History:  Discussions about Clausewitz On War This lecture introduces you to Carl von Clausewitz, who might be the most influential modern master of war. His key ideas—the paradoxical trinity, assessing the international context, striking the enemy’s center of gravity, and the principle of continuity—make Clausewitz the “master’s master” and provide the basis for modern military […]

History:  Discussions about Alfred Thayer Mahan Meet the first of this course’s naval masters of war. Impressed by the audacity of Lord Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar, Mahan’s grand naval strategy was that a concentrated fleet and a global network of naval bases were the keys to naval dominance, which, in turn, would lead […]

History:  Discussions about Alfred Thayer Mahan Meet the first of this course’s naval masters of war. Impressed by the audacity of Lord Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar, Mahan’s grand naval strategy was that a concentrated fleet and a global network of naval bases were the keys to naval dominance, which, in turn, would lead […]

History:  Discussions about Sir Julian Corbett Building on lessons from Clausewitz and Mahan, Sir Julian Corbett offered a complete strategy that integrated land and sea operations. You’ll study his text, Some Principles of Maritime Strategy, and see how his principles played out in Wellington’s Iberian campaign and in the Russo-Japanese War. Movie: “Platoon” Platoon is a […]

History:  Discussions about Sir Julian Corbett Building on lessons from Clausewitz and Mahan, Sir Julian Corbett offered a complete strategy that integrated land and sea operations. You’ll study his text, Some Principles of Maritime Strategy, and see how his principles played out in Wellington’s Iberian campaign and in the Russo-Japanese War. Movie: “Platoon” Platoon is a […]

History: Sun Tzu through Time After charting Sun Tzu’s historical importance throughout Chinese history, in feudal and modern Japan, and in the modern West, discussion demonstrates Sun Tzu’s strategy of deception in action by taking you inside Operation Fortitude, a critical component of the Allied invasion of Normandy as well as Sun Tzu’s focus on […]

History: Sun Tzu through Time After charting Sun Tzu’s historical importance throughout Chinese history, in feudal and modern Japan, and in the modern West, discussion demonstrates Sun Tzu’s strategy of deception in action by taking you inside Operation Fortitude, a critical component of the Allied invasion of Normandy as well as Sun Tzu’s focus on […]

The Gulf of Tonkin and a Crossroads A look at pre-cursors to War from the Gulf of Tonkin incident to Rolling Thunder; we explore the ways in which escalating tensions on the ground in Vietnam and domestic political considerations in the United States led to more costly confrontations on the Indochinese Peninsula. Examine how the […]

The Gulf of Tonkin and a Crossroads A look at pre-cursors to War from the Gulf of Tonkin incident to Rolling Thunder; we explore the ways in which escalating tensions on the ground in Vietnam and domestic political considerations in the United States led to more costly confrontations on the Indochinese Peninsula. Examine how the […]