Piercing the Fog of War: Recognizing Change on the Battlefield: Lessons from Military History, 216 BC Through Today

If its true that generals tend to fight the last war, how do we meet the military challenge of the new? It is this question, which confronts us at every turn of history, that Brian Steed takes up in Piercing the Fog of War. From the ancient surprises of Cannae and Yarmouk to the earthshaking upsets of Trenton and Little Big Horn to the recent shocks of Gozny and suicide terrorists, aberrational events are mileposts that mark changes in the paradigm of armed conflict to the detriment of the apparently stronger military through the ages. Drawing upon twenty years of studying, teaching, and applying military history, Steed develops an understanding of how the nature of conflict in all its aspects--from the economic to the military--is changing so rapidly and presenting its proponents with so many unique, and uniquely demanding, events. Through eight case studies from the classical to the modern era he explores strategies for successfully addressing unexpected circumstances in a changing world. His book will become a primer for conflict resolution and adaptation in an ever more uncertain world . . . and a necessary text for survival.