The goal of war is to defeat the enemy's 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 enemy's 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; Aurelian's 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 Hannibal's attack against Italy--as well as failed tactics of defense; including Fabius's policy of delay; McClellan's retreat from Richmond; and Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler. Lewis shows that a war's endurance rests in each side's 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.
#109118 in Books Princeton University Press 2011-07-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.40 x 1.00 x 5.40l; .90 #File Name: 0691152888344 pages
Review
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. European Jews in the 16th-18th centuriesBy M. R. LeavittThis is a history book; a Jewish history book; to be sure; but a very good book that should be an assigned reading in a graduate-level or upper undergraduate level course. Except for one thing--it's really well written. Ruderman is clear; concise and makes his several points about the common and divergent elements in the various Jewish communities (Italian; German; Polish; Ottoman) in what is now called the "Early Modern" period; 16th - 18th centuries. He illustrates his primary theses by examples fortified by a truly impressive bibliography. (I won't summarize the topical areas as they're available in the summary material for the book.) If there is a flaw it's in the author's occasional use of the contemporary language of post-modernism where a simpler language would suffice. (Yes; Jewish lay elites often imposed their wills on the rest of the community including the rabbinate; but one needn't see this phenomenon in terms of 19th or 20th century marxist analysis!) This is not only a book for the student and the professional historian; but for the lay reader who just wants a more complete picture of Jewish life in this fascinating historical period.3 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Jewish DatingBy E. SilverstoneEven though Ruderman's aim was not a comprehensive description of early modern Jewry; I would still have liked more description; explanation and details. For example; I wonder if Ruderman could have added more information about the Hayon Affair so I could better appreciate its importance to early modern Jewry.There seems to be too much effort put into historiography at the expense of the history. And the author's dating of the early modern period seems too easy. I would guess that the expulsion from Spain marks the end of the Jewish medieval period. It is an ending for something and not the beginning of the early modern period as Ruderman suggests. My guess is that the early modern period for Jewry starts with the beginning of the printing press. What better way to understand how the Jews were connected to the non-Jewish European world than having the early modern Jewish period begin with a non-Jewish event; the invention of the printing press.
