How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

by Thucydides, Johanna Hanink (Translator)

An accessible modern translation of essential speeches from Thucydides's History that takes readers to the heart of his profound insights on diplomacy, foreign policy, and war

Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of people and countries in times of crisis. How to Think about War presents the most influential and compelling of these speeches in an elegant new translation by classicist Johanna Hanink, accompanied by an enlightening introduction, informative headnotes, and the original Greek on facing pages. The result is an ideally accessible introduction to Thucydides's long and challenging History.

Thucydides intended his account of the clash between classical Greece's mightiest powers--Athens and Sparta--to be a "possession for all time." Today, it remains a foundational work for the study not only of ancient history but also contemporary politics and international relations. How to Think about War features speeches that have earned the History its celebrated status--all of those delivered before the Athenian Assembly, as well as Pericles's funeral oration and the notoriously ruthless "Melian Dialogue." Organized by key debates, these complex speeches reveal the recklessness, cruelty, and realpolitik of Athenian warfighting and imperialism.

The first English-language collection of speeches from Thucydides in nearly half a century, How to Think about War takes readers straight to the heart of this timeless thinker.

Genres: History, Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, Classics, War, Military Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2019

About the author

Thucydides (c. 460 B.C. – c. 400 B.C.) (Greek Θουκυδίδης ) was an Athenian historian and general. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of "scientific history" by those who accept his claims to have applied strict standards of impartiality and evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect, without reference to intervention by the gods, as outlined in his introduction to his work.
He also has been called the father of the school of political realism, which views the political behavior of individuals and the subsequent outcomes of relations between states as ultimately mediated by, and constructed upon, fear and self-interest. His text is still studied at universities and military colleges worldwide. The Melian dialogue is regarded as a seminal text of international relations theory, while his version of Pericles' Funeral Oration is widely studied by political theorists, historians, and students of the classics.
More generally, Thucydides developed an understanding of human nature to explain behavior in such crises as plagues, massacres, and wars.

Reviews

[persephone ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alcibiades should rhyme with "absolute recklessness and egocentrism combined" because dear Gods does he deserve it, and I am sure every Athenian would agree after the utter mess he created

[Miebara Jato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this concise and insightful book. An abridged version of Thucydides's Peloponnesian War. It covers the unsuccessful negotiations between Athens and Sparta, and also the important speeches that preceded the war. The key questions the book answered includes: Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right?

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Being turned on is a feminine trait… Men should constantly be thinking about WARRR!!!!!”

[Scipio Africanus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of ancient but timeless speeches on war, politics, and foreign policy.

Highly recommend you have whiskey and cigars on hand to take these in. Also recommend listening to the audiobook for full effect. Speeches should be listened to not read.

[Jacopo Quercia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Anyone who maintains that we have nothing useful to learn from listening to speeches either lacks sense or has a secret agenda at stake." This is one of many pearls from Johanna Hanink's fantastic translation of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, and it reads just as relevant today as when it was written twenty-five centuries ago.

'How to Think About War' is a collection of six speeches from Thucydides' History that cover a wide range of Ancient Greek foreign policy, among them the decision to go to war, alliances, peace talks, whether or not to show mercy, changes in public opinion, the economic and emotional costs of war, and many others. The book comes with an excellent introduction that prepares readers for the text and its influence on contemporary US foreign policy—particularly Thucydides' popularity within the neoconservative moment—and each chapter opens with a brief but thorough summary that frames each passage within its historical context. I found these primers particularly interesting when reading rousing speeches for wars that ultimately ended unfavorably for the Athenians, which I imagine should give any American reader an uncomfortably sense of familiarity.

The result is a philosophical text easily accessible to any reader, be they students of history, politics, philosophy, Ancient Greek (the book is bilingual), or current events. Thucydides' History also provides a provocative glimpse into human behavior just as important to know outside the classroom, as demonstrated in the headlines dominating our news every day. This text is ultimately a case study on the power of speeches on a warlike population, and if the George W. Bush administration didn't demonstrate this enough for our century, I am hopeful the present administration will make it clear to all.

