Great Strategic Rivalries: From the Classical World to the Cold War - Paperback

by James Lacey (Author)

From the legendary antagonism between Athens and Sparta during the Peloponnesian War to the Napoleonic Wars and the two World Wars of the twentieth century, the past is littered with long-term strategic rivalries. History tells us that such enduring rivalries can end in one of three ways: a series of exhausting conflicts in which one side eventually prevails, as in the case of the Punic Wars between ancient Rome and Carthage, a peaceful and hopefully orderly transition, like the rivalry between Great Britain and the United States at the turn of the twentieth century, or a one-sided collapse, such as the conclusion of the Cold War with the fall of the Soviet Union. However, in spite of a wealth of historical examples, the future of state rivalries remains a matter of conjecture.

Author Biography

James Lacey is Course Director and Professor of both Strategic Studies and Political Economy at the Marine Corps War College. His previous books include The Moment of Battle: Twenty Clashes that Changed the World (with Williamson Murray) and The First Clash: The Miraculous Greek Victory at Marathon and Its Impact on Western Civilization.