Title: On Grand Strategy
Author: John Lewis Gaddis
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: 04/02/2019
ASIN: 0143132512
Read BookBook Description:
On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis explores the principles of grand strategy through the lives and decisions of influential leaders. It examines how they balanced ambitious goals with the practical limits of power, resources, and circumstance. Drawing on examples from ancient Greece and Rome to early modern Europe and the twentieth century, Gaddis shows how successful leaders aligned political, military, and strategic objectives. He also explains how they adapted to uncertainty and changing conditions.
Using historical case studies, literature, and political philosophy, the book examines the strategic thinking of figures such as Xerxes, Augustus, Queen Elizabeth I, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Instead of presenting a formula for military planning, Gaddis focuses on judgment, flexibility, and self-awareness. He also highlights the relationship between ends, ways, and means as the foundation of effective leadership. The book is a valuable resource for military professionals, policymakers, and students who want to better understand grand strategy, strategic leadership, and statecraft throughout history.
On Grand Strategy is featured in The Commandant’s Reading List: Strategy (Part 3), alongside other recommended books on strategy and military leadership.
The Commandant’s Reading List: Strategy (Part 3)