I most highly recommend this book and this particular edition. (I am already looking forward to reading more titles from Princeton's "Ancient Wisdom" series.) Five stars.

[Massimo Pigliucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

That we like it or not, we have to think about war, even if only to oppose it. War has been with humanity for a long time, and experts still disagree on its various causes and how (or if!) it may be prevented. But nobody seriously interested in war should skip Thucydides and his classic, The History of the Peloponnesian War. While the full book is well worth reading, this translation focuses on various speeches given during the war, highlighting the psychology behind some of the major players as well as how the people at large react to populists and demagogues. The first speech translated by Johanna Hanink is by the famous Athenian statesman Pericles, and outlines the reasons to go to war. The other speeches comprise Pericles's famous funeral oration; his last speech before he died of the plague; a debate about whether to commit genocide against the defeated inhabitants of Mytilene (in modern Lesbos); a dialogue between the Athenians and the Melians, who will eventually be defeated and exterminated; and the debate about whether to launch an expedition against Sicily, which opened a second front in the war and resulted in an unmitigated disaster for the Athenians. You have to work really hard not to see parallels between what Thucydides writes and modern politicians and situations. Highly recommended.

[James Parnaby · Rating 2 out of 5]

realists can thucydides nutz

[Henry Davis IV · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's author / translator tackles a challenging job: placing Thucydides in the context of his life and times while also explaining his ideas' modern relevance. As if this was not enough to fit in a relatively short book, the author also shares some fairly concise translations of what he considers Thucydides' most important speeches. I do like this book's analysis, but wish the author would not have pared down Thucydides' speeches so much in his translation. Although I do recommend this book for students of war and / or foreign policy, it is a challenging read because the author tries to pack too much into such a short volume. While I like this book, I would definitely give the author a "redo" with guidance to rework what he's done into twice as many pages if I could. I love crisp, flowing narratives and don't like excessive wordiness, but this book's clipped narrative just leaves readers jumping from one idea to another before the first idea is truly examined and / or defended. If Mr. Hanink ever chances to read this review, please work with Princeton University Press to publish an appropriately expanded second edition.

[Ledimir · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t like this - sure, a lot of thought goes into war planning supposedly. But sometimes it’s just, we need resources and we’re taking it from you.

I didn’t find this text particularly insightful, memorable, and it more so dragged along.

This is not how I think about war - nor how the many parties affected by war would think about war.

[Jerome Kuseh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of speeches from Thucydides' The Peloponnesian War complete with analysis of the text. Thucydides' work has been rejuvenated by modern great power politics and we have countless references to his work these days in the field of geopolitics. This is a good introduction and it leaves me wanting to read the entire history.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found How to Think About War more of a chore than other titles in the Ancient Wisdom series. For all I appreciate its historic importance, I found the selected speeches more dated when compared to some of the other titles in the series. Quasi-recommended.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very solid entry into this "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers" series. This one is a collection of speeches from Thucydides, newly and very readably translated by Johanna Hanink. An excellent introduction, with shorter introductions to each speech, and Greek on facing pages for those who can puzzle it out. The epigraph (from a speech by Pericles) says it all: "I fear our own mistakes more than the enemy's schemes." I've been thinking a lot about Robert F. Kennedy lately, and I remembered that he had paraphrased Pericles's Funeral Oration in his campaign for President in 1968. He had said that the purpose of education is not to give us the skills to earn a good living; the purpose is to give us the skills to handle life's difficulties and vicissitudes with versatility and grace. Pericles had said that that was the result of just being born and raised an Athenian, but it's the same idea. Kennedy (I found on the miracle of the internet) recited it to a group of Navajos at Window Rock. A month later he quoted Aeschylus to a crowd of black people in Indianapolis, when he informed them that while they had been waiting to see him Martin Luther King had been killed. There were no cell phones, so nobody knew. (You can see this very moving impromptu speech on YouTube. ) Two months later he himself was shot and killed.

