Lonsdale David J. Alexander the Great. Lessons in strategy

New York, London, Tylor Francis Group, 2007. — 205 p. — ISBN13: 978-0-415-35847-7.The nature of strategy is eternal. Regardless of time or place, those using military force for the purposes of policy will face the same complex phenomena. Strategy has always been, and will remain, a complex, non-linear, multidimensional, violent, and competitive activity. Thus, although every case of strategy in action displays unique features, each has something to teach us about dealing with the universal challenges. In this sense, the campaigns of Alexander the Great present us with an opportunity to study and understand how success can be achieved. And yet, despite this commonality of strategic experience, Alexander’s campaigns do seem completely removed from strategy in the modern world. The events that this book analyses occurred over 2,300 years ago. Whether it is the great battle on the plain of Gaugamela or Alexander’s ounterinsurgency campaign in Bactria and Sogdiana, these events seem distant and almost mythical to a modern audience. However, at the time of writing war rages in modern Iraq (the site of Gaugamela) and Afghanistan (the area Alexander knew as Bactria and Sogdiana). Much may have changed since Alexander led his army through the Persian Empire; but war has remained a constant feature of man’s experience.The art of strategy.
Ancient Greek warfare.
Lessons in strategy 1: grand strategy.
Lessons in strategy 2: military operations.
Lessons in strategy 3: use of force.
Lessons in strategy: conclusions.
Notes.