Book Review | Urban Warfare in the Twenty-First Century (Second Edition)

Amos Fox

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As odd as it might seem, a good deal of change has visited international affairs since Anthony King published the first edition of Urban Warfare in the Twenty-First Century in 2021. King, Director of the University of Exeter’s Strategy and Security Institute, has revisited the subject of urban warfare at the most appropriate time. In the period between 2021 and the publication of King’s second edition of Urban Warfare, 

the United States ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan, Russia invaded Ukraine, Israel and Hamas went to war in Gaza again, Iran escalated its wars in the Middle East via its proxy networks, Bashar Al-Assad fell from power in Syria, India and Pakistan went to blows, and the list goes on.

Considering these conflicts, King’s original thesis – i.e., that urban warfare is a defining feature of 21st century armed conflict – has been all but confirmed by the conflicts that have unfolded in the interval between 2021 and today. As a result, the publication of King’s second edition of Urban Warfare is both timely and needed. However, and perhaps more importantly, Urban Warfare is foundational reading for anyone interested in – or required to be knowledgeable about – the study of armed conflict, the relationship between force structure and military operations, and the relationship that exists between geography, strategy, and military operations.

Summary

In a reorientation toward the conflicts that have occurred since the publication of Urban Warfare’s first edition, King examines his original thesis against the Russia-Ukraine War’s post-2022 phase and the Israel-Hamas Conflict, among others. In doing so, King provides three primary arguments. First, warfare in urban environments is becoming more frequent and increasingly prevalent in war. During much of the 20th century,

 land armies were large and when they fought, they fought across vast fronts in which urban areas were often minor considerations to much grander military operations. King takes the time to highlight several exceptions to this general rule, to include battles like World War II’s Stalingrad or the post-Soviet era battles of Grozny.