Strategic Reflections

Strategic Reflections are a companion series on Substack to my trilogy Making Sense of War. Each reflection distils a central theme from the books – the causes, conduct, and consequences of organised violence – into concise essays that link past conflicts to present realities.

These reflections explore why war endures, how politics and strategy intertwine, and what lessons history offers for peace.

They do not glorify war or advocate war as a way of solving diplomatic or inter-polity problems, they examine war as a deliberate human choice – political, cultural, and moral – whose understanding is essential if peace is to be more than a pause between battles.

One proof reader commented:

‘Written in Pike’s characteristic style — analytical, rigorous, and accessible — they invite readers to think more clearly about the nature of power, restraint, and responsibility in the modern world’