Excerpts: “Today states are receding everywhere, a sure sign of disorder. From the weakening European Union to the raging Middle East, states are breaking down into regimes or manifestly failing. They are being replaced by other things, such as networks, caliphates, narco-states, warlord kingdoms, corporatocracies, and wastelands” (p. 32).

“A few may blanch at the idea of a foreign legion, but it is a Hobson’s choice” (p. 102).

“The Pentagon spends $120 million on a single F-35 that never flies in combat – surely some money can be spent on something that might be useful in war” (p. 110).

“Shaping people’s perception of reality is more powerful than mobilizing a carrier strike group. It can topple governments, undermine national unity, and weaken resolve in wars” (p. 113).

“Most of military history is privatized, and mercenaries are as old as war itself. The reason is simple: renting force is cheaper than owning it” (p. 125).

“We are entering a reality in which anyone with enough money can rent a military to do whatever he or she wants: start wars, end them, seize other people’s property, murder whole groups of people or save them” (p. 151).

“The label ‘war’ carries a strange legitimacy not accorded to other forms of armed conflict, and the international community musters significantly more political will and resources to ending wars than stopping a crime wave. No one ever got a Nobel Peace Prize for making an arrest” (p. 176).

“Democracy dies without transparency. The West can try to shed light on shadow wars and expose them, but this is not enough; it didn’t save Crimea or the passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight 17. The West needs to learn how to fight in the shadows without losing its soul, or it will continue to get sucker punched by autocracies” (p. 212).

“An agile strategic mind is more important than smart bombs, gee-whiz technology, or numerical superiority. None of these things win war without a quality strategy behind them” (p. 240).

“Handling persistent disorder is like undertaking chronic pain management for an illness rather than attempting to find a cure. Also, no one should weep for Westphalia. The bloodiest wars in history – the world wars – occurred on its watch” (p. 248).

McFate, Sean (2019). The New Rules of War: Victory in the Age of Durable Disorder. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.