Winning Westeros

How Game of Thrones Explains Modern Military Conflict

Max Brooks, John Amble, ML Cavanaugh, Jaym Gates

• Publisher: Potomac Books
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781640122215
• eBook ISBN: 9781640122369
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

Set in the fictitious world of Westeros, the hit television series Game of Thrones chronicles the bitter and violent struggle between the realm’s noble dynasties for control of the Seven Kingdoms. But this beloved fantasy drama has just as much to say about the successful strategies and real-life warfare waged in our own time and place. Winning Westeros brings together more than thirty of today’s top military and strategic experts, including generals and admirals, policy advisors, counterinsurgency tacticians, science fiction and fantasy writers, and ground?level military officers, to explain the strategy and art of war by way of the Game of Thrones saga.

Each chapter of Winning Westeros provides a relatable, outside?the?box way to simplify and clarify the complexities of modern military conflict. A chapter on the doomed butcher’s boy whom Arya Stark befriends by World War Z author Max Brooks poignantly reminds us of the cruel fate that civilians face during times of war. Another chapter on Jaqen H’ghar and the faceless men of Bravos explores the pivotal roles that stealth and intelligence play in battle. Whether considering the diplomatic prowess of Tyrion Lannister, the defiant leadership style of Daenerys Targaryen, the Battle of the Bastards and the importance of reserves, Brienne of Tarth and the increased role of women in combat, or dragons as weapons of mass destruction, Winning Westeros gives fans of Game of Thrones and aspiring military minds alike an inspiring and entertaining means of understanding the many facets of modern warfare. It is a book as captivating and enthralling as Game of Thrones itself.

 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Part 1. People and War
• 1. Mycah’s Parents Didn’t Get a Vote
• 2. A House to Be Feared
• 3. Fear or Love: Insights from Machiavelli for Those Who Seek the Iron Throne
• 4. The Source of Tyrion Lannister’s Unlikely Survival and Success
• 5. The Mother of Dragons: Defiant Leadership for Uncertain Times
• 6. Lessons for Command from Khaleesi’s Rise
• 7. From Brienne of Tarth to Lyanna Mormont: Shifting Attitudes about Women in Combat
• 8. You Know Something, Jon Snow, about the Qualities of a Strategic Leader
• Part 2. Technology and War
• 9. The Lessons of Viserion and Technological Advantage
• 10. Game of Pwns: Baelish and Varys as Drivers of Modern Conflict
• 11. wmd in Westeros and Beyond
• 12. The Influence of Sea Power on Westeros
• 13. Winning the Waves: Sea Power and the Seven Kingdoms
• 14. What the Walls of Westeros Teach Us about War and Warfare
• Part 3. Combat and War
• 15. Siege Warfare in the Seven Kingdoms
• 16. Dragons, Dothraki, and Achieving Victory in Battle
• 17. The Wildlings at the Wall: When Climate Drives Conflict
• 18. Shock and Chaos: Psychological Weapons of War in Westeros and Our World
• 19. How to Fight the Lannister Armies
• 20. Becoming No One: Human Intelligence in the Seven Kingdoms
• 21. The Battle of the Bastards and the Importance of the Reserve
• Part 4. Strategy and War
• 22. The Myth of the Accidental Strategist
• 23. Why the Westerosi Can’t Win Wars
• 24. Strategic Storytelling in Game of Thrones
• 25. Resources, War, and the Night King’s Deadly Arithmetic
• 26. The Red Wedding and the Power of Norms
• 27. Daenerys Targaryen’s Coalitions for War
• 28. Arya Stark’s Targeted Killing and Strategic Decision-Making
• 29. Ned Stark, Hero of the Seven Kingdoms, and Why the Good Guys Win (in the End)
• 30. White Walkers and the Nature of War
• Epilogue: Down from the Citadel, Off the Wall
• Contributors