War Without Rules: China's Playbook for Global Domination

by Robert Spalding

"Many Americans are finally waking up to the alarming reality of China's stealth war on the United States and puzzling over how to push back against its insidious infiltration. What few realize is that we have one real advantage in this the Chinese Communist Party strategy for total war has been written out in Unrestricted Warfare, the Chinese book, well known there, that has become their new Art of War. In War Without Rules, retired Air Force Brigadier General Rob Spalding takes Americans inside Unrestricted Warfare. He walks readers through the principles of this book, revealing the Chinese belief that there is no sector of life outside the realm of war. He shows how the CCP itself has promised to use corporate espionage, global pandemics, and trade violations to achieve dominance. Most importantly, he provides insight into how, once Americans are aware of the tactics, we can fight back against CCP's creeping influence. More than a vital read for those interested in China, War Without Rules is essential reading for anyone-from policymakers and diplomats to businessmen and investors-finally waking up to the stealth war. Knowledge is power, and it's time to arm yourself"--

Genres: China, Politics, Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction, International Relations, War

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2022

About the author

Rob Spalding is a national security strategist and a globally recognized expert on Chinese economic competition and influence. He retired from the US Air Force as a brigadier general. He is a former pilot of the B-2 Stealth Bomber, as well as former director for strategic planning at the National Security Council in the White House. He was the chief architect for the widely praised National Security Strategy.
Rob has lived in Mainland China, both as an Olmsted Scholar and as the senior defense official at the US Embassy in Beijing, and traveled extensively throughout Asia. He is fluent in Mandarin. During the 2016 UUV Incident, Rob averted a diplomatic crisis by negotiating with the Chinese PLA for the return of the UUV, without the aid of a translator.
Rob is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C.
STEALTH WAR: HOW CHINA TOOK OVER WHILE AMERICA’S ELITE SLEPT is an executive summary of the last six years of Rob’s effort to combat the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in America and around the world.
To watch Rob’s interviews on FOX News and CNBC, as well as numerous radio and YouTube channels, concerning matters of national security, 5G, and foreign policy, visit armchaireconomist.io.

Reviews

[Jer · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you read this book for what it is (a polemic justified by selectively chosen facts and excerpts bound together with rhetoric and appeals to expertise or authority), it’s an interesting read.

The author clearly assumes the reader has no knowledge of the subject matter or is unable to think for themselves, prescribing what should happen and what indicators definitely mean with such consistency that anyone already involved in national security may get annoyed.

It’s actually decently-designed propaganda, assuming you don’t expect an analysis of alternative and aren’t immediately spun by the undergirding political and social views. Unfortunately, the only alternatives provided come in the form of “why everyone else is wrong and here’s why I’m right” self justifications.

Once you make it through the random selections from the PRC document nominally at the heart of the book (about 1/3 text, 2/3 commentary), the “what should we do now?” section comes at you full-bore, with a host of very specific “must do” actions across the whole of government and private citizenry.

Sadly (maybe the right word?), the author’s rhetoric game is so strong that there’s little room for anyone other than him to be part of the solution to his stated problem. Either you already agree that the PRC has been waging unconditional war (a term that gets very little scrutiny for comparison) for decades, or you find you’ve just read a book that makes clear at least one person out there feels this way.

I’ll have to go back and read the original text for myself, which I may not have heard about without this book, so that earns it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (but the content otherwise is ⭐️⭐️ at best, if expecting something intellectually rigorous). That said, it could be used to spark some useful conversations about different viewpoints and how to approach what is certainly a significant national security topic.

[Chad Manske · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the saying goes, “if knowledge is power” is true, then it’s time to be armed. According to China expert Rob Spalding, a retired USAF brigadier general who flew B-2 stealth bombers, speaks fluent Mandarin, served as the US Defense attaché in Beijing, possesses a PhD, and served on the National Security Council—no one could be more credible to pen this work on the dangers of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In this new work, Spalding unpacks the blueprint for the CCP’s global domination efforts by interpreting the book Unrestricted Warfare—a book written by two People’s Liberation Army senior colonels, published in January 1999. Touted as the new Art of War, this work describes how China will fight without rules in a manner foreign to western thinking and tradition. Because of western biases and ignorance, failure to understand and apply Chinese thinking and understand it’s creeping influence could eventually lead to the US’ loss in the fight for competitive victory in the long run. Hubris has long been an American tradition, Spalding argues, and politicians, diplomats, business men and common citizens need to wake up to the reality that China cares for no one but China out of pure and simple self interest. Often saying one thing and simply doing another has long been the China way of establishing its own international norms, and because the world often looks the other way for a variety of reasons having to do with our interconnected global financial, trade and business dealings—China will outcompete the US and the West in great power competition to its peril. Spalding concludes his work with sobering recommendations on how to mitigate and resist these forces, pushing back on the great red dragon.

[Simon Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Laugh out loud in places as the author could be talking about the USA in most of his criticisms of China. He forgets the American companies that relocated to China. The US Universities that greedily educated Chinese citizens. Companies that sold technology to China and trained Chinese technicians and managers. A terribly biased, hateful book. I expected better but knowing what the author was prior to retirement, I now understand why the US has performed so badly around the world, especially in its recent wars.

