Fighting Talk: Forty Maxims on War,
Peace, and Strategy by Colin S. Gray
A Book That Every Diplomat, General, And Political Leader Needs
Colin Gray presents an inventive treatise on the nature of strategy, war,
and peace, organized around forty maxims. This collection of mini essays
will forearm politicians, soldiers, and the attentive general public against
many—probably most— fallacies that abound in contemporary debates
about war, peace, and security. While one can never guarantee strategic
success, which depends on policy, military prowess, and the quality of the
dialogue between the two, a strategic education led by the judgments in
these maxims increases the chances that one’s errors will be small rather
than catastrophic.The maxims are grouped according to five clusters. “War
and Peace” tackles the larger issues of strategic history that drive the
demand for the services of strategic thought and practice. “Strategy”
presses further, into the realm of strategic behavior, and serves as a
bridge between the political focus of part one and the military concerns that
follow. “Military Power and Warfare” turns to the pragmatic business of
military performance: operations, tactics, and logistics. Part four, “Security

and Insecurity,” examines why strategy is important, including a discussion
of the nature, dynamic character, and functioning of world politics. Finally,
“History and the Future” is meant to help strategists better understand the
processes of historical change.
Personal Review: Fighting Talk: Forty Maxims on War, Peace,
and Strategy by Colin S. Gray
Colin Gray's "Fighting Talk" is far more than a collection of maxims. It's a
collection of 40 short, original essays each devoted to a specific aspect of
strategy. Gray combines his masterful command of classic strategic
theory (such as Thucydides, Sun Tzu and particularly Clausewitz)with
clear writing to produce a book that is full of insights for both practicing
strategists as well as students of international relations and security
studies. Gray is at his best when discussing how strategy serves as the
bridge between government policy and military action, making a convincing
argument that a sound strategy can overcome weak tactics but the best
tactics cannot correct an unsound strategy. Another of the book's strong
points is Gray's explanations of Clausewitz's more well known theories
such as the trinitarian model and friction. Gray makes these concepts
understandable to readers who may have never heard of "On War", as well
as providing insights for those who have studied the Prussian for years.
The book's one weakness (which does not affect its five star rating), is
Gray's neglect of the work of naval strategists, such as Julian Corbett.
Gray does compensate for this by overtly stating that students of strategy
who truly concentrate on the works of Thucydides, Sun Tzu and
Clausewitz will receive a thorough education in their field. There is not
much one can say to contradict this statement, beyond the fact that a
specific study of the impact of sea power on strategy can only complement
that which is learned through studying the masters recommended by Gray.
I recommend this book without reservation to students; practicing
strategists in government, business and the armed forces; and to those
members of the citizenry wanting to make sense of what they view on
CNN.
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