More than two thousand years ago the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu advised us to know our enemies. The question has always been how. In A Sense of the Enemy; the historian Zachary Shore demonstrates that leaders can best understand an opponent not simply from his pattern of past behavior; but from his behavior at pattern breaks. Meaningful pattern breaks occur during dramatic deviations from the routine; when the enemy imposes costs upon himself. It's at these unexpected moments; Shore explains; that successful leaders can learn what makes their rivals truly tick.Shore presents a uniquely revealing history of twentieth-century conflict. With vivid; suspenseful prose; he takes us into the minds of statesmen; to see how they in turn tried to enter the minds of others. In the process; he shows how this type of mind-reading; which he calls "strategic empathy;" shaped matters of war and peace. Mahatma Gandhi; for instance; was an excellent strategic empath. In the wake of a British massacre of unarmed Indian civilians; how did Gandhi know that nonviolence could ever be effective? And what of Gustav Stresemann; the 21-year-old Wunderkind Ph.D.; who rose from lobbyist for chocolate makers to Chancellor of Germany. How did he manage to resurrect his nation to great power status after its humiliating loss in World War One? And then there is Le Duan; the shadowy Marxist manipulator who was actually running North Vietnam during the 1960s; as opposed to Ho Chi Minh. How did this rigid ideologue so skillfully discern America's underlying constraints? And; armed with this awareness; how did he construct a grand strategy to defeat the United States? One key to all these leaders' triumphs came from the enemy's behavior at pattern breaks.Drawing on research from the cognitive sciences; and tapping multilingual; multinational sources; Shore has crafted an innovative history of the last century's most pivotal moments; when lives and nations were on the line. Through this curious study of strategic empathy; we gain surprising insights into how great leaders think.
#48491 in Books J M Roberts 2013-05-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.50 x 2.50 x 9.10l; 3.40 #File Name: 01999367651280 pagesThe History of the World
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. An up to date and terrific historic narrativeBy M.MorrisIf you have an innate curiosity for where our (mainly western) civilization comes from than this book is for you. However when speaking about as broad a topic as the history of THE WORLD you are necessarily going to have significant gaps in your analysis. JM roberts is open about his limitations and narrows the scope to events which played a major part in pushing humanity from one movement to another. I began reading his 1976 edition a while back in school; and am very pleased with this updated version which includes a much more thorough analysis of the prehistoric period using up to date findings and techniques. He also expands on the history of the Middle East and Asia; shedding a much greater light on their influences in history. This book serves at its best; as a terrific baseline for covering the main historical topics which will give the casual reader a great foundation in world events and the more dedicated historian a great source of topics to dig into using other more in-depth sources. A must have for every home library!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. History the way schools should should teach it.By ShermanVery likely the best total history book I have ever owned. Interesting how history makes so much more sense when you understand the whys and the whens; instead of just throwing a bunch of historical facts at a person.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This tome is an amazing reference for any history buffBy Andrew WhiteThis tome is an amazing reference for any history buff. Even more importantly; somehow I was able to get this brand new (still wrapped in plastic) for $9; when it retails for $45. Highly satisfied; to say the least.
