Statecraft: The essential read to understand our world - as featured on The Rest is Politics

by Jack Watling

'Indispensable – brilliantly grounded in first-hand experience and telling detail. Compelling' – Rory Stewart, bestselling author of Politics on the Edge

From top defence analyst Jack Watling, Statecraft reveals how states collaborate, compete and fight in this era of global turmoil.

Why did Russia struggle in the early months of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine?
Why does Israel ignore international pressure on Gaza?
Why does the UK spend billions on aircraft carriers that it struggles to support at sea?
How do smaller states shape world events when dwarfed by superpowers?

The world today is gripped by conflict. Whether in Ukraine, the Middle East or Taiwan, we are in a period of intense power competition. In Statecraft, Dr Jack Watling takes you behind the scenes to meet the world’s powerbrokers in their wood-panelled offices, and the bunkers from which battles are coordinated.

With a career spent on the ground in conflict zones, and advising generals and political leaders, Watling examines the dilemmas that states face to get ahead, no matter their size. From economic alliances and global trade to sea power and military technology, Statecraft provides a powerful new lens to understand geopolitics in a divided world.

‘Anyone interested in geopolitics should read it’ – Anne Applebaum, bestselling author of Autocracy, Inc

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Ukraine

391 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2026

About the author

Dr Jack Watling is Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute. Jack works closely with the British military on the development of concepts of operation, assessments of the future operating environment, and conducts operational analysis of contemporary conflicts.

Jack is the author of The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty First Century. Jack's PhD examined the evolution of Britain’s policy responses to civil war in the early twentieth century. He has worked extensively with the Ukrainian Armed Forces during Russia's full-scale invasion, across NATO, and in Iraq, Mali, Rwanda, on Yemen and further afield.

Reviews

[Fraser Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, mostly interesting on recent events and attempts to provide a bit of insider knowledge. Just not always the most entertaining listen.

Goes without saying that Donald Trump could benefit from reading it. Particularly chapter 3 on choke points

[Michael Shevlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diplomacy and geopolitics for the Man on the Clapham Omnibus.

This is really interesting stuff. Some of the chapters are amazing, and one feels as if one needs a highlighter pen at hand to cement some of the points in one's mind. This is sometimes dense stuff, but the author has a light touch, so it keeps you invested in the idea of it. Some of the sections I found really insightful were Insight, Choke Points and Values.

The book is very quotable. I liked the idea that 'Reality has no plot, no timeline or sense of drama.' I liked the passage IIRC 'History is a terrible teacher, who beats you over the head with hindsight at every opportunity.'

Donald should read this book. But that would necessitate him having to read something longer than a McDonalds menu.

[Cold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers diverse intl conflicts (Ukraine, Mali, Iraq, Yemen etc), but with the aim of understanding Western foreign policy. Instead of organising the book by conflict, the chapters focus on individual aspects of statecraft like dependence, choke points, values etc. This allows Watling to draw on a diverse lens on an issue (military, economic, diplomatic etc).

Watling's point is that the policy establishment fails at strategic thinking and implementation. Instead they veer from one crisis to the next, investing resources after outcomes are largely decided. Strategic reviews are diluted down by inter-governmental processes. He thinks leaders need to re-orient towards statecraft in order to positively influence the world.

I thought this was an unusual book, but it worked. The details on each conflict weren't lost in the ambition of the book, possibly because of Watling's background in journalism. It also illustrates the theories very well as they're discussed with regards to 5 different conflicts.

That said, the following didn't work for me:
- It was sometimes hard to follow exactly what happened in the less well known conflicts when they were last discussed 5 chapters ago. It mostly did a good job of providing the necessary context at the time of writing, but occasionally I lost the thread.
- Although the analysis is compelling, it's hard to see how it can be applied to actually shape strategy. It's hard to know which lens is important at any point in time. To put it in scientific language, the framework has too many free variables.

Still, I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in foreign affairs.

[Sudhagar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting deep dive into geopolitics especially about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. I was apprehensive reading the book after seeing the notorious Anne Applebaum's wholesome praise of it. However I was pleasantly surprised the balanced approach that eschews the typical activist analysis that takes a black or white perspective.

Need to be cognizant that the writer is well connected looking at his access to people and information. He analysis is balanced and facts based. However, it still fall short as he somehow misses some key events / facts about the Russia Ukraine war. Not sure it was intentional or due to being fed false information or a honest oversight.

Nevertheless a well written and deeply researched work that provides the layman great insights into some of the hottest geopolitical issues today.

[Isa]

"Another factor in Ukraine's assessment of the situation was that the Russian troops themselves appeared unprepared for an invasion. ..it was cold and dark, and the soldiers spent a lot of time on mobile phones chatting with friends, with family, on dating apps and recording and filming one another. This large body of unencrypted traffic was surveyed and analysed by Ukrainian agencies..
Ukraine had good analysts, but ultimately lacked the underlying collection capability to build a proper picture."

[Kathy McMullan · Rating 5 out of 5]

useful as a framework

[Agnes Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting capture for this geopolitical moment in time.

[❀ Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sort of thing everyone in international policy needs to read.

[Equilibrium · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer for understanding what’s happening in contemporary international politics. The insider-analyst narrative style would benefit from more figures/illustrations.

[Mairead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scary

[BA Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful, clearly presented, skilled analysis - a timely book that should be read by everyone, most especially those in positions of power in their countries. Be forewarned if you have little power to change world events, as this book will terrify. Read it anyway - it's that informative and that well written. It helps make sense of current geopolitical situations. And this book may inspire one to take steps to change things for a better future.