Edward Luttwak Livres

This illuminating book remains essential to both ancient historians and students of modern strategy.

Edward Luttwak's shocking 1968 handbook showed, step-by-step, how governments could be overthrown and inspired anti-coup precautions around the world. In addition to these instructions, his revised handbook offers a new way of looking at political power-one that considers the vulnerability of stable democracies after prolonged economic distress.

“If you want peace, prepare for war.” “A buildup of offensive weapons can be purely defensive.” “The worst road may be the best route to battle.” Strategy is made of such seemingly self-contradictory propositions, Edward Luttwak shows―they exemplify the paradoxical logic that pervades the entire realm of conflict. In this widely acclaimed work, now revised and expanded, Luttwak unveils the peculiar logic of strategy level by level, from grand strategy down to combat tactics. Having participated in its planning, Luttwak examines the role of air power in the 1991 Gulf War, then detects the emergence of “post-heroic” war in Kosovo in 1999―an American war in which not a single American soldier was killed. In the tradition of Carl von Clausewitz, Strategy goes beyond paradox to expose the dynamics of reversal at work in the crucible of conflict. As victory is turned into defeat by over-extension, as war brings peace by exhaustion, ordinary linear logic is overthrown. Citing examples from ancient Rome to our own days, from Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor down to minor combat affrays, from the strategy of peace to the latest operational methods of war, this book by one of the world’s foremost authorities reveals the ultimate logic of military failure and success, of war and peace.

Presents the grand strategy of the eastern Roman empire we know as Byzantine, which lasted more than twice as long as the more familiar western Roman empire, eight hundred years by the shortest definition.

As the rest of the world worries about what a future might look like under Chinese supremacy, Edward Luttwak worries about China’s own future prospects. Applying the logic of strategy for which he is well known, Luttwak argues that the most populous nation on Earth—and its second largest economy—may be headed for a fall. For any country whose rising strength cannot go unnoticed, the universal logic of strategy allows only military or economic growth. But China is pursuing both goals simultaneously. Its military buildup and assertive foreign policy have already stirred up resistance among its neighbors, just three of whom—India, Japan, and Vietnam—together exceed China in population and wealth. Unless China’s leaders check their own ambitions, a host of countries, which are already forming tacit military coalitions, will start to impose economic restrictions as well. Chinese leaders will find it difficult to choose between pursuing economic prosperity and increasing China’s military strength. Such a change would be hard to explain to public opinion. Moreover, Chinese leaders would have to end their reliance on ancient strategic texts such as Sun Tzu’s Art of War. While these guides might have helped in diplomatic and military conflicts within China itself, their tactics—such as deliberately provoking crises to force negotiations—turned China’s neighbors into foes. To avoid arousing the world’s enmity further, Luttwak advises, Chinese leaders would be wise to pursue a more sustainable course of economic growth combined with increasing military and diplomatic restraint.

Why is Israel's relatively small and low-budget military also the world's most innovative, technologically and logistically? Edward Luttwak and Eitan Shamir look to the IDF's unique structure: integrating army, air force, and navy in one service, under an officer class constantly refreshed by short tenures, the IDF is built for agility and change.

Kniha Státní převrat. Praktická příručka, poprvé vydaná v roce 1968, šokovala čtenáře podrobným návodem na svržení vlády. Autoritářské režimy reagovaly zavedením preventivních opatření proti popisovaným strategiím. V roce 2016 autor vydal aktualizovanou verzi pro 21. století, která zkoumá zranitelnost stabilních demokracií během dlouhých ekonomických krizí. I když se svět dramaticky změnil, podstata státního převratu zůstává stejná. Autor provádí čtenáře fázemi puče, od plánování po sliby stability po převratu. Klíčovým krokem je nábor vojenských důstojníků, kteří povedou loajální jednotky, jež musí rychle obsadit vládní úřady a strategická místa v hlavním městě. Podpora armády je nezbytná k zamezení kontrarevoluce, zatímco masová podpora obyvatel není podmínkou; stačí pasivní přijetí. Ideální převrat je rychlý a bez krveprolití, zatímco krvavé pokusy obvykle selhávají a vedou k občanským válkám. Kniha analyzuje vojenské, sociální a kulturní podmínky pro úspěšné puče a stala se klasikou v politologii. Nová předmluva autora v českém vydání reflektuje jeho vzpomínky na invazi okupačních vojsk do Československa v roce 1968.