[Peter Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thucydides like many Greek writers, believed that war was inevitable. Ancient Greece was in more or less constant conflict with other states. My Grandfather volunteered for WWI when he was quite a young man. This was not unusual. He was in the trenches in France, and my father said that he seldom talked about his wartime experiences. I am sure he saw many horrible things. My father told me that once my grandfather received a letter from my grandmother when he was in the trenches. It was dark in the trenches so he stood up to read the letter. His helmet was shot off and he never stood up in the trenches again. My Russian grandmother had two brushes with death. On a very cold day she set off for school. She had to cross a bridge over a fast flowing river. As she approached the bridge from one side, she saw a troop of Cossacks approaching from the other side. If she had kept going they would have met in the center of the bridge. She had a funny feeling about going on the bridge so she returned home and did not go to school that day. Later she learned that the bridge had collapsed and all the Cossacks had drowned. On another occasion the Cossacks came to her house searching for weapons. They searched the entire house and just before they were about to leave, they noticed a trunk in the front hallway. They asked what was in the trunk and my great grandmother said it was filled with blankets. If the soldiers had looked they would have seen rifles and my grandmother’s entire family would have been shot. My closest brush with death, that I know about, was on Mallets Bay Avenue in Colchester. I was riding home from work when a car hit me from behind with its right mirror. The impact knocked the mirror off the car. I fell down, but luckily I only got a scrapped elbow and knee. The car was going fast, and if it had been a few inches over to the right, it would have hit me with its front bumper. I would have been seriously injured or killed. My father was in the Air Force during the Cold War. He navigated B-52 Bombers. His brush with death came when he was completing a spy mission behind the iron curtain. He was captured and tortured and had to kill a man to escape. Eventually my father was discharged with 100% disability. Our family lived on his disability payments during my childhood. When I was 18 I registered for the draft. The Vietnam War was dragging to a close and I had a high lottery number so I did not feel much anxiety about actually being drafted. For most of us war is a distant reality but during the Cuban Missile Crises my parents told me that we might be going to war with the Soviet Union and that they would drop atomic bombs on our country. For a couple of weeks I was frightened every time I saw a plane in the sky. I thought it might be the Russians.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to Thucydides. I am not an expert on translation, but the translated speeches seemed ably translated. Hanink does also an excellent job providing commentary and context on each speech. This book would be particularly useful for thinkers who like to cite Thucydides and the idea of the "Thucydides Trap." In examining Thucydides closer we can see that his wisdom is not simply in foreshadowing the realist school of international relations. For example, any politician wishing to start an overseas war would do well to read the chapter on the disastrous Sicilian Expedition. Indeed, it is interesting to think about how the realist school of international relations plays out in the wake of bad decisions. Does a realist lens lead to these decisions, or do these decisions come about when a decision-maker loses site of realism? Those making decisions of war and peace should answer such questions, or give up the privilege of sending others to die in war.

[Chris Tynan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time engaging with Thucydides’ History, albeit through this selection of excerpts—primarily the speeches, which, as the editor clarifies, only make up a smaller portion of the text. That said, this carefully curated slice of Thucydides’ work was a fantastic introduction to his writing.

The editor’s commentary and contextual notes were incredibly helpful, making it much easier to understand and fully appreciate the text. While I can’t comment on the translation’s faithfulness to the original, I found the language clear, accessible, and effective in conveying the gravity of the content.

What impressed me most was the enduring relevance of Thucydides’ insights. Given today’s geopolitical climate, many of the themes and dialogues feel startlingly modern, as though written for our own time.

This is another excellent addition to the Princeton Ancient Thinking series and one I look forward to revisiting in the future.

