The Dragons and the Snakes

‘This book should be read by everyone in uniform.’ — The Times

‘Impressive … based on a formidable array of military and political sources.’ — The Financial Times

‘Interesting and provocative.’ — The Sunday Times

In 1993, a newly-appointed CIA director warned that Western powers might have ‘slain a large dragon’ with the fall of the USSR, but now faced a ‘bewildering variety of poisonous snakes’. Since then, both dragons (state enemies like Russia and China) and snakes (terrorist and guerrilla organisations) have watched the US struggle in Iraq and Afghanistan, and mastered new methods in response: hybrid and urban warfare, political manipulation, and harnessing digital technology.

Leading soldier-scholar David Kilcullen reveals everything the West’s opponents have learned from twenty-first-century conflict and explains how their cutting-edge tactics and adaptability pose a serious threat to America and its allies, disabling the West’s military advantage.

The Dragons and the Snakes is a compelling, counterintuitive look at the new, vastly complex global arena. Kilcullen reshapes our understanding of the West’s foes, and shows how it can respond.

• Winner of the United States Army Superior Civilian Service Medal, David Kilcullen is an internationally renowned strategist who has authored numerous books on the subject and advised governments at the highest level.
• A compelling, counterintuitive look at this vastly complex global arena that is shaping our understanding of anti-American capabilities
• A leading strategist explains how the West’s obsession with terrorism left it vulnerable to its more conventional adversaries: China and Russia.