Scipio's African Campaign, 204-202 BC

Scipio’s African Campaign, 204-202 BC

  

The last years of the 3^rd Century BC saw the finale to the 2^nd Punic War, a war of supremacy between Rome and Carthage. Under the leadership of Publius Cornelius Scipio, Roman forces would mount a daring overseas expedition to Africa, defeat the great Carthaginian general Hannibal, and achieve what previous invasions could not – eliminate Carthage as a power. In doing so, the victory of Scipio ‘Africanus’ heralded 6 centuries of Roman Mediterranean dominance.

Welcome to Strategy Stuff, and this is the strategy of Scipio’s African Campaign.

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 5: Politics and Strategy (27/01/2020)

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 5: Politics and Strategy

Hi, and welcome to Strategy Stuff. This is a video series I originally made for CaspianReport on the geostrategic analysis of the Peloponnesian War. In the fourth video, we looked at how competing Athenian and Spartan strategies finally culminated in a Spartan victory in the final phase of the War. Now, we conclude the series by looking at how politics influenced Athenian and Spartan strategymaking.

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 4: Syracuse and the Ionian War (06/01/2020)

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 4: Syracuse and the Ionian War

Hi, and welcome to Strategy Stuff. This is a video series I originally made for CaspianReport on the geostrategic analysis of the Peloponnesian War. In the third video, we examined Athens’ ascent and Sparta’s response during the Archidamian War. Now, we see how a 3^rd generation of leaders sought decision in the final phases of the conflict: the Peace of Nicias, the infamous Sicilian Expedition, and the Ionian War.

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 3: The Archidamian War (15/12/19)

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 3: The Archidamian War

Hi, and welcome to Strategy Stuff. This is a video series I originally made for CaspianReport on the geostrategic analysis of the Peloponnesian War. Previously, we went over the opening strategies of Athens and Sparta. Now, with their failure and the death of the first generation of leaders, in this third video we look at how both sides adapted to the developing war.

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 2: Pericles vs Archidamus (08/12/2019)

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War, Part 2: Pericles vs Archidamus

Hi, and welcome to Strategy Stuff. This is a video series I originally made for CaspianReport on the geostrategic analysis of the Peloponnesian War. Way back in March, I analyzed the causes of this conflict; and now, as war became a reality, we examine how Athens and Sparta planned their opening moves.

When war began in 431BC, most Greeks expected Sparta to defeat Athens within three years. While this piece of conventional wisdom turned out to be wildly incorrect, its reveals something about how the Ancient Greeks thought of strategy.

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War 1: Thucydides’ Trap (02/04/2019)

Geostrategy of the Peloponnesian War 1: Thucydides’ Trap - A Collaboration with CaspianReport

Starting in 431 BC, the ancient Greek world turned on itself as Sparta and Athens locked horns. The result of this rivalry, as is captured vividly and analysed thoroughly by historian Thucydides, was a dynamic conflict that pitted a land power against a naval power. The hostilities lasted on and off for decades, but the events fundamentally shaped the study of geopolitics. It was a war like no other. The catalyst of this conflict and steady manner in which it grew into all-out hostilities has inspired strategic concepts and thinkers throughout the ages. So, to draw parallels with the present, we must analyse Thucydides Trap’ and go over the origins of the Peloponnesian War.

My name is Strategy Stuff and welcome to CaspianReport.

Chinese Strategy Against the Northern Steppe, c.600BC to 90AD (19/07/2018)

Chinese Strategy Against the Northern Steppe, c.600BC to 90AD

Introduction

This video will cover the strategies adopted by the early Chinese states against semi-settled or nomadic peoples in the northern steppes, culminating in the 300-year-long struggle between the Chinese Han Dynasty and the nomadic Xiongnu Empire. As the opening act to two thousand years of competition, what Chinese leaders did here influenced future policymakers and as such forms part of China’s strategic DNA. 

Defensive Strategies of the Roman Empire (18/12/2017)

Defensive Strategies of the Roman Empire

This video will describe the strategies employed by the Roman Empire to defend its territory, as laid out in American strategist Edward Luttwak’s Book, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire. Luttwak is not a full-time historian and archaeological evidence contradicts some of his views, but at a minimum the video illustrates his thinking on several variants of defensive strategy, their pros and cons, and the links that exist between politics and strategy formulation.

The Strategy of the Peloponnesian War (01/07/2017)

The Strategy of the Peloponnesian War

From 431 to 404BC, Athens, Sparta and their respective allies fought a 27-year-long war spanning much of Classical Greece and its colonies. This video will assess the strategies pursued by both sides of the Second Peloponnesian War, and how they affected the course of the conflict.