The Utility of Force

A book of the genre of " The Art of War" by Clauswitz

You will know many new ways of looking at war from a General point of view. It gives you thorough knowledge about how wars are been fought since Napolean period. Thinking of Clausewitz, Sun Tzu is also well mentioned. Must read this book.

History of warfare is a complex topic especially when contemporary warfare is undergoing paradigm transformation, Rupert Smith has done a great job explaining it however his views are colored through the tuned glasses of NATO!

Really enjoyed reading this informative and well written book

Pretty informative and it made me think through things from a new angle.The extrapolation goes too far in claiming that industrial warfare can't happen any more. Since WWI the introduction of WMD made such warfare increasingly difficult without a reliable consent to refrain from certain acts. It's uncertain this uncertainty of conduct will persist.Industrial warfare itself is the outgrow of limiting cultural consensus on the conduct of armed conflict, which in part was due to recognized cultural similarity as Christians within a sanctioned framework. The book falls short in looking far beyond the eurocentric bias in time into other cultural regions' traditional approaches. Turkey and Russia are examples for centuries of intersection between different mindsets on warfare. Just as an example: "The secret history of the Mongols" is a long read (propagandistic with plausible reflection of contemporary mindset and customs) on something that could be labeled a war of the people with the accumulation of a powerful following among the steppe dwellers. The concept is not new in itself, rather it's something that took a back seat while post-Napoleon a different paradigma dominated the minds and view of events by the most powerful political entities.

No problem with the book

This is an excellent insight into the pragmatic utility of the force that is used all over the world by countless actors. The theoretical framework of Smith's approach to the application of force and the implications of applying force to various types of situations is enlightening and instantly appealing. Smith encourages the reader to engage with ideas of the use of force that depart from the norm by providing real life experience and examples to underscore the utility that is the central thematic premise of the book. Great for military and non-military readers alike. Especially recommended to academics and security studies students who are seeking a constructivist examination of force and its ultimate purpose in the contemporary security environment.

Insightful book by an intelligent war hero. We need people like him in parliament.