Greatest Military Leader Of All Time

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title Newest to Oldest

Pages: PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 NEXT

gf0012-aus RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/11/2003 4:11:59 AM

What about Mahan, Machiavelli??

Quote Reply

StudentofConflict RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/11/2003 1:22:29 PM

Okay, all of my choices were for land commanders. Mahan would qualify as Naval Theorist, Nelson as Tactician & Leader, Spruance as Operator and Nimitz as Strategist. I've always looked upon Machiavelli as a political rather than military theorist. The Prince is an all time classic of political theory. Machiavelli's art of war is a theory of warfare looking back from the Renaissance to the Medieval period, rather than forward to the Gunpowder age. Don't forget Machiavelli's attempts at forming city defence militias were abysmal failures, for which he fell into disfavour with the Medicis.

Quote Reply

StudentofConflict RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/11/2003 1:32:42 PM

You will also notice the 19th/20th century bias in my post.I think this is fair as armed forces grew a lot larger and more complex over these centuries.Whilst armies in these eras had the advantage of Telegraph/radio, there is evidence (WW1) to suggest that the growth in forces outstripped the means of command, meaning that military success required extraordinary qualities of resolution and coup d'oeuil

Quote Reply

Worcester RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/11/2003 6:00:48 PM

Since we have expanded leadership to include theorists (fair enough) and you have included Mahan, perhaps we should include Mackinder "He who controls the Heartland controls the World Island; He who controls the World Island controls the World" This was he saw a constant sturggle between land and maritime powers. He saw the Heartland as a contiguous zone from eastern Europe up to the Urals with space and internal rivers giving good transport protected from the oceans: the Mongols (utilising the Heartland land bridge) were the fore-runner of other land transport improvements to make land powers dominant. He described the nations of western Europe the middle east and east Asia as the "crescent" from which powers could "outflank" or circumvent the land power. For example, the Brits outflanked the land powers around the "southern crescent". In 1905 he predicted both world wars (because of railroads) and, arguably the cold war. Even Kissinger and Scwarzkopf give him credit to this day. Mackinder is still the basis for most geopolitical thought today - after all, Mackinder would view Iraq, Afghanistan, India/Pakistan and Korea all as peripheral conflicts on "the southern crescent" beneath the Heartland. Who will dominate the Heartland - Germany, Russia or China remains the interesting question.

Quote Reply

gf0012-aus RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/11/2003 6:14:27 PM

Well, China is situated at the gates of Mackinder?s ?pivot region? or Heartland. It has access to the sea, obviously has "numerical" human and untapped natural resources. Russia occupies the Heartland. She possesses similarly vast natural resources and although fractious also has a large population base resource Western, Central and Eastern Europe are meandering into a form of economic unity. Western, Central and Eastern Europe are also structuring slowly into an embryonic political unity. Arguably, continental europe is dominated by Germany. The issue is whether on his theory, the US and the UK are destined to be observers.

Quote Reply

StudentofConflict RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/12/2003 12:34:33 PM

Interestingly, in a recent poll featured in the Daily Telegraph, 27 per cent of Germans voted the UK as the dominant european power,26 per cent voted France, and only 19 per cent Germany. Compare this to ten years ago, when 57 per cent voted Germany. It is highly unlikely that the US/UK will become observers, given the fact they are separated from other major powers by seas, they would have no permanent commitment of land forces to defend their borders, thus giving them greater freedom of action. I think the UKs recently announced defence overhaul is a recognition of this. Also mitigating Germanies' growth in power is its lack of a nuclear deterrent. All continental European powers are also handicapped by their adherance to the outdated European Social Model, which with too secure job protection, limitations on working hours and overgenerous welfare payments has put them into economic straits compared to Britain or the US. It has also been the basis of US national strategy for the past century that no one power should dominate Asia, stopping Germany in WW1/WW2 and the Soviets in the Cold War. In a way, this is just the British strategy of keeping Europe divided writ large.

Quote Reply

StudentofConflict RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/12/2003 12:38:25 PM

Correction:when I say Asia, I mean Eurasia of course. What price a 21st century strategic environment resembling Orwell's 1984, with three superstates/alliances dominating the world:US/UK (Oceania),the EU(Eurasia) and China (Eastasia)?

Quote Reply

gf0012-aus RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/12/2003 6:21:45 PM

When I say observer, I don't mean it as a neutered geopolitical entity. It is in the context of being separate powers with a common interest. Irrespective of how Europe sees the UK in a "euro" sense, emotionally wouldn't you say that the UK still sees themselves as a distinct autonomous entity? geographically, as an island nation, the UK's perspective is different from europes continental neighbours. Its interesting for me as I see that the UK, US (emotionally an island nation as it sees as itself as isolated) and australia as an island nation all behave similarly at the political level. (eg the Iraq War in 99). Australias behavioural footprint has changed in the last 7 years. Australia is not a world power, but I think that its behaviour is a micro reflection of how our principle allies view the world as well. The world is not uniting under a utopic UN perceived model, if anything I see it as sectioning into 4 distinct blocs. For all intents and purposes those blocs will all have strong centrist leaders.

Quote Reply

StudentofConflict RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/13/2003 1:25:06 PM

I'd say that Britain (or at least British people who aren't part of the decadent Europhile liberal elite)definitely sees itself as 'in europe, but not of it'. Culturally, politically and economically, I think the UK has a lot more in common with the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand then continental Europe. I think given Australia's recent raising of its international political/military profile, we will see these english speaking powers working in closer harmony. Just so long as the Yanks don't try and get us to play their crappy sports, I'd much rather Britain was the 51st state than a province of Europe.

Quote Reply

Ad RE:Greatest Military Leader Of All Time 12/13/2003 4:24:04 PM

Very interesting, but greates military leader, is an eclectic view of strategy, leadership and tactics. Theory? Talk as they say is cheap, or actions speak louder than words (which ever you like best). Time for me to sound the horn for good old Aurther. Wellington's strategy through ou the peninsular war was to keep the Spainish on his side. Napolean negated this issue and incurred the wrath of the Gureilla's. Wellington paid for everything, something Napolean also failed to do, which didn't indere him to the locals. Napoleans strategy in Russia was very amatureist. The fact that he allowed his supply chain to be come so stretched, his tactics at Boradino (the Ivans are other there, go get em lads) and they way he allowed his army to literally freeze to death in Moscow, shows that he wasn't all he was cracked up to be. There's a saying in football that your as only as good as your last game. Wellington was successful from his first real command at Seringapatamn in 1799 right up to Waterloo in 1815. Some 16 years of success, where he defeated the cream of Imperial France, with out a bleamish on his career. Impresive to say the least..

Quote Reply

PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 NEXT