Who Thinks Best Wins How Decisive Strategic Thinking Will Prevent Global Chaos
By Harlan Ullman and David Richards
At no point since the Cold War has global security been so profoundly threatened. Conflict rages in Ukraine and the Middle East, as Russia’s territorial ambitions drive Europe towards major rearmament. China, now among the world’s pre-eminent military and economic superpowers, threatens to undermine the fabric of global cooperation. Meanwhile, uncertainty grows over the US’s long-term commitment to NATO. Without a new strategic framework to make sense of these developments, we stand on the brink of catastrophe. But how do we think strategically in a world succumbing to chaos?
Who Thinks Best Wins sets out to answer this question. Having spent decades at the forefront of global policy, security and defence, Harlan Ullman and David Richards examine why nations and their leaders ultimately succeed or fail on the international stage. With a keen eye on the latest geopolitical crises, they set out practical policies and strategies for navigating an increasingly dangerous world. Ensuring diplomatic success, they argue, depends not simply on military strength or political one-upmanship but on robust planning and decisive thought leadership.
Lively, grounded and accessible, this is a new guide to political strategy for the modern age. In an era of mounting instability, victory will belong not to those who think better but to those who think best.
Reviews
“The West once inspired the world; now, it’s increasingly regarded as in decline. For a generation, our desk-bound leaders have stumbled from one hasty ‘fix’ to the next, only to tie themselves in knots of contradiction and plunge our world into greater chaos. The ability to combine decisive strategic thinking with practical experience in the field is sadly all too rare, but Harlan Ullman and David Richards are two of the most publicly renowned leaders and bring together their lifetimes of hands-on military expertise and profound analytical wisdom in this book. Their insights are needed more than ever.”
Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards
“Run, do not walk, to your local bookshop when Who Thinks Best Wins comes out. Co-authored by Harlan Ullman and David Richards, former head of the British armed forces, the book brilliantly shows how the trajectory of strategic thinking – principally in the US but elsewhere too – is crashing. It tells us how to reverse that decline with recommendations that apply to both governments and the private sector. If you read one book over the coming months, this should be it.”
Anthony Scaramucci, chairman at Skybridge Partners and founder of the SALT conference
“David Richards, former chief of the UK Defence Staff, and Harlan Ullman, who was a key member of the SACEUR advisory board, have combined to write an essential book: a sweeping analysis of strategic thinking, with a focus on war and peace from Presidents Truman to Trump. Their thesis is bold, crisp and concise. Without a sound central concept, strategic thinking and subsequent strategies will be inherently flawed. In a dangerous world, this is simply unacceptable. We should cheer both authors and welcome this book.”
Admiral James Stavridis, 16th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of The Restless Wave: A Novel of the US Navy
“Charting the trajectory of the decline of serious strategic thinking over the decades, Who Thinks Best Wins offers vitally needed recommendations and ideas to reverse this perilous trend. Today’s policymakers, please pay attention.”
Susan Eisenhower, international security expert and president of the Eisenhower Group
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- Hardback, 384 pages
- ISBN: 9781837360963
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14 January 2027
Available to pre-order - £25.00
- eBook
- ISBN: 9781837360970
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14 January 2027
Available to pre-order - £19.99