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Making Sense of War #1
ABOUT WAR: Making Sense of War
War, like death and taxes, seems eternal but is it inevitable ? Do nations simply blunder into it? What is victory and how is it achieved? The author of this original and lively study answers these and other perennial questions about War and Warfare (not the same thing) that scholars often ignore. Pike explains how strategy fuses objectives and action, how war leaders invariably (and literally) lose the plot; how the relationship between generals and politicians is key. He looks at nuclear war and provides some provocative insights; he argues that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) – while a hideous concept – provides strategic stability. He also highlights the absurdity and folly of past wars – football wars, wars about pigs or ears – but stresses that wars, a last resort once diplomacy has failed, are lost by those blinded by hubris, irresolution or simple strategic confusion. This is the first volume in a trilogy ‘Making Sense of War’. ‘War in Context’ will be published in the spring/summer of 2022. 'Both learned and a joy to read, Pike synthesises 2,000 years of scholarship and cuts through the fog of war and history.’ A ntony Bird (writer and historian)
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Published January 10, 2022
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April 30, 2025
" [...] The primary duty of a modern state is the security of its citizens. [...]"
I reached for Christopher K Pike's book titled "About war" because of its description and cover. The author tried to explain in an accessible way what war is and what significance it has and had in the present and past times. We can learn about its 12 aspects. In short, he discusses wars that have already ended and which, unfortunately, are still ongoing. Thanks to this book, I learned about stupid and accidental wars.
Have you ever wondered why wars break out? Who is really behind them?
Thanks to the author, I learned, among other things, three political dimensions of war. These are:
- relations between states (international relations)
- relations between states and other political entities (intergovernmental bodies such as the UN, EU and NATO)
- the state and its own political organism
If you are really interested in history and military, want to learn what war looks like from the backstage and don't like thick books, then feel free to reach for Christopher K Pike's work titled "About war".
Here you will find black and white photos and illustrations. I think it is a great idea. The photos and illustrations give this book an even better character and emphasize its content. You could say that they enrich it.
I will say right away, because there is no hiding the fact that this is not a book for every reader. If you are not interested in wars, conflicts, politics and military, then do not reach for it. It is a waste of your time.
I found a lot of useful information here. I will gladly reach for the second volume.
"About war" by Christopher K Pike is the first volume in the "Making Sense of War" series. This is not an easy book, because the topic is not simple. Everyone has a different perspective on war. In my opinion, war and armed conflicts make no sense and are unnecessary. Civilians die in them and infrastructure is needlessly destroyed. I don't have to look far for an example of such a war. What is happening in Ukraine because of Russia is pure hell for me. A lot of people have died and are still dying, and some cities have been completely destroyed. And all this, to satisfy the whims and sick ideas of one tyrant and war criminal - Vladimir Putin. The world will not forgive him for this. Sooner or later he will have to pay for it. It's a pity that the world is doing so little in this matter. I secretly hope that Putin will come to his senses and give back what he illegally stole. I hope that the President of the United States will open his eyes and see who is the invader and who is really the victim in this war.
In my opinion, it is worth reaching for the book by Christopher K. Pike titled "About war". I was not bored while reading it. It intrigued me greatly, and I will gladly deepen my knowledge about war and its significance in the present times.
Are we militarily prepared for war? From what I see, politicians unfortunately overslept. They woke up with their hands in the chamber pot. Do we have enough time to fix / catch up? Will NATO be able to defend its members in the event of a large-scale war? Can Putin be stopped? It is safe to say that if the war in Ukraine had not broken out, the world would have stood still and forgotten about its armament. And yet, it has been known for a long time that peace is not given once and for all. There has been and still is no shortage of madmen in the world. One of them is Putin.
I encourage you to read the book by Christopher K. Pike entitled "About war". It was published in 2022, so the author did not have the awareness that we have. It is 2025 - the war in Ukraine caused by Putin is still going on. Will anyone stop this tyrant?
I reached for Christopher K Pike's book titled "About war" because of its description and cover. The author tried to explain in an accessible way what war is and what significance it has and had in the present and past times. We can learn about its 12 aspects. In short, he discusses wars that have already ended and which, unfortunately, are still ongoing. Thanks to this book, I learned about stupid and accidental wars.
Have you ever wondered why wars break out? Who is really behind them?
Thanks to the author, I learned, among other things, three political dimensions of war. These are:
- relations between states (international relations)
- relations between states and other political entities (intergovernmental bodies such as the UN, EU and NATO)
- the state and its own political organism
If you are really interested in history and military, want to learn what war looks like from the backstage and don't like thick books, then feel free to reach for Christopher K Pike's work titled "About war".
Here you will find black and white photos and illustrations. I think it is a great idea. The photos and illustrations give this book an even better character and emphasize its content. You could say that they enrich it.
