War and power are two of the most-widely discussed issues in all of human history, and yet they are, time and again, misunderstood - often disastrously so.
Whilst we might think the outcome of war is determined by so-called 'Great Powers' who dominate their opponents with their impressive size and military prowess, the reality of modern conflict, as renowned strategic historian Professor Phillips Payson O'Brien demonstrates, is very different. He urges us instead to look for 'Full Spectrum Powers'.
For if we are considering how powerful a nation is and who will win a war, we need to think less about weapons, and more about the economies and societies that produce them; less about individual battles, and more about sustaining campaigns and alliances in which states operate.
Using fascinating examples from the late 19th century to the present day, _War and Powe_r explains how misunderstanding war and power has led to terrible, even preventable conflicts - such as the war in Ukraine - and how more accurate analysis can help us consider the potential conflict between the US and China.
_War and Power_ provides a bold new way of understanding the dangerous world around us.
PHILLIPS PAYSON O'BRIEN is Professor of Strategic Studies at St Andrews. He is the author of _The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini and Hitler - How War Made Them_, _And How They Made War_ and _How the War Was Won: Air-Sea Power and Allied Victory in World War II_ and _The Second Most Powerful Man in the World: The Life of Admiral William D. Leahy, Roosevelt's Chief of Staff._ He has written for The Atlantic, The Spectator and Foreign Affairs, and has a combined following of over 200k on Twitter and Substack.