[Αργυρώ Χατζή · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο Περί Πολέμου προσφέρει μια ωραία εικόνα και άποψη των γεγονότων του Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου (εννοώντας περισσότερο το μεταφραστικό κομμάτι) μέσω δημηγοριών, κυρίως προς τους Αθηναίους. Αν και η προσέγγιση της συγγραφέως Johanna Hanink αφορά τις σχέσεις μεταξύ των ΗΠΑ-Κίνα ή άλλα ιστορικά γεγονότα περί ΗΠΑ, μπορεί κανείς να τα λάβει υπόψιν και να κάνει δική του σύγκριση για σημερινούς πολέμους όπως αυτός της Ρωσίας-Ουκρανίας ή Ισραήλ-Παλαιστινης (αν επιτρέπεται).
Η μετάφραση ήταν ιδιαίτερα καλογραμμένη (το βιβλίο είναι μεταφρασμένο από τα αρχαία ελληνικά στα αγγλικά και ύστερα στα νεοελληνικά). Βέβαια παρατήρησα λάθος στις σελίδες δηλαδή στα περιεχόμενα. Δεν ξέρω αν αφορά όλα τα βιβλία, τουλάχιστον σε αυτό που αγόρασα, άλλες σελίδες αναφέρονταν στα περιεχόμενα και σε άλλες ήταν τα προς-διάβασμα κεφάλαια.
Σε γενικές γραμμές μπορώ να πω, πως η προσέγγιση του έργου, σου δίνει τη δυνατότητα να κατανοήσεις κάποιες έννοιες και καταστάσεις περί πολέμου, αν και άλλα στοιχεία μπορεί να μην εφαρμόζονται στη σημερινή εποχή με τον ίδιο τρόπο (αναφερόμενη ίσως στις αξίες που είναι πρόθυμος ο λαός να πεθάνει-για την πατρίδα). Βέβαια, take that with a grain of salt, καθώς όχι μόνο είναι πολύ υποκείμενο αυτό που έγραψα παραπάνω, αλλά σχετίζεται άμεσα και με τις γνώσεις του καθενός πάνω στο κομμάτι της θεματολογίας του πολέμου.
Ενα πολύ καλογραμμένο βιβλίο, το οποίο συστήνω σε όσους ενδιαφέρονται για ιστορία και πολιτική, τόσο του αρχαίου ελλαδικού κόσμου όσο και του σύγχρονου (κόσμου).

[Chady · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is what it says it is: "An *ancient* guide to Foreign Policy", it is ancient since politics has changed a lot. But a key point is what still divides human thinking towards war and that is the debate between the "Realistic" and the "Idealist", especially when debating the "Launching of an invasion", where one lays all of the facts and proofs on whether a country/city should invade another country/city or not, but the other person, for his interests and not the public, works on the emotional thinking of a crowd to prove his point (which would then succeed).
This book poses (indirectly) a lot of criticism or debate towards democracy, since it is the Athenian Assembly that voted in favor of a completely idiotic invasion of Sicily, despite Nicias's attempts to dissuade the members of the Assembly by presenting the facts. And here we can pose the question: Is democracy as a whole, the solution to all of the citizen's problems?

[Frederic Tsang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. The contents written above accurately describe what the book is. Speeches and debates held by Athenian generals and politicians discussing foreign policy, mainly about war.

For me, as I am not that familiar with Greek history, one of the thoughts I had was, how complex was Greek society more than 2000 years ago? Anyways I am interested in foreign policy and strategy, so this book would be fascinating. I think that how a society deals with such serious issues is a very good marker of the quality of a people. In deciding whether or not to go to war, the Athenians had debates in their general assembly and actually went through contrasting ideas of morality, realpolitik, government structure.

Surprisingly, my takeaway is that the Greeks, making up the roots of western civilization, were very sophisticated already 2000 years ago.