I will say right away, because there is no hiding the fact that this is not a book for every reader. If you are not interested in wars, conflicts, politics and military, then do not reach for it. It is a waste of your time.
I found a lot of useful information here. I will gladly reach for the second volume.
"About war" by Christopher K Pike is the first volume in the "Making Sense of War" series. This is not an easy book, because the topic is not simple. Everyone has a different perspective on war. In my opinion, war and armed conflicts make no sense and are unnecessary. Civilians die in them and infrastructure is needlessly destroyed. I don't have to look far for an example of such a war. What is happening in Ukraine because of Russia is pure hell for me. A lot of people have died and are still dying, and some cities have been completely destroyed. And all this, to satisfy the whims and sick ideas of one tyrant and war criminal - Vladimir Putin. The world will not forgive him for this. Sooner or later he will have to pay for it. It's a pity that the world is doing so little in this matter. I secretly hope that Putin will come to his senses and give back what he illegally stole. I hope that the President of the United States will open his eyes and see who is the invader and who is really the victim in this war.
In my opinion, it is worth reaching for the book by Christopher K. Pike titled "About war". I was not bored while reading it. It intrigued me greatly, and I will gladly deepen my knowledge about war and its significance in the present times.
Are we militarily prepared for war? From what I see, politicians unfortunately overslept. They woke up with their hands in the chamber pot. Do we have enough time to fix / catch up? Will NATO be able to defend its members in the event of a large-scale war? Can Putin be stopped? It is safe to say that if the war in Ukraine had not broken out, the world would have stood still and forgotten about its armament. And yet, it has been known for a long time that peace is not given once and for all. There has been and still is no shortage of madmen in the world. One of them is Putin.
I encourage you to read the book by Christopher K. Pike entitled "About war". It was published in 2022, so the author did not have the awareness that we have. It is 2025 - the war in Ukraine caused by Putin is still going on. Will anyone stop this tyrant?
April 14, 2025
War is a paradox and a war is a scandal and regardless of what you think about War, how long or how often you pray or wish for world peace, the reality of the situation is that world peace is a fleeting thing, whereas War has been around since humans first walked this earth and is showing no signs at all of departing any time soon.
In this fascinating look at War from Christopher K Pine, About War, he has, as have others before him, set down the interpretation of what is defined as War and what is also and perhaps more accurately, Warfare or the art of waging War.
It is considered that war has no origin, it simply is a fact that men have waged war over almost anything, from land, to football, even stray dogs; in academic circles it is also considered as an activity that is ’mankind’s greatest experiment’.
So why then do men wage warfare against one another? The Americans summed it up rather neatly by coining the description ’blood and treasure’, but surely there has to be politics and ego at the core of the matter, as well as in several instance a dash of madness, as could be viewed in The Football War between El Salvador and Honduras in 1961 with around 3,000 casualties.
Pike traces the intriguing history of war to modern times with the establishment of NATO, the United Nations and various other government and non-government agencies, after the global devastation wrought during World War II, to try and prevent the outbreak of such wholesale devastation occurring again.
But as history tells, war has continued and at the time of writing, war was being waged in Syria and the Ukraine, as well as parts Africa in the long, long list since the cessation of hostilities in 1946.
Perhaps the release of About War is timely, as the re-election of Donald Trump for his second term in office sees the United States of America on a pathway to isolation, to withdrawing from all the established means of achieving what passes for peace in the modern world, and will help people understand the real issues that lie at the heart of waging warfare in the modern world.
About War is a timely read that is both informative and fascinating as it paints an excellent picture of what motivates governments to spend millions to send men, women and machinery to war, with the winner, if there is one!
In this fascinating look at War from Christopher K Pine, About War, he has, as have others before him, set down the interpretation of what is defined as War and what is also and perhaps more accurately, Warfare or the art of waging War.
It is considered that war has no origin, it simply is a fact that men have waged war over almost anything, from land, to football, even stray dogs; in academic circles it is also considered as an activity that is ’mankind’s greatest experiment’.
So why then do men wage warfare against one another? The Americans summed it up rather neatly by coining the description ’blood and treasure’, but surely there has to be politics and ego at the core of the matter, as well as in several instance a dash of madness, as could be viewed in The Football War between El Salvador and Honduras in 1961 with around 3,000 casualties.
Pike traces the intriguing history of war to modern times with the establishment of NATO, the United Nations and various other government and non-government agencies, after the global devastation wrought during World War II, to try and prevent the outbreak of such wholesale devastation occurring again.
But as history tells, war has continued and at the time of writing, war was being waged in Syria and the Ukraine, as well as parts Africa in the long, long list since the cessation of hostilities in 1946.
Perhaps the release of About War is timely, as the re-election of Donald Trump for his second term in office sees the United States of America on a pathway to isolation, to withdrawing from all the established means of achieving what passes for peace in the modern world, and will help people understand the real issues that lie at the heart of waging warfare in the modern world.
About War is a timely read that is both informative and fascinating as it paints an excellent picture of what motivates governments to spend millions to send men, women and machinery to war, with the winner, if there is one!
April 23, 2025
About War is an interesting and informative start to a series by Christopher Pike that looks into what is war and the difference between war, the political motivation and action to warfare the actual act of fighting. Being someone who is completely against conflict (an incredibly idealist view I know) I was worried this book would be difficult to read. I will say that while there is a lot of information on conflict and wars that way Pike writes is so engaging that you can easily keep reading.
Pike takes us on a journey through the history of war and warfare covering well know topics such as the formation of NATO to the perhaps lesser known events such as The Football war between El Salvador and Honduras. The release of this series is also something that should be considered, particularly when the world stage is particularly volatile with the re-election of the reckless Donald Trump as Americas president it is clear to see the signs of potential conflict already arising.
From both an historical and sociological perspective this book is incredibly interesting, well researched and most importantly well written. Accessible to those who are ardent academics or have merely a passing interest or even someone who wants to branch out into a new topic or interest. I will certainly be getting the other books in this series. While war and warfare will never fully be understood by some it is clear that the factors behind what causes war remains the same.
As always thank you to Literally PR for the copy to review. My review is always honest, truthful and freely given.
Pike takes us on a journey through the history of war and warfare covering well know topics such as the formation of NATO to the perhaps lesser known events such as The Football war between El Salvador and Honduras. The release of this series is also something that should be considered, particularly when the world stage is particularly volatile with the re-election of the reckless Donald Trump as Americas president it is clear to see the signs of potential conflict already arising.
From both an historical and sociological perspective this book is incredibly interesting, well researched and most importantly well written. Accessible to those who are ardent academics or have merely a passing interest or even someone who wants to branch out into a new topic or interest. I will certainly be getting the other books in this series. While war and warfare will never fully be understood by some it is clear that the factors behind what causes war remains the same.
As always thank you to Literally PR for the copy to review. My review is always honest, truthful and freely given.
April 29, 2025
This was such a different read for me as I haven't read nonficiton for quite a while, especially not critical reads. About was is an examination of the How's and the whys of war, causation and analysis of particular conflicts. It looked at political issues, technology, civil issues and explore ld the different ideas around war. I thought this was extremely well detailed and interesting. It did build on ideas that I learnt back at university, and explored ones that I didn't consider before. I did like that the author added a lot of detail about certain conflicts - it is often that critical works assume you know about the topic already, but About War explained the terminology and the events very well. It did give me a lot to think about, especially the chapter on Politics and how world leaders are the driving force behind wars and ideals more times than the common people seem to be.
I think this would work well in a 6th form setting to support learning in politics and history, and potentially could be used in the EPQ, which is where this book will be shelved in my library. Overall, an extremely useful and important text for a complex topic, well written and interesting.
Thank you @literallypr for sending the book for me to review!
I think this would work well in a 6th form setting to support learning in politics and history, and potentially could be used in the EPQ, which is where this book will be shelved in my library. Overall, an extremely useful and important text for a complex topic, well written and interesting.
Thank you @literallypr for sending the book for me to review!
April 30, 2025
A Thought-Provoking and Insightful Read
About War by Christopher K. Pike is an engaging and well-researched exploration of the causes, consequences, and psychology behind warfare. Pike delves deeply into why wars are fought, ranging from noble causes to surprisingly trivial matters, such as "The Accidental Wars" or "Silly Wars", —highlighting the complex mentality of individuals, especially those in positions of power.
One of the book’s strengths is its ability to connect historical events with modern-day conflicts. The section on NATO’s formation, for example, offers valuable insight into how alliances have shaped global dynamics. Pike also raises a compelling point: while we haven’t experienced a "great war" since 1945, we are currently facing multiple ongoing conflicts. This prompts the question—are wars truly declining or simply changing form?
Overall, this is a fascinating and relevant read for anyone interested in history, politics, or human behaviour. Pike’s analysis is both accessible and thought-provoking, making it a strong recommendation for students and enthusiasts alike.
@LiterallyPR @Christopherkpike
About War by Christopher K. Pike is an engaging and well-researched exploration of the causes, consequences, and psychology behind warfare. Pike delves deeply into why wars are fought, ranging from noble causes to surprisingly trivial matters, such as "The Accidental Wars" or "Silly Wars", —highlighting the complex mentality of individuals, especially those in positions of power.
One of the book’s strengths is its ability to connect historical events with modern-day conflicts. The section on NATO’s formation, for example, offers valuable insight into how alliances have shaped global dynamics. Pike also raises a compelling point: while we haven’t experienced a "great war" since 1945, we are currently facing multiple ongoing conflicts. This prompts the question—are wars truly declining or simply changing form?
