against Asian targets. They view George Soros as a financial terrorist who wreaked havoc on Asian economies in 1998. They describe Soros as a soldier in the wars of tomorrow. Page 191.

    The inspiration for the book was the First Gulf War. The lesson that the colonels drew from this war was that it was inadvisable to fight the U.S. in a straight-up kinetic war. Finding other ways to fight the U.S. was mandatory. As I write this in January 2024 I wonder if the Chinese military will follow the colonels or if they will resort to traditional kinetic means of fighting if their leadership decides to take Taiwan.
    On page 120 they describe the new model of warfare as combining the battlefield and non-battlefield exemplified by Schwarzkopf and Soros and Bin Laden and some Chinese that I don't recognize. As they say on page 120 "This then is our real hand of cards."
    The book also cites a number of Chinese theorists on war, which I think I useful. I've read fairly widely, but my reading has been focused in the West. Also, the authors look at international bodies and how China might use them against the U.S.

    On page 164 the book argues that warfare is changing from "bloody massacre" and finding expression in "information warfare, financial warfare, and trade warfare". Look at the U.S. response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The colonels' thoughts are worthy of consideration. On page 110 the book observes "continuous coverage by the modern media which very much strengthens the effects of terrorism."

    If the topic interests you, I recommend the book. The book may be 25 years old, but its message is timely.
    27 people found this helpful
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  • Albert
    4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Challenges and Overblown Rhetoric
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is a useful book to read. The principles of warfare advocated by Sun Tzu say that you must know both yourself and your enemy. This book shows that modern American society is known by the Chinese military. As an exercise in cultural self-understanding alone, reading it pays dividends.

    However, the topic is strategy. The words used can be relatively confusing at times, not quite embodying the meaning given to them by the authors. Unlimited...but within limits. Unrestricted...but following rules. It can be a bit of a struggle to follow their train of thought and understand their meaning (especially with the writing style, which lacks clarity or organization). Despite this I think it is worth struggling with, and especially with a broad overview of some of the argument to assist. Such a board overview follows.

    The main point: the United States is prone to think in a manner which intrinsically restricts the conduct of warfare to only a formal military domain; thus it abstracts military action from its location in social domains (politics, economy, information, etc). This fits rather well. We like things to be formulas or mechanistic. We also like to abstract them away into separate ("rigidly distinct") boxes which have no interaction. And so, the military is responsible for military problems and better stay far from anything approaching politics! However, as the authors reveal, this leads to an inability to conduct grander strategy in warfare.

    So instead: "unrestricted" warfare is to have strategy incorporate considerations (and interactions) within various domains, not only the military domain. Basically it is a rejection of the post-Westphalian concept of the nation-state as the supreme (and exclusive) kind of agent in strategy. This is good. The post-Westphalian idea of the nation-state may be useful in certain contexts and for certain purposes, but it is NOT the comprehensive reality of the universe. To treat it as such is to be blind to much of reality, and to live in a fantasy world. Does North Korea really care that it is "unrecognized" as a nation by us? Nope. Because the nation-state idea simply doesn't describe the order in which NK exists, so much as it describes the order in which Germany exists.

    This is all well and good. But is it truly revolutionary or new? I don't think so. Clausewitz himself writes that there is no military situation abstracted from the political situation, and politics (in this sense) involves much more than just inter-governmental relations. Rather, I think that we can treat this as a corrective against modern American oversimplifications and reductions, and thus as a "return" to older concepts of strategy and statesmanship. Indeed, they even imitate and follow Clausewitz's guidance on method for determining a theory of warfare which is inductive/a posteriori, rather than deductive/a priori. Unfortunately, the one "modern" example of a war they have to analyze is the Gulf War, and so they relentlessly analyze it alone, perhaps leading to imbalance.

    And here is where the rhetoric is overblown. This is no "master plan" to destroy America (false advertising). It's not even really new concepts. Rather, it is a (very) forceful reminder against the false (and harmful) modernist sentiments that prevail in America's mode of conducting warfare. In reference to false understandings, the authors actually accuse Americans of "touching the elephant" - an allusion to the tale of "blind men and the elephant" (although this allusion is not made clear in the text, and so is confusing if you have not heard of the tale). It is a parable about believing one has the absolute truth, while only having a limited perspective. Perhaps the authors also touch the elephant in a few ways (bias for helicopters without empirical evidence, a near-religious adoration of the golden ratio, etc.).

    There's a final point of balance that is perhaps needed. It is easy to either dismiss the Chinese critiques of American society ("we don't worship tech") or take them too seriously ("tech is evil"). Either reaction is problematic. Instead we need to understand that just as in some other areas, there is a rhetorical/political purpose at play. America is being made fun of (which means that the critiques are both based in reality, but also somewhat biased for the sake of local humor). Technology is not evil, and technology is not God. So we need to learn to avoid seeing technological advancement as a replacement for people (this is the error the authors would like to point out). This doesn't mean avoiding technological advancement.

    There are many lessons to be learned from this book. I'd advise it for all military officers to read. However, I also would advise to temper the expectations and reframe the reader's conception of what the book is: it is an exercise in recovery of some older strategic concepts, not a revolutionary approach to destroying the United States. Get past and ignore the rhetoric and advertising, and take the lessons where they make valid points about where we can be short-sighted in our mindset. But don't discount those lessons because of the wild rhetoric and advertising which surround them. Doing this, you will profit.
    62 people found this helpful
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  • David
    5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone studying international politics or security programs should read this.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This is a play by play of that the Chinese CCP is doing to become the dominant world power. China policy and politics are often difficult to understand by western societies, this book helps lift that vale of confusion. If the U.S. State Department made this a required reading, America's policy towards the CCP would be very different and significantly better for all freedom loving nations.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • A
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting topics, based again on stolen ideas
    Reviewed in Australia on October 5, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Definitely an interesting read, but effectively just reinforces both the inferiority complex and superiority complex of the Chinese Communist Party.

    None of the ideas presented in the book are new or cutting edge, it really does expose the hubris of an army (PLA) who has never had to fight a real war, to throw so much judgement on those who have both un/successfully fought them.

    Following the tradition of the modern CCP, it's a bunch of stolen ideas and concepts, with their own spin on it, passed off as an original idea.
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  • Dr. Friedrich Drapal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Die neue Welt
    Reviewed in Germany on January 2, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Aktuell, faszinierend schwierig, sehr lesenwert. Eine erstklassige Ergänzung zum Verständnis der Tagespolitik, wie sie uns täglich ins Haus geliefert wird.
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  • Carlos Eduardo
    5.0 out of 5 stars A perspectiva chinesa
    Reviewed in Brazil on August 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    O livro é excelente em explicitar a visão que a China, principalmente seus governantes, tem do cenário global. Marcas históricas profundas e relatos reveladores sobre ações do ocidente me fizeram ter um pouco mais de cabeça aberta quando o asusnto é China.
    Vale muito colocar na sua biblioteca.
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  • Industrias Parabellum
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unrestricted warfare
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 26, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Libro demasiado interesante. Indispensable para entender el mundo de hoy en día
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  • N Gopalswamy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in India on December 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Good
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