[Barry Engelhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It scares the shit out of me to realize that everything I’ve felt about the evolution of warfare was put to paper, by two Chinese Colonials well over two decades ago. It scares me even more that significant aspects of this playbook, which blurs the lines between physical combat and life, feels as if it may be occurring around us. The concept is simple - that no sector of life is outside of warfare, which means all aspects of life, when taken as a complex system, can be used to create conflict. While I don’t always agree with Spalding’s assessment of (the Chinese text) Unrestricted Warfare I consider him a subject matter expert who is right far more than he’s wrong. And if he’s right about even half of his assessment of this Chinese military doctrine, twenty years later, we should all be scared shitless…

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book by this author but with a very similar message to his 1st book, Stealth War which I believe to be more thoughtful. This book seems to rush to represent the same idea with possibly more up to date examples, but in doing this, I think the author missed some of the slide we've made as a nation of owned politicians still working for our Global Enemy.

[Kumar Rishabh · Rating 3 out of 5]

As per the author, it is an interpretation or readable form of 'Unrestricted Warfare'

[AttackGirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

middle class

China expert yet no discussion of why or how they have a middle class. Poverty with no population growth to middle class enemy. Reference to The Art of War with no respect for the understanding of wisdom development. Trying to hit every modern topic with no foundation.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit alarmist, but you are not paranoid if everyone is out to get you. The book lays out the argument that the PRC did extensive analysis of Desert Storm and came to some strategic and operational conclusions that they are now implementing. Approaching conflict from non just a joint or interagency approach as the US does, the PRC is weaponizing everything and using influence operations to shape the cognitive domain. Interesting.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

The General Does It Again

This book was outstanding.

General Spalding did a wonderful job at outlying China's plans for the future, and what laid them up for this moment.

It was an excellent read in foreign policy and international relations.

I would recommend, as a lot of it was very interesting.

4.8/5

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Chinese paper this book references reads like some modern day protocols of the elders of Zion. I have to assume it's not a hoax but it's so prescient it makes you wonder how a country who apparently has a crystal ball that sees into the future can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like China is doing now.

[Neil McLean · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve already read the pseudo doctrine of the Chinese PLA: “Unrestricted Warfare”, then the content of this book will be largely a refresher. If you are unfamiliar with China’s approach to war and strategic affairs, then this book is a good synopsis of what has been happening for the last two decades.

[Tim Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yikes is about all I can say. This book should be required reading for anyone who doesn’t want to be forced to pick between Mandarin and Cantonese in about 20 years😳

[Jacob Steckbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

We will fight them on the beachs, we shall fight them on the sea and the air, we shall fight them with banks, we shall fight them in every aspect of life

[Bert van der Vaart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a four star rating more because of the book's mostly successful message that the US government's perception of today's global political power realities--and particularly as relates to China--is outdated and needs urgently to be re-thought. However, the writing is really only adequate and much of the book seems repetitive once one "gets" the book's fundamental thesis.

Which is that--following Sun Tzu, Machievelli and most centrally a book written for the Chiunese Communist Party by two colonels in the Chinese army in the wake of Desert Storm--a war where the USA's panoply of technological weapons and aversion to any American casualties might have achieved the high point of kinetic brilliance. In their "Unrestricted Warfare", published well before 9/11 in the mid 1990s--these colonels concluded that China then could never hope to beat the USA along purely kinetic lines. However, they rightly concluded that the USA spent an enormous amount of money winning this war, and showed an unwillingness to incur human loss--such that poorer nations and even non-nations (specifically citing Bin Laden as an example) --could likely beat the USA if they found limited objectives but then were willing to deploy unlimited means to achieve those objectives. The colonels seem obsessed with showing Chinese ultimate superiority over the "obtuse" US power structure. They also seem very rational in their analysis.

Those "unlimited means" should include (according to these colonels): psychological warfare (especially focusing on civilians), misinformation, taking control over international organizations (public and NGOs) to subvert and corrupt their conclusions, corrupt the media and create terrorism. They advocate China's signing all sorts of treaties and controlling information as to China's compliance or not, restricting access or denying any allegations against. In effect using their networks to cancel critics and misdirecting attention from those areas that matter to China.

Spalding does a good job noting for example the bizarre circumstances where China emits more than 30% of the world's greenhouse gases yet signs all sorts of commitments to reducing such emissions; where China heads the WHO but delays or distorts any information relating to the COVID 19 virus developed in Wuhan; and where China criticizes the US and allies for its allegedly racist motivated criticisms of China when China is arguably the most racist nation in the world (cf its stand on Uighur slave labor or Tibetan "autonomy").

Spalding blames forces within the US government friendly to China (whether naively or corrupt) from understanding that--in his view--the USA is already in a war with China. He also believes that there are inherent conflicts of interest throughout the US power elite system, whether the US (private) university system's billions of dollars to permit the admissions of many Chinese students and the subversion of various political science and other "Centers", or Wall Street's short term profit maximization. These conflicts of interest will continue to frustrate effective retaliation or safeguarding of US interests.

