Battle : a history of combat and culture from ancient Greece to modern America

__Battle: A History of Combat and Culture__ spans the globe and the centuries to explore the way ideas shape the conduct of warfare. Drawing its examples from Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and America, John A. Lynn challenges the belief that technology has been the dominant influence on combat from ancient times to the present day. In battle, ideas can be more far more important than bullets or bombs. Carl von Clausewitz proclaimed that war is politics, but even more basically, war is culture. The hard reality of armed conflict is formed by - and, in turn, forms - a culture's values, assumptions, and expectations about fighting. The author examines the relationship between the real and the ideal, arguing that feedback between the two follows certain discernable paths. Battle rejects the currently fashionable notion of a "Western way of warfare" and replaces it with more nuanced concepts of varied and evolving cultural patterns of combat. After considering history, Lynn finally asks how the knowledge gained might illuminate our understanding of the war on terrorism. A History Of Combat And Culture Spans The Globe And The Centuries To Explore The Way Ideas Shape The Conduct Of Warfare. Drawing Its Examples From Europe, The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, And America, John A. Lynn Challenges The Belief That Technology Has Been The Dominant Influence On Combat From Ancient Times To The Present Day. The Author Examines The Relationship Between The Real And The Ideal, Arguing That Feedback Between The Two Follows Discernable Paths. Battle Rejects The Currently Fashionable Notion Of A Western Way Of Warfare And Replaces It With More Nuanced Concepts Of Varied And Evolving Cultural Patterns Of Combat.--jacket. Preface: Requiem For The Universal Soldier -- Written In Blood : The Classical Greek Drama Of Battle And The Western Way Of War -- Subtleties Of Violence : Ancienct Chinese And Indian Texts On Warfare -- Chivalry And Chevauchée : The Ideal, The Real, And The Perfect In Medieval European Warfare -- Linear Warfare : Images And Ideals Of Combat In The Age Of Enlightenment -- Victories Of The Conquered : The Native Character Of The Sepoy -- The Sun Of Austerlitz : Romantic Visions Of Decisive Battle In Nineteenth-century Europe -- The Merciless Fight : Race And Military Culture In The Pacific War -- Crossing The Canal : Egyptian Effectiveness And Military Culture In The October War -- Epilogue: Terrorism And Evil : Forming A New Discourse On War At The Dawn Of The Twenty-first Century -- Appendix: The Discourse And The Reality Of War : A Cultural Model. John A. Lynn. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 343-383) And Index. Battle: A History of Combat and Culture spans the globe and the centuries to explore the way ideas shape the conduct of warfare. Drawing its examples from Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and America, John A. Lynn challenges the belief that technology has been the dominant influence on combat from ancient times to the present day. In battle, ideas can be far more important than bullets or bombs. Carl von Clausewitz proclaimed that war is politics, but even more basically, war is culture. The hard reality of armed conflict is formed by-and, in turn, forms-a culture's values, assumptions, and expectations about fighting. The author examines the relationship between the real and the ideal, arguing that feedback between the two follows certain discernable paths. Battle rejects the currently fashionable notion of a "Western way of warfare" and replaces it with more nuanced concepts of varied and evolving cultural patterns of combat. Lynn completes this revised edition by going beyond history and focusing on present-day military affairs, analyzing terrorism and the U.S. response to it, including the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Battle: A History of Combat and Culture spans the globe and the centuries to explore the way ideas shape the conduct of warfare. Drawing its examples from Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and America, John A. Lynn challenges the belief that technology has been the dominant influence on combat from ancient times to the present day. In battle, ideas can be more far more important than bullets or bombs. Carl von Clausewitz proclaimed that war is politics, but even more basically, war is culture. The hard reality of armed conflict is formed by - and, in turn, forms - a culture's values, assumptions, and expectations about fighting. The author examines the relationship between the real and the ideal, arguing that feedback between the two follows certain discernable paths. Battle rejects the currently fashionable notion of a "Western way of warfare" and replaces it with more nuanced concepts of varied and evolving cultural patterns of combat. After considering history, Lynn finally asks how the knowledge gained might illuminate our understanding of the war on terrorism.

"A History of Combat and Culture spans the globe and the centuries to explore the way ideas shape the conduct of warfare. Drawing its examples from Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and America, John A. Lynn challenges the belief that technology has been the dominant influence on combat from ancient times to the present day. The author examines the relationship between the real and the ideal, arguing that feedback between the two follows discernable paths. Battle rejects the currently fashionable notion of a "Western way of warfare" and replaces it with more nuanced concepts of varied and evolving cultural patterns of combat."--BOOK JACKET PAGONDAS, THE THEBAN LEADER, urged the hearty Boeotian farmer-war assembled at Tanagra to fight the Athenians, even though that hostile army had begun to withdraw back to Attica from Boeotia.