Overall, this is a fascinating and relevant read for anyone interested in history, politics, or human behaviour. Pike’s analysis is both accessible and thought-provoking, making it a strong recommendation for students and enthusiasts alike.
@LiterallyPR @Christopherkpike
May 11, 2025
What a fascinating and intensively researched book About War is. Wow. Full of interesting, and sometimes almost unbelievable, wars, I found that I just couldn't put this book down. Which happens a lot with fiction, less so with non- fiction. There were plenty of pictures too which broke up the text nicely.
Despite being UK based (and, I presume, British) Christopher doesn't blame other countries for wars 'we' have been involved in, or make out that we are always the glorious victors.
About War is broken down into concise and separate chapters. I think it would be possible, if you were so inclined, to just read some of them if you wanted to learn s particular thing. I, however, read the book in order from start to finish. And in doing so, I learnt a lot! I realised that there is lots of war adjacent terminology that I only have a basic understanding of. I sort of knew what NATO is, but not much about how it came about. This book delved into the history of such organisations which I found thoroughly interesting.
Despite being about war, Christopher has done an excellent job of not using a ton of military jargon which can make a book incomprehensible to many people. It is my understanding that there are more books in this series, and I'm keen to read them at some point. Perhaps if those in charge made an effort to understand war, peace might become more possible!
Despite being UK based (and, I presume, British) Christopher doesn't blame other countries for wars 'we' have been involved in, or make out that we are always the glorious victors.
About War is broken down into concise and separate chapters. I think it would be possible, if you were so inclined, to just read some of them if you wanted to learn s particular thing. I, however, read the book in order from start to finish. And in doing so, I learnt a lot! I realised that there is lots of war adjacent terminology that I only have a basic understanding of. I sort of knew what NATO is, but not much about how it came about. This book delved into the history of such organisations which I found thoroughly interesting.
Despite being about war, Christopher has done an excellent job of not using a ton of military jargon which can make a book incomprehensible to many people. It is my understanding that there are more books in this series, and I'm keen to read them at some point. Perhaps if those in charge made an effort to understand war, peace might become more possible!
April 25, 2025
About War by Christopher K Pike is an interesting, informative examination of the folly and phenomenon of war.
It's a concise, comprehensive, approachable read, by an author who quite clearly is an expert on his subject.
The author takes a look at the historical and sociological aspects of war, from what war is, political aspects, to the nuclear and human to the ramifications of war, among others.
If you're interested in history and or war, you must pick this up.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
It's a concise, comprehensive, approachable read, by an author who quite clearly is an expert on his subject.
The author takes a look at the historical and sociological aspects of war, from what war is, political aspects, to the nuclear and human to the ramifications of war, among others.
If you're interested in history and or war, you must pick this up.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
May 1, 2025
It’s definitely been a long time since ive read a non fiction book but this one definitely encouraged me to read more! The first one in a series and was definitely not something id usually read however I enjoyed it a lot Ive also now passed it on to my grandad as well to read. The book outlines what war is different aspects of war as well as the historical and sociological aspects If you’re interested in history and war would recommend.
April 28, 2025
Definitely a good read if you are interested in more than just text book history lessons. Why does war happen? A tale as old as time but can we understand the causes and consequences?
April 28, 2025
Christopher K. Pike's "About War" is an intriguing blend of analysis and reflection on the nature of warfare, making it both fascinating and melancholic. In this first installment of the "Making Sense of War" trilogy, Pike tackles crucial questions surrounding the inevitability of war, the complexities of victory, and the often-blundering paths nations take toward conflict.
His exploration of strategy reveals how crucial the alignment of objectives and actions is, emphasising the fraught relationship between military leaders and politicians. Pike's insights into nuclear warfare and the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) offer a thought-provoking perspective on strategic stability amid horror.
Additionally, he examines the absurdity of historical conflicts - wars fought over trivial matters - and underscores that true failures in war often stem from confusion rather than mere mistakes. With its synthesis of 2,000 years of scholarship, this book not only illuminates the complexities of war but also remains an engaging read, making it a worthwhile addition for anyone interested in military history.
I am excited to read the next installment which is called War in Context!
His exploration of strategy reveals how crucial the alignment of objectives and actions is, emphasising the fraught relationship between military leaders and politicians. Pike's insights into nuclear warfare and the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) offer a thought-provoking perspective on strategic stability amid horror.
Additionally, he examines the absurdity of historical conflicts - wars fought over trivial matters - and underscores that true failures in war often stem from confusion rather than mere mistakes. With its synthesis of 2,000 years of scholarship, this book not only illuminates the complexities of war but also remains an engaging read, making it a worthwhile addition for anyone interested in military history.
I am excited to read the next installment which is called War in Context!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews