The Blind Strategist

Reviews / Votes

"Robinson reveals, the more that scholars learn about German operations and about Hart's determination to fit all military history into his own simplistic framework, the flimsier Boyd's thesis appears. Robinson carries out a meticulous demolition job that will be of interest to students of the Wehrmacht and to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, demonstrating how grand theories with an emotional appeal can go a long way on the back of dubious history."- Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs "Stephen Robinson makes a bold, but utterly convincing, assault on the foundations of nearly fifty years of military thinking. As the United States military and its allies across the globe reorient themselves for the challenges of great state competition, Robinson's fascinating book is certain to be at the center of the debate." - Dr. James Lacey, Horner Chair of Military Theory, Marine Corps University "Stephen Robinson does a superb job of analyzing the momentous debate about the virtues of "maneuver warfare" that took place in the United States during the latter years of the Cold War. He shows in great detail that the proponents of maneuver - including their guiding light, John Boyd - based their claims on a deeply flawed understanding of history. The Blind Strategist is a must read for all serious students of modern warfare."
- John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago "Robinson's well researched book questions the tenets of Boyd's OODA loop, maneuver warfare, infiltration tactics, blitzkrieg, World War II historiography, Desert Storm success, and much more. This will be controversial. Let the debates begin!"
-Mark F. Cancian (Colonel, USMCR, ret.), Center for Strategic and International Studies "This book is well constructed, and easy to read, especially for those who have background in Command or Staff positions in any Armed Service. Much was learned from reading it."
- RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) "Robinson carries out a meticulous demolition job that will be of interest to students of the Wehrmacht and to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, demonstrating how grand theories with an emotional appeal can go a long way on the back of dubious history." - John Boyd, Foreign Affairs "The book is bound to spark controversy and debate within the US defence establishment, and that is a good thing." - Survival (UK print magazine) "A must-buy for all those interested in military theory"
- Classic Military Vehicle magazine "Extensively researched and very
readable, This work truly exposes the 'if it's said often enough, then it
becomes truth' modus operandi that so often pervades society today. A most
valuable adjunct to military theory and doctrine." -

Royal United Services
Institute