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June 1, 2026

Book Review: The New Calculus of Escalation: Avoiding Armageddon in Great Power Conflict

Cover for The New Calculus of Escalation: Avoiding Armageddon in Great Power Conflict
Strategy |

Author: Martin C. Libicki

| Reviewed by: Colonel Darren W. Buss, faculty instructor, Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, US Army War College
 
In The New Calculus of Escalation, Martin C. Libicki redefines how we understand the thresholds between peace, conventional war, and nuclear conflict in an era shaped by cyber warfare and emerging technologies. Drawing lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war and Cold War doctrines, he offers a fresh framework for managing escalation to prevent catastrophic outcomes. This timely and thought-provoking book is essential reading for strategists, policymakers, and anyone concerned with the future of great power conflict.
 

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Keywords: great power competition, complex cyber, nuclear war, arms control, international politics