The Utility of Force cover

The Utility of Force

by Rupert Smith

"War no longer exists," writes General Sir Rupert Smith, reminding us that the clash of mass national armies--the system of war since Napoleon--will never occur again. Instead, he argues, we must be prepared to adapt tactics to each conflict, or lose the ability to protect ourselves and our way of life. General Smith draws on his experience as a commander to give us a probing analysis of modern war and to call for radically new military thinking. Why do we use armed force to solve our political problems? And how is it that our armies can win battles but fail to solve the problems?--From publisher description.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?