[Sir Badgerly · Rating 3 out of 5]

No substitute for the whole history of the The Peloponnesian War. This book is choppy as it takes from various parts of the whole book. It is also a bit of a tease. That said I am glad to have read it because it makes me realize I must read the Thucydides, "The Peloponnesian War." There is no doubt of his wisdom and the greatness of the leaders back then, especially compared to the nitwit politicians in power now who work for those brilliant but wicked men in the shadows of power. This made me wish we lived in a better more noble age, instead of what is clearly a dark period in time for anyone with eyes to see. There is no honor in war anymore, just endless horror.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good selection of Thucydides essays specific to the Athenian/Delian position in the war, applied to modern issues of morality and wisdom in war. As someone with previous exposure to Thucydides at the level of knowing somewhat who he was and "the Thucydides trap" with respect to US/China great power competition, was a good introduction, but it seems to fall in the uncanny valley between not a comprehensive enough historical book and also not modern foreign policy specific enough -- either one would have been better than something in between.

[Tullius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a collection of stories that Thucydides wrote from his experiences in the Hellenik Wars of the 5th Century BC. While he does express his opinion alot throughout his narrative, he was more than qualified to express those feelings, he was a contemporary source. While some may see him as a problem, all sources are important to understanding a historical situation. I still reccomend this as a source.

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I’m a huge fan of the Princeton Press Ancient Wisdom series. These modern translations are always on point. the reader comes away with a greater understanding of our modern world and it’s current problems by exploring the centuries old themes.
Thucydides has a lot to say about our current “empire”. I can only hope the right folks hear the message and we dont make the same mistakes as Athens of old.

[Ioannis Tria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Είναι ένα βιβλίο που διαβάζεται εύκολα. Περιέχει τις έξι πιο σημαντικές δημηγορίες από την ιστορία του πελοποννησιακού πολέμου του Θουκυδίδη, μαζί με συνοπτικές πληροφορίες για την κάθε μία.

Η μετάφραση όμως των αρχαίων κειμένων είναι πολύ κακή (πιθανόν να πρόκειται για μετάφραση του αγγλικού κειμένου, και όχι για απευθείας μετάφραση από τα αρχαία ελληνικά), με αποτέλεσμα σε ορισμένα σημεία να χάνεται το νόημα του πρωτότυπου κειμένου.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, the chapter "On Ruthlessness" is stunning and lively! This pocket sized tome is just the thing to read in transit; English on the right side, the Greek on the left. The introduction sets the historical, social and political context. Frankly, nothing has changed since the days of Alcibiades... Four stars.

[Panayiotis Zois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ένα σύντομο βιβλίο το οποίο περιέχει αποσπάσματα από έξι δημηγορίες που έχει συμπεριλάβει ο Θουκυδίδης στην Ιστορία του Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου. Αξίζει η ανάγνωσή του όχι μόνο από φιλοσοφικής άποψης, αλλά επίσης και πολιτικής, ρητορικής και ιστορικής, δείχνοντας διάφορες πτυχές της αθηναϊκής ηγεμονίας.

[☿ giah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book includes all compilation of all speeches from the book, The Peloponnesian War. A good companion to learn Thucydides philosophical insights on Strategy, Politics, and Military. How Spartans and Athenians fought war to one another.

[gustavo Inacio ferreira assis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights.

This is a great introduction to the war between Sparta and Athens. And how relevant things to modern times it still is. I’ve definitely diving deeper into this subject. It’s not a surprise that it is said that our western society was based on the Greek world.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars comparatively (biased) but 5 stars as a nonfiction historical book on ancient foreign policy. Loved the side by side original Greek and translation. Very easy to follow and background information is very relevant.

[Katie Eller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting look at Ancient Greek politics and the importance of leadership and the value of speech when it comes to democracy. It was interesting to link Sparta with America as well. Some points really stood out to me as valuable to politics today too.

[Packard Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant diversion while waiting for meetings to start.