Drawing on examples from sport, diplomacy, business and more, the authors explore how strategic thinking can guide clear- sighted decision-making.From politicians seeking re-election, to statespeople craving spheres of influence, to business executives, military generals and sports coaches, we all employ strategy in our day-to-day activities. Strategic treatises on the art of war, politics or leadership have a long history, including those by Thucydides, Xenophon, Kautilya, Machiavelli and Clausewitz; yet, while recent decades have seen the proliferation of books on business strategy, there has still been no single volume, ancient or modern, combining all strands of the human strategic experience— until now. The Art of Strategy encapsulates and conveys the logic of strategy in easily accessible prose, and applies it to virtually every form of human endeavour. It builds upon the existing strategic wisdom produced by the great masters to present a holistic theory of strategy that is relevant to practice: a sprightly yet sober analysis of fifty maxims, drawing on examples from chess to psychology. Platias and Koliopoulos offer the reader a guide to strategic behaviour in all areas of life, while at the same time building a comprehensive theory of victory. They provide a framework that helps the reader to understand the nature of strategy, to think strategically, and to act strategically—and successfully.

A fresh look at the ancient general and scholar’s classic History of the Peloponnesian War, from the perspective of modern diplomacy and war.Masterfully crafted and surprisingly modern, History of the Peloponnesian War has long been celebrated as an insightful, eloquent, and exhaustively detailed work of classical Greek history. The text is also remarkable for its deep political and military dimensions, and scholars have begun to place the work alongside Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and Clausewitz’s On War as one of the great treatises on strategy.The perfect companion to Thucydides’ impressive history, this volume details the specific strategic concepts at work within the History of the Peloponnesian War. It demonstrates—through case studies of recent conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as an examination of the Thucydides trap and the growing Sino-American strategic antagonism—the continuing relevance of Thucydidean thought to an analysis and planning of strategic operations. Some have even credited Thucydides with founding the discipline of international relations.Written by two scholars with extensive experience in this and related fields, Thucydides on Strategy situates the classical historian solidly in the modern world of war.

Drawing on examples from sport, diplomacy, business and more, the authors explore how strategic thinking can guide clear- sighted decision-making.From politicians seeking re-election, to statespeople craving spheres of influence, to business executives, military generals and sports coaches, we all employ strategy in our day-to-day activities. Strategic treatises on the art of war, politics or leadership have a long history, including those by Thucydides, Xenophon, Kautilya, Machiavelli and Clausewitz; yet, while recent decades have seen the proliferation of books on business strategy, there has still been no single volume, ancient or modern, combining all strands of the human strategic experience— until now. The Art of Strategy encapsulates and conveys the logic of strategy in easily accessible prose, and applies it to virtually every form of human endeavour. It builds upon the existing strategic wisdom produced by the great masters to present a holistic theory of strategy that is relevant to practice: a sprightly yet sober analysis of fifty maxims, drawing on examples from chess to psychology. Platias and Koliopoulos offer the reader a guide to strategic behaviour in all areas of life, while at the same time building a comprehensive theory of victory. They provide a framework that helps the reader to understand the nature of strategy, to think strategically, and to act strategically—and successfully.

A fresh look at the ancient general and scholar’s classic History of the Peloponnesian War, from the perspective of modern diplomacy and war.Masterfully crafted and surprisingly modern, History of the Peloponnesian War has long been celebrated as an insightful, eloquent, and exhaustively detailed work of classical Greek history. The text is also remarkable for its deep political and military dimensions, and scholars have begun to place the work alongside Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and Clausewitz’s On War as one of the great treatises on strategy.The perfect companion to Thucydides’ impressive history, this volume details the specific strategic concepts at work within the History of the Peloponnesian War. It demonstrates—through case studies of recent conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as an examination of the Thucydides trap and the growing Sino-American strategic antagonism—the continuing relevance of Thucydidean thought to an analysis and planning of strategic operations. Some have even credited Thucydides with founding the discipline of international relations.Written by two scholars with extensive experience in this and related fields, Thucydides on Strategy situates the classical historian solidly in the modern world of war.