On Strategists and Strategy

Historian and essayist Lawrence Freedman revisits his work of the past ten years, providing his unique views on war, strategy and foreign policy.

One of the world's foremost scholars of warfare, both historical and contemporary, Lawrence Freedman has also played an important role in policymaking, serving as an official historian of the Falklands War and on the UK inquiry into the 2003 Iraq War.

This talk will draw on the best of Freedman's many essays from the past ten years on warfare and foreign policy, alongside his more personal pieces on the scholars who influenced him and his own life trajectory.

He will cover a wide range of topics, including: Vladimir Putin's strategic fanaticism; arguments on why we don't take tactics seriously enough and why 'stalemate' is used incorrectly as a metaphor for deadlock in war; considerations of the dilemmas of nuclear deterrence; and what Covid tells us about crisis management.

About the speaker

Sir Lawrence Freedman is Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London. He was Professor of War Studies at King's College London from 1982 to 2014, and Vice-Principal from 2003 to 2013. He was appointed Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997. In June 2009, he was appointed to serve as a member of the official inquiry into Britain and the 2003 Iraq War.

Professor Freedman has written extensively on nuclear strategy and the Cold War, as well as commentating regularly on contemporary security issues. His most recent book is ‘Strategists and Strategy: Collected Essays, 2014-2024’ (2026). He also has a Substack, ‘Comment is Freed’, with his son Sam.