Rear Admiral Raja Menon contends that nations embroiled in Continental wars have historically had poor maritime strategies. He develops the argument that navies that have been involved in such wars have made poor contributions to politial objectives, and outlines future strategies.

Rear Admiral Raja Menon contends that nations embroiled in Continental wars have historically had poor maritime strategies. He develops the argument that navies that have been involved in such wars have made poor contributions to politial objectives, and outlines future strategies.

This volume contends that nations embroiled in Continental wars have historically had poor maritime strategies, developing the argument that navies involved in such wars have made poor contributions to politial objectives.

Reproduction of the original: Some Principles of Maritime Strategy by Julian Stafford Corbett

“No military service can long remain effective without searching self-criticism and continuous re-examination of its own ideas. Wylie, well known in the Navy, is a refreshingly and outspoken individual, thoroughly at home on the bridge of a ship, but equally at home in the semantics of dialectical discussion. He has produced a simple but relevant little work in an attempt to promote order in the discussion of strategy. . . . To the traditional theories of strategy-the maritime theory, the air theory, the continental theory-Wylie adds the ‘Mao theory’ of wars of national liberation. . . . [This book is] easier to read and understand and basically sounder than the great majority of the involved and tortuous rationalizations of the academic strategists.”- New York Times Book Review

“A fascinating geopolitical chronicle . . . A superb survey of the perennial opportunities and risks in what Herman Melville called ‘the watery part of the world.’” —The Wall Street Journal In this volume, one of the most eminent historians of our age investigates the extraordinary success of five small maritime states. Andrew Lambert, author of The Challenge: Britain Against America in the Naval War of 1812—winner of the prestigious Anderson Medal—turns his attention to Athens, Carthage, Venice, the Dutch Republic, and Britain, examining how their identities as “seapowers” informed their actions and enabled them to achieve success disproportionate to their size. Lambert demonstrates how creating maritime identities made these states more dynamic, open, and inclusive than their lumbering continental rivals. Only when they forgot this aspect of their identity did these nations begin to decline. Recognizing that the United States and China are modern naval powers—rather than seapowers—is essential to understanding current affairs, as well as the long-term trends in world history. This volume is a highly original “big think” analysis of five states whose success—and eventual failure—is a subject of enduring interest, by a scholar at the top of his game. “An intriguing series of stories of communities thinking seriously about how to stand their own ground when outpowered, how to do so in ways that are consistent with their values, and sometimes how to negotiate the descent from being a great power when the cards just aren’t in their favor any more. These are timely questions.” —Times Higher Education Supplement “Lambert is, without a doubt, the most insightful naval historian writing today.” —The Times

"Through colourful and lively historical illustrations as well as strategic theory, Gray shows how sea power, when integrated with land and air power, increases the combatant's opportunities and choices. With dozens of examples from the Greek and Persian wars of the fifth century B.C. through the recent war in the Gulf, Gray systematically demonstrates the ways sea power has been used, and how it might have been used, to win battles and wars. His thought-provoking commentary is certain to become essential reading for the makers of defense policy today. The Leverage of Sea Power is an important and original contribution to the science of warfare historically and in the nuclear age." --