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Narrative War: The Philosophy of Social Conflict
Synopsis:
Narrative War was born out of the author’s experiences dealing with 9/11, serving within and
with Arab armies, and planning for the Battle of Mosul to defeat ISIS.
This book is almost twenty-five years in the making, with ten years dedicated to thinking, planning, teaching, speaking, and advocating for a new approach to war—narrative war—against groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.
The events of 2020 and 2024 in the form of elections, COVID-19, protests and marches, and violent actions against government events and buildings, led the author to understand that narrative war is more than military war; it is a philosophy that explains all forms of social conflict.
The big ideas, basic strategy, and critical questions necessary for understanding, conducting, and ideally winning narrative war are part of what is inside. The book also provides a philosophical understanding of narrative war ideas and concepts using multiple examples of its conduct in the real world.
About the
Lieutenant Colonel Brian L. Steed (Retired) served more than twenty-eight years in the U.S. Army including as an exchange officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, and as a liaison officer with the Israel Defense Forces, giving him experiences on both banks of the Jordan River. He served in Iraq, worked in Embassy Abu Dhabi, and traveled throughout the Middle East and North Africa. He has authored and edited nine books dealing with cross-cultural influence and Middle East conflict and history. He earned his Ph.D. in political science and history from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, is an associate professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and a senior fellow with Narrative Strategies.
Narrative War was born out of the author’s experiences dealing with 9/11, serving within and
with Arab armies, and planning for the Battle of Mosul to defeat ISIS.
This book is almost twenty-five years in the making, with ten years dedicated to thinking, planning, teaching, speaking, and advocating for a new approach to war—narrative war—against groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.
The events of 2020 and 2024 in the form of elections, COVID-19, protests and marches, and violent actions against government events and buildings, led the author to understand that narrative war is more than military war; it is a philosophy that explains all forms of social conflict.
The big ideas, basic strategy, and critical questions necessary for understanding, conducting, and ideally winning narrative war are part of what is inside. The book also provides a philosophical understanding of narrative war ideas and concepts using multiple examples of its conduct in the real world.
About the
Lieutenant Colonel Brian L. Steed (Retired) served more than twenty-eight years in the U.S. Army including as an exchange officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, and as a liaison officer with the Israel Defense Forces, giving him experiences on both banks of the Jordan River. He served in Iraq, worked in Embassy Abu Dhabi, and traveled throughout the Middle East and North Africa. He has authored and edited nine books dealing with cross-cultural influence and Middle East conflict and history. He earned his Ph.D. in political science and history from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, is an associate professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and a senior fellow with Narrative Strategies.
721 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 26, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 28, 2025
Narrative War challenges how military professionals think about conflict. The author, my former history professor, argues that today’s wars aim for exhaustion, not annihilation. Every action feeds the narrative. Shaping that space is the decisive operation.
Reading it takes focus (the writing is dense) but the insight is clear. It’s not just theory. It’s a guide to the fight we’re already in.
Reading it takes focus (the writing is dense) but the insight is clear. It’s not just theory. It’s a guide to the fight we’re already in.
Displaying 1 of 1 review