"Thucydides, as he himself anticipated, wrote not only the history of the Peloponnesian War. He wrote the history of the Napoleonic Wars, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War."--Louis Halle"International relations continue to be a recurring struggle for wealth and power among independent actors in a state of anarchy. The classic history of Thucydides is as meaningful a guide to the behavior of states today as when it was written in the fifth century B.C.E."--Robert Gilpin"I read Thucydides on Strategy with considerable interest, pleasure, and care. - The authors have made an original contribution to scholarship .

and have managed to synthesize a coherent whole that goes far to explain how Athens lost and the Peloponnesians won this war. In the course of doing this, they also manage to explain why Thucydides' work is a " for all time". They show that the same sorts of strategic questions and problems are likely to recur, again and again, as Thucydides says, so long as human nature remains the same, e.g., defining political objectives, matching a grand strategy to meet them, integrating a military strategy with the grand strategy, interacting with an enemy, avoiding overextension, and a whole range of other themes commonly studied by strategists today."--Karl Walling, Professor, Department of Policy and Strategy, United States Naval War College."An excellent companion to the 'History', and an aid to the essential reflection that Thucydides's work requires."--RUSI Journal"[The authors] not only succeed in arguing for the relevance of Thucydides to contemporary policy and strategy, they also provide a valuable primer on strategy and grand strategy.

[.] This book will be of interest to students of war and conflict, as well as to policymakers, soldiers and diplomats." -- Survival"This book will be a great success with students, both at universities and staff colleges." -- The Journal of Strategic Studies"[This book] could, in fact, serve as a primer to grand strategy for the uninitiated. [.] If the sole aim of the authors of this volume is their stated aim, it can be regarded as an unmitigated success." -- Journal of World History"The authors adhere to their goal in presenting a tight, focused, and clear analysis of Thucydides' understanding of grand strategy in the Peloponnesian War; the book will be especially useful to students of military history who already maintain a strong background in the historical circumstances of the war." -- H-Net Reviews"Thucydides on Strategy serves two distinct purposes.

First, for students [.] it is a valuable compendium; it ensures discernment of lessons and enables seminar participation. Second, for the busy professional, Platias and Koliopoulos offer a viable option. Rather than investing time and effort reading and reflecting on Thucydides"s work, [they] may prefer to read [this book]." -- Military Review"An excellent companion to the History, and an aid to the essential reflection that Thucydides' work requires." -- Lieutenant General (Ret.) Sir John Kiszely, author of General Hastings 'Pug' Ismay--Soldier, Statesman, Diplomat: A New Biography"Thucydides on Strategy provides a conclusive rebuttal to those who suspect modern strategists are guilty of anachronism when they claim that the classical world thought and acted strategically. Athanasios Platias and Constantinos Koliopoulos demonstrate convincingly why Thucydides belongs in a lonely triumvirate with Carl von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu as the truly essential authors of a general strategic theory both universally and eternally valid.

The wisdom in this splendid book could save our current politics from many follies. If only our politicians, civil servants, and soldiers took the time to read and understand it." -- Colin S. Gray, University of Reading.