A History of War – Strategy Part I: Intelligence, Planning, Iteration

In this salon, Interintellect founder Anna Gát leads a discussion on military intelligence – strategic, operational, tactical. We will look at the history of espionage and strategic planning, as well as the lead-ups to some of the most famous battles. This event is part of our A History of War series; no previous attendance or qualification is required.  

When people think about spies, James Bond comes to mind, or the guy who came in from the cold – maybe Mata Hari, or D-Day… Those with an eye on history or the classics will of course bring up the Trojan Horse or Birnam Forest, the technically minded will think of Turing’s work on the Enigma, or the locating of Osama Bin Laden.

Whether it’s medieval divers or Cold War microchips, humans remain fascinated by the great ruses of war – a source of paralising fear or devil-may-care pride, depending on which side one might be standing on. In this salon we will discuss the nature of secrets, loyalty and legibility, how the desperate arms race for information unfolds time and again, whether maps are open books, and if anyone can be manipulated, or even deceived.

We hope you can join us!

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Readings:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/09/books/secrets-and-surprises.html
• https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/female-spies-world-war-ii/588058/
• https://www.historynet.com/espionage-in-ancient-rome.htm
• https://www.mi5.gov.uk/agent-garbo
• https://www.medievalists.net/2020/01/byzantine-spies-espionage/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/obituaries/alan-turing-overlooked.html
• https://fortune.com/2016/10/31/palantir-us-army/
• https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/node/1788/von-clausewitz-on-war-six-lessons-for-the-modern-strategist

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