what?” and “What’s next?

” Recognizing greatest rivalries, and it overwhelm-

that a social scientist would likely steer ingly succeeds.
away from the policy realm allows staff Gods of War highlights six rivalries
to calibrate their principals’ expectations, between some of the most revered and
and thus, paradoxically, create a better studied military figures. The book is
opportunity to gain useful insights. Given evenly divided between war in the an-
this tradeoff, it also raises the possibility cient world, the Middles Ages, and the
that turning to a practitioner-scholar modern era. There are two chapters that
in the first place, the kind the academy introduce the concept and a conclusion,
eschews, might ultimately be more useful. and the first rivalry considers Hannibal
In Cult of the Irrelevant, Desch does versus Scipio Africanus during the trans-
an admirable job exploring the gap formation of Rome into a Mediterranean
between the policy community and the power. The succeeding chapters follow
social sciences. Perhaps because he is an in chronological order: The political and
academic himself, however, the enduring military rivalry between Julius Caesar and
relevance of his book rests solely with the Pompey the Great. The Middle Ages get
academy, not with policy practitioners. attention with the rivalry between King
Does the academy feel a need to leave Richard I and Saladin during the Third
its ivory tower to reinvigorate its policy Crusade. The modern era begins with the
relevance? Absent significant change, Napoleonic Wars and the multiple con-
Desch leads the reader to a resounding flicts between Napoleon and the Duke
“no.” While the book will be interest- of Wellington, followed by the bloody
ing to policymakers and their staffs, contest between Ulysses S. Grant and
Servicemembers’ reading time is better
Gods of War: History’s Robert E. Lee in the American Civil War.
spent on works that help them under-
Greatest Military Rivals The discussion of World War II shifts
By James Lacey and Williamson Murray
stand and solve policy problems, rather gears and focuses on the rivalry between
New York: Bantam Books, 2020
than on academic programs and individu- Erwin Rommel, Bernard Montgomery,
402 pp. $32.00
als irrelevant to their solutions. JFQ and George S. Patton.
ISBN: 978-0345547552
There is no discussion of rivalries in
Reviewed by Jon Mikolashek World War I or conflicts post-1945, but
Brigadier General Paula G. Thornhill, USAF (Ret.), the theme of the book is to examine the
Ph.D., is the Associate Director of Strategic
Studies at Johns Hopkins University School of rivalries between equally great command-
ince humanity has waged war, ers. To put it in a sports context, this is

S
Advanced International Studies, and the author
of Demystifying the American Military (Naval scholars have debated the greatest akin to Larry Bird versus Earvin “Magic”
Institute Press, 2019).
captains, commanders, and war- Johnson, Tom Brady versus Payton
riors. Continuing this long tradition Manning, and Roger Federer versus Rafael
of friendly and sometimes competitive Nadal. There are plenty of great athletes,
discussion is James Lacey and Wil- but not all great athletes had peers they
liamson Murray’s Gods of War. In this competed with equally, and more than
highly accessible book, both esteemed once. So while great military commanders
historians take the reader through such as Alexander and Gustavus Adolphus
the millennia to examine not only are indeed “great,” they had no near peers
the greatest commanders in military to repeatedly compete with over the ages.
history but also the greatest rivalries. Despite the emphasis on rivalries and
The book focuses on contests between commanders, Gods of War offers some
peers because they often are the great- depth to strategic thought and plan-
est rivals. Gods of War does not examine ning. While there is a focus on tactics
one-off battles, but focuses instead on and tactical outcomes, the two authors
campaigns in which either side shared discuss the idea of “master strategists”
victories and defeats. Those expecting and how even the greatest commanders
more on figures such as Gustavus Adol- often lacked strategic thinking. Lacey and
phus and Alexander the Great will be Murray conclude that out of all the com-
slightly disappointed that their favorite manders covered in Gods of War, only
commander did not make the cut, but Saladin and Grant possessed a strategic
the focus of Gods of War is about the vision and won. Renowned figures such

