A basic, accessible introduction that prepares readers to approach all other military history writing with greater understandingVery few books deal with the principles and theory of armed conflict and almost all of those that do are written for the dedicated military specialist and professional. This book is specifically geared for the reader who is starting his or her journey in war theory--students, journalists, junior military professionals--and anyone with a general interest in conflicts in history who would like to know more about how wars actually work. The book uses well-known examples such as Waterloo, Gettysburg, and D-Day, and it tackles such questions as" Do arms races always lead to war? Does neutrality pay off? "and" Is appeasement always a bad idea?" It also includes an appendix on Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."