Perhaps more positively, he notes that the Biden administration seems to have left those changes Trump et al made to take a less charitable view of Chinese intentions in place, and is perhaps even more realistic than the Trump administration was. He hopes this signals a more bi-partisan understanding of the situation in which the US and its allies find themselves, and has particular respect for William Burns.

Spalding also blasts out a significant number of possible countermeasures--noting that the US should resist falling to China's alleged ends justifying the means cynicism with respect to misinformation and effective dismissal of any treaties or agreements made. What comes out however is the uphill battle in meeting China's threats given the wide range of Chinese influence throughout the USA's elite-controlled power system.

A sobering book worth reading despite its stylistic flaws.

[Rachel Brower · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is written as a summary of a translated book from two Chinese (military) authors, about the U.S. war strategy. Essentially, the Chinese book (title: Unrestricted Warfare) discusses and critiques U.S. prior actions in previous wars and predicts future actions. The author of this book reviews the translated text, provides context, and then gives examples of the text predictions happening in real life. The author also provides some analysis on what the U.S. should/shouldn't do (or in some case should/shouldn't have done), as a result of the information gleaned from the translated text.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book. It might be a bit over most people's heads, and it's also probably not that interesting to most people. I enjoy reading books about China, but I felt like other books were able to say the gist of what this author did in a less "military officer-like" tone... And therefore, the other books were far more interesting.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two PLA colonels wrote a book in the late 1990’s that this author introduces and analyzes in his work. The colonels’ book is as prescient as The Great Pacific War was in the mid-1920’s. It has provided a useful playbook for the PRC.

The author mentions the old adage about the capitalists selling you the rope with which to hang him. I wish he would have mined that vein further as therein is the origin of the current dilemma.

Our oligarchs sided with the CP’s promise of cheap labor to exploit over the democratic dreams of the Tiananmen youth. In the process, they also hollowed out US industry and screwed over US labor. So, in the end the ruling class of each country screwed their people over. Way to go Homo sapiens!

[Mark C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Articulate and Convincing

China is already at war with The United States. Robert Spalding applied 25+ years of Military experience and academic wisdom to a chapter by chapter analysis of the Chinese Communist Party's 20 year old strategy playbook called Unrestricted War, by which they intend to establish global economic, cultural, social and political hegemony through unconventional means including use of social media, computer systems hacking, deception, infectious disease and currency and market manipulation. They are well ahead of schedule on their Long March, their 100 Year Marathon which began with Mao Tse Tung taking power in 1949. Spalding ends with his prescriptive strategy for countering the Chinese offense.

[Jim Scafidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic analysis of the PRC’s “Unrestricted Warfare” and its applications in the 25 years since it was written. However, it’s astounding to me that Spalding can be so morally opposed to the “authoritarian dictatorship” of Xi Jinping and still be such a staunch cheerleader for our own American authoritarian dictator, Donald Trump.

There’s a lot of valid and significant analysis here, but you’re going to have to put up with the author injecting a lot of his own far-right domestic political views into the text.

[Ari Damoulakis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hardly any concrete, objective analysis with zero understanding of society and politics in China. Puerile thought and book. Sometimes there is no bigger fool than a paranoid, demented, old one. Or he does have a little wisdom, making some nice $$$ selling dog-whistle books to xenophobic Americans in the Maga base. Honestly hardly anything worth reading in this book. I think America’s problems are mostly internal at the moment. Actually, my Canadian friends, swap the names around, and read because, you know America, some people there want an eventual anschluss.

[J. Scott Frampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read with a singular focus on the China vs. USA conundrum. The last chapter provides the most cogent arguments, and you can jump to it for the thesis and basic message, and recommendations, without reading the whole book. Most of the book comes off as “chicken little” stuff, but shouldn’t, China is a threat, and we should view them as such, which the current National Security Strategy seems to overlook. Gen Spalding sets the table for good debate and policy conversation. More realistic approaches to the problem are needed though.

[Zack Hamstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book about a supremely important topic. Spalding does a pretty good job in achieving his goal, but in a fairly dense manner. The entirety of the book could be summed up in a more concise fashion. Altogether it’s quite well done and more eyes should probably be on it.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good breakdown of China’s unrestricted warfare doctrine.

[Damien A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book should be a wake-up call for all Americans

[Jacek]

Przesluchalem 2h, nie polecam, za dużo hejterstwa

[Jafry M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so eye opening, shows how the world is being manipulated by China.

[Michael HARDY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concepts with many flaws. It is very clear that China is indeed aiming for world hegemony their playbook is not as sophisticated as this book suggests. The authors of this book's 'parent tome' i.e. Unrestricted Warfare do not appear to be as bright as Spalding credits. The concepts of U.W. but one arrow in China's quiver.

[Jim Dowdell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Little bad mouth, big help”.
He has most of the agenda right, but he misses out the climate change scam, the big tech/big finance war, and the infiltration of the Obama/Biden quisling government. The solutions in this book are just fuel added to the fire since the west has already been conquered.
Other than these little problems this book has great historical value as it explains the murder of western democracy.