JFQ 102, 3rd Quarter 2021 Book Reviews 97

as Hannibal, while a master tactician, lost acknowledgments and should be a lead-
his war to a better strategic commander ing reflection of the policy prescriptions
in Scipio Africanus. one will find within.
The joint force will find worthwhile According to Lissner and Rapp-
lessons in this discussion of “strategic ge- Hooper, global openness is a “novel
nius.” As we focus on the operational and strategic framework” that diverges from
strategic levels of war, the United States past grand strategies and falls somewhere
and the Western world in general are between Neo-Isolationism and Primacy.
often overly focused on creating master It is an approach resigned to the fact that
strategists or the next god of war. In real- the United States will not remain the
ity, that is impossible. sole global superpower. Therefore, to
As wars grew in size and scope follow- maintain global order, the authors argue
ing the rise of nation-states and the rapid that the United States needs to remain
evolution of technology, it is unlikely that globally engaged by courting new and
a Napoleon, Grant, or George C. Marshall emerging relationships, reinvigorating at-
will ever again emerge to fully command rophied relationships, or developing new
war as some historical figures appeared to and unconventional relationships that are
do. And even if the next god of war arises, favorable to U.S. objectives. The United
it will likely have little to do with what States will not be able to rely on its mili-
school of joint professional military educa- tary primacy or rest on old institutional
tion he or she attended or if every known laurels; it must advocate for creative ways
joint publication was successfully digested. to maintain order and reform legacy insti-
That does not mean we should not try. But tutions—or create new ones.
perhaps we should shift away from canned
An Open World: How America The authors offer a foundational
lessons, pedantic rubrics, and poor assess-
Can Win the Contest for perspective on the post–World War II
ments and toward a clearer focus on history,
Twenty-First-Century Order international order and its evolution into
Rebecca Lissner and Mira Rapp-Hooper
writing, and critical thinking. That is, per- the current state of affairs. Lissner and
Yale University Press, 2020
haps, the greatest lesson of Gods of War to Rapp-Hooper take the time to examine
202 pp. $22.93
joint military education professionals. domestic issues such as political polariza-
ISBN: 978-0300250329
Gods of War is an excellent example tion, disinformation, income inequality,
of what professional military historians Reviewed by Christopher P. Mulder technology investment, and workforce
should strive to write. It is easy to read and challenges, alongside global issues such
neither pretentious nor overwrought. It as technology governance, China’s rise,
strikes a fine balance between popular or n An Open World, Dr. Rebecca Russia’s slow descent, and other regional
narrative history and scholarly or profes-
sional history. Joint professional military
education students and professors will
I Lissner and Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper
provide a compelling argument for a
new U.S. strategy of “global openness.”
challenges, pulling these threads together
with a unique strategy (and thoughtful
policy recommendations) that ultimately
see elements of Williamson Murray’s Readers will find much to consider as attempts to “prevent closed spheres of
edited collection The Dynamics of Military the book is presented as an executable influence, maintain free access to the
Revolution: 1300–2050 (Cambridge blueprint for a new Presidential admin- global commons, defend the political
University Press, 2001) throughout the istration. It is worth noting that many independence of all states, modernize
text, which is still read by all students at elements of their strategy are already in existing institutions, and build new forms
the U.S. Army Command and General motion on the global stage. of order.” In essence, “openness” is a nu-
Staff College. While the book lacks rival- The authors bring a wealth of foreign anced strategy with the flexibility to adapt
ries between naval commanders or any policy experience and fresh perspectives to evolving global dynamics.
discussion of airpower, Gods of War is a to the topic. Rebecca Lissner is an as- The authors illustrate how a global
useful book that will appeal to the most sistant professor at the U.S. Naval War approach based on openness would apply
scholarly of historians and nascent strate- College and Mira Rapp-Hooper is a to each of the world’s primary regions—
gists, as well as to those who simply desire senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the
a more cerebral book for the beach. JFQ Relations and Yale Law School. Familiar Western Hemisphere, and Africa. They
names such as Jake Sullivan (President broadly outline the goals, aspirations, and
Joseph Biden’s National Security limitations inherent to their strategy in
Dr. Jon Mikolashek is a Professor in the Joint Advisor), Michèle Flournoy, James each region. The authors were thought-
Forces Staff College at the National Defense
University in Norfolk, Virginia. Mattis, Stephen Hadley, Emma Ashford, ful in their examination of potential
and Chris Preble were listed in the downsides. Projecting winners and losers

98 Book Reviews JFQ 102, 3rd Quarter 2021