'The Sword's Other Edge presents a path-breaking new perspective on how states and non-state actors pursue military effectiveness, focusing on tradeoffs they often must confront. Previous work focusses either on gains or losses in effectiveness that technologies and tactical innovations provide. This new volume presents a coherent approach to understanding the net effect on effectiveness of changes in the ways that states employ military power. The authors provide insights into critical dimensions of contemporary foreign policy issues, including drone strikes, military robotics, counterinsurgency, ISIS, nuclear weapons, rising military threats from Russia, and others. The chapters and examples are filled with rich historical depth, including case studies of World War II, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Korean War, and others, as well as quantitative analyses of the ongoing Philippine insurgency, and of all conventional wars since 1800. A must-read for students, policy makers, and concerned citizens.' Allan C. Stam, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia