Nothing Less than Victory: Decisive Wars and the Lessons of History

Nothing Less than Victory: Decisive Wars and the Lessons of History by Lewis, John David. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780691135182.

How aggressive military strategies win wars, from ancient times to today The goal of war is to defeat the enemys will to fight. But how this can be accomplished is a thorny issue. Nothing Less than Victory provocatively shows that aggressive, strategic military offenses can win wars and establish lasting peace, while defensive maneuvers have often led to prolonged carnage, indecision, and stalemate. Taking an ambitious and sweeping look at six major wars, from antiquity to World War II, John David Lewis shows how victorious military commanders have achieved long-term peace by identifying the core of the enemys ideological, political, and social support for a war, fiercely striking at this objective, and demanding that the enemy acknowledges its defeat. Lewis examines the Greco-Persian and Theban wars, the Second Punic War, Aurelians wars to reunify Rome, the American Civil War, and the Second World War. He considers successful examples of overwhelming force, such as the Greek mutilation of Xerxes army and navy, the Theban-led invasion of the Spartan homeland, and Hannibals attack against Italy―as well as failed tactics of defense, including Fabiuss policy of delay, McClellans retreat from Richmond, and Chamberlains appeasement of Hitler. Lewis shows that a wars endurance rests in each sides reasoning, moral purpose, and commitment to fight, and why an effectively aimed, well-planned, and quickly executed offense can end a conflict and create the conditions needed for long-term peace. Recognizing the human motivations behind military conflicts, Nothing Less than Victory makes a powerful case for offensive actions in pursuit of peace.