A Global History of War: From Assyria to the Twenty-First Century

While many books examine specific wars, few study the history of war worldwide and from an evolutionary perspective. A Global History of War is one of the first works to focus not on the impact of war on civilizations, but rather on how civilizations impact the art and execution of war. World-renowned scholar G rard Chaliand concentrates on the peoples and cultures who have determined how war is conducted and reveals the lasting historical consequences of combat, offering a unique picture of the major geopolitical and civilizational clashes that have rocked our common history and made us who we are today. Chaliand's questions provoke a new understanding of the development of armed conflict. How did the foremost non-European empires rise and fall? What critical role did the nomads of the Eurasian steppes and their descendants play? Chaliand illuminates the military cultures and martial traditions of the great Eurasian empires, including Turkey, China, Iran, and Mongolia. Based on fifteen years of research, this book provides a novel military and strategic perspective on the crises and conflicts that have shaped the current world order.

Author: Gérard Chaliand
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 11/17/2014
Pages: 312
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 9.07h x 6.00w x 0.74d
ISBN: 9780520283619

Review Citation(s):
Choice 05/01/2015 pg. 1562

About the Author
Gérard Chaliand taught at the École nationale d'administration and the École de guerre in France and is currently a visiting professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His many books include The History of Terrorism (2007), The Art of War in World History (1994), and Guerrilla Strategies (1984), all published by UC Press.