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Staatskunst: Nieuwe spelregels in een verdeelde wereld
Waarom liep Rusland vast in de eerste maanden van de invasie van Oekraïne? Waarom slaat Israël internationale druk over Gaza keer op keer in de wind? Waarom investeert het Verenigd Koninkrijk miljarden in vliegdekschepen die het nauwelijks kan bemannen en bevoorraden? En hoe weten kleine staten toch invloed uit te oefenen in een wereld die wordt gedomineerd door grootmachten?
We leven in een tijdperk van geopolitieke spanningen en gewelddadige conflicten zoals we die sinds de Koude Oorlog niet meer hebben gekend. Van Oekraïne tot het Midden-Oosten en de strijd om macht en invloed woedt heviger dan ooit. In Staatskunst neemt Jack Watling de lezer mee achter de gesloten deuren van machtige regeringen en in de bunkers waar veldslagen worden aangestuurd. Hij ontrafelt de verborgen logica achter deze wedloop om dominantie.
Met zijn ervaring uit conflictgebieden en als adviseur van generaals en politieke leiders analyseert Watling de cruciale keuzes waar staten voor staan, groot én klein. Van economische allianties en wereldhandel tot zeemacht en militaire Staatskunst biedt een scherpzinnig en onmisbaar raamwerk om grip te krijgen op een steeds meer verdeelde wereld.
We leven in een tijdperk van geopolitieke spanningen en gewelddadige conflicten zoals we die sinds de Koude Oorlog niet meer hebben gekend. Van Oekraïne tot het Midden-Oosten en de strijd om macht en invloed woedt heviger dan ooit. In Staatskunst neemt Jack Watling de lezer mee achter de gesloten deuren van machtige regeringen en in de bunkers waar veldslagen worden aangestuurd. Hij ontrafelt de verborgen logica achter deze wedloop om dominantie.
Met zijn ervaring uit conflictgebieden en als adviseur van generaals en politieke leiders analyseert Watling de cruciale keuzes waar staten voor staan, groot én klein. Van economische allianties en wereldhandel tot zeemacht en militaire Staatskunst biedt een scherpzinnig en onmisbaar raamwerk om grip te krijgen op een steeds meer verdeelde wereld.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2026
About the author
Jack Watling
9 books13 followersDr 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 25, 2026
Saggio interessantissimo di Jack Watling che, da una prospettiva soprattutto britannica, analizza e interpreta lo scenario internazionale attuale, andando a delineare le principali arene di confronto e gli attori (statali e non) che ne sono protagonisti. Sinceramente consigliato
May 4, 2026
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
Goes without saying that Donald Trump could benefit from reading it. Particularly chapter 3 on choke points
May 26, 2026
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.
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.
July 17, 2026
Čia yra TA knyga, kurią reikia skaityti jeigu norisi suprasti kas dedasi šių laikų politinėje erdvėje, tarpvalstybiniuose santykiuose. Nuo Ukrainos iki Taivano, nuo sankcijų iki geografinių ribojimų. Autorius pats buvęs nemažai vietų ir turi stiprių insiderio žinių apie diskusijas, kurios nevyksta viešai.
Klausiau, bet reikės parsisiųsti ir fizinę kopiją.
Klausiau, bet reikės parsisiųsti ir fizinę kopiją.
May 3, 2026
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.
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.
June 26, 2026
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.
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.
July 14, 2026
An excellent if depressing read. It paints a coherent and compelling picture of a world where no one really knows what’s going on, it’s a grand game where different “my truths” deeply influence what actually happens in nations and war and brutal murder is a natural consequence of the modern world we live in. It also has the added benefit of making you realise just how ‘not up to the task’ the current set of “leaders” we have in positions of political power.
There are some attempts at optimism, but they mostly come from an accurate diagnosis of the multi factorial problems, rather than by way of practical solutions. Food for thought.
There are some attempts at optimism, but they mostly come from an accurate diagnosis of the multi factorial problems, rather than by way of practical solutions. Food for thought.
August 8, 2026
Halfway through this book I gave up. If international affairs, political science or geopolitics is your background you’ll find very few new things here.
To be fair, there’s a lot of effort from the author in this book, the chapters are also finely organized and they make lots of sense. The book itself is worth reading, the process however is painful.
The book mixes lots of unnecessary anecdotes, burdensome detail and lengthy phrases that just make it difficult to read. I am not a native English speaker, nor am I unfamiliar with complex texts but this one really, really needs editing if they want to reach wider a wider audience.
To be fair, there’s a lot of effort from the author in this book, the chapters are also finely organized and they make lots of sense. The book itself is worth reading, the process however is painful.
The book mixes lots of unnecessary anecdotes, burdensome detail and lengthy phrases that just make it difficult to read. I am not a native English speaker, nor am I unfamiliar with complex texts but this one really, really needs editing if they want to reach wider a wider audience.
August 14, 2026
Statecraft by Jack Watling is a good book about a topic that is rarely written about: how states make decisions, as opposed to how we do as individuals. That makes the book exceptional, albeit a bit dry at times. If anyone believes the world is run by billionaires (and trillionaires), they should definitely read it to find out how completely different real statecraft is from that idea.
April 13, 2026
useful as a framework
April 14, 2026
Really interesting capture for this geopolitical moment in time.
May 17, 2026
This is the sort of thing everyone in international policy needs to read.
May 17, 2026
Great primer for understanding what’s happening in contemporary international politics. The insider-analyst narrative style would benefit from more figures/illustrations.
July 3, 2026
Scary
August 3, 2026
easy to read, themed around key modern events and from a clearly very intelligent, connected and relevant author.
Currently Reading
July 24, 2026"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."
Ukraine had good analysts, but ultimately lacked the underlying collection capability to build a proper picture."
May 5, 2026
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.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews