Synopsis
'Indispensable – brilliantly grounded in first-hand experience and telling detail. Compelling' - Rory Stewart
From top defence analyst Jack Watling, Statecraft reveals how states collaborate, compete and fight in this era of global turmoil.
Why did Russia struggle in the early months of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine?
Why does Israel ignore international pressure on Gaza?
Why does the UK spend billions on aircraft carriers that it struggles to support at sea?
How do smaller states shape world events when dwarfed by superpowers?
The world today is gripped by conflict. Whether in Ukraine, the Middle East or Taiwan, we are in a period of intense power competition. In Statecraft, Dr Jack Watling takes you behind the scenes to meet the world’s powerbrokers in their wood-panelled offices, and the bunkers from which battles are coordinated.
With a career spent on the ground in conflict zones, and advising generals and political leaders, Watling examines the dilemmas that states face to get ahead, no matter their size. From economic alliances and global trade to sea power and military technology, Statecraft provides a powerful new lens to understand geopolitics in a divided world.
Details
19 March 2026
9781035059034Reviews
An indispensable book on strategy – brilliantly grounded in first-hand experience and telling detail. [Statecraft is] blunt about the failures and structural defects in policy [and] thoughtful, serious and compelling
Through narrative and analysis, Statecraft explores the key factors that decide success or failure in resolving conflict or chaos. Jack Watling draws on his own stories to weave a narrative that gets underneath events - from Afghanistan to Ukraine - with which we might be familiar, but through this book, can better understand.
Statecraft is an astonishing book, full of stories and details, drawn from Jack Watling’s unique experience from the front line in conflict zones all over the world. Through it, we are able to evaluate what determines success and failure, and how we might better prepare for an uncertain future.
