Global History of War

While many books examine specific wars, few study the history of war worldwide and from an evolutionary perspective. A Global History of War is one of the first works to focus not on the impact of war on civilizations, but rather on how civilizations impact and shape the art and execution of war. World-renowned scholar Gerard Chaliand concentrates on the peoples and cultures who have defined the manner in which war is conducted and the lasting historical consequences. The text offers a unique picture of the major geopolitical and civilizational clashes that have rocked our common history and made us who we are today. The relationship between war and civilizations comes alive, while our understanding of war and its development takes a new turn. How did the foremost non-European empires of the world rise and fall? What critical role did the nomads of the Eurasian steppes and their descendants play? Chaliand illuminates the poorly understood military cultures and martial traditions of the great Eurasian empires, including Turkey, China, Iran, and Mongolia. Based on fifteen years of research, this book provides a novel military and strategic perspective on the crises and conflicts that have shaped the current world order.