Conflict

The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine

By: David Petraeus, Andrew Roberts

Narrated by: David Petraeus, Robert Fass

Two leading authorities—an acclaimed historian and the outstanding battlefield commander and strategist of our time—collaborate on a landmark examination of war since 1945. Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past—and anticipate in the future—in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world.

In this deep and incisive study, General David Petraeus, who commanded the US-led coalitions in both Iraq, during the Surge, and Afghanistan and former CIA director, and the prize-winning historian Andrew Roberts, explore over 70 years of conflict, drawing significant lessons and insights from their fresh analysis of the past. Drawing on their different perspectives and areas of expertise, Petraeus and Roberts show how often critical mistakes have been repeated time and again, and the challenge, for statesmen and generals alike, of learning to adapt to various new weapon systems, theories and strategies. Among the conflicts examined are the Arab-Israeli wars, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the two Gulf Wars, the Balkan wars in the former Yugoslavia, and both the Soviet and Coalition wars in Afghanistan, as well as guerilla conflicts in Africa and South America. Conflict culminates with a bracing look at Putin’s disastrous invasion of Ukraine, yet another case study in the tragic results when leaders refuse to learn from history, and an assessment of the nature of future warfare. Filled with sharp insight and the wisdom of experience, Conflict is not only a critical assessment of our recent past, but also an essential primer of modern warfare that provides crucial knowledge for waging battle today as well as for understanding what the decades ahead will bring.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 David Petraeus and Andrew Roberts (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Timely and relevant

The views ascribed clearly show the successes and failures of strategic civilian and military leaders in modern war. I imagine this will be a mainstay of reading at our war colleges.

Outstanding!

This is a very informative, well-written, and highly engaging book about war. Unlike many books on war, this was written and narrated by people who have experienced it firsthand. For me, this made it a lot more captivating and realistic. The readers kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.

I learned a lot about history and the nuances of these conflicts. I was, however, shocked by the types of torture used in war and the types of bombs currently being used in Ukraine. These were nonetheless necessary parts of this story. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing what really happens in war and world conflicts.

Very Informative

This is a great study of warfare throughout history. I was afraid that this would be a long and difficult story to stay with but I was pleasantly surprised. The story and chapters flow very well which is essential for this type of work.

Easy to digest summary of modern wars.

This was enjoyable and easy to understand. The pacing got a little off when recounting the recent Iraq conflicts but overall a good listen.

Experience of writers

War on a first hand level.
Great read if you like the subject.
war today and tomorrow will be difficult to accomadate.

I appreciate the analysis of the various aspects of conflicts past and present.

N/A. Thank you. I do not wish to add additional content. Let’s not make this harder.

The Story of My Life

As a member of the United States Military for the last thirty years this book framed my career and allowed me to see that I am not alone with some of my assumptions. General Petraeus and Dr. Roberts have collectively addressed may of the conflicts that have shaped my career and listening to this book provided a framework for me to judge the impact that I may have had on many of these events. Thanks for the road map. In addition, this book also allows the reader to develop an image of the future of combat operations in the future and to question if we have the capacity and the will to win the next one.

Required reading

This book is should be on the reading list of both armchair generals and the professionals. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical references and the current Ukrainian war report is both frightening and informative.

The length and depth of the narrative

I liked the entire narrative, but at times found the story confusing and difficult to follow.

Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it

The memes about conflict in the 20th century were mostly wrong and I didn't know it. We won 2 "Vietnams" before Vietnam, and could have won Vietnam with competent leadership. We almost lost Korea. Tge initial Iraq war commander made 1 very dumb decision 4 weeks in that took 6 years of fighting to fix. Amazing, readable history!