Select enemy. Delete
Only America is close to mastering the new technologies that are transforming war. That gives it a huge advantage over potential foes--and allies
MILITARY revolutions occur repeatedly throughout history. They are as often based on broader social developments as on military technology; generally they favour offence. Revolutionary France used new ideas such as liberty and patriotism to create huge “citizen armies” which swept all before them for a while. In the 1860s the Prussians in Europe and the northerners in the American civil war exploited the telegraph, railway and rifle to win wars on the basis of superior logistics. In the 1930s, when all the big powers were developing tanks, radios and bombers, Germany found the tactics and organisation that could meld them into Blitzkrieg.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Select enemy. Delete”
Briefing March 8th 1997
From the March 8th 1997 edition
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