Episode 57: The Peloponnesian War and Maritime Security with John Maurer

To look at the present, it pays to study the past. No past conflict is more foundational to the field of international relations and security studies than the Peloponnesian War. The Peloponnesian War (431 BCE – 404 BCE) was fought between Greek city-states Athens and Sparta. Why is this conflict so studied 2500 years after it took place? We sit down with Doctor John H. Maurer to deduce the modern relevance of the Peloponnesian War. We discuss how the Peloponnesian War is one of the first examples of many modern security problems, including coalition warfare, ideological conflict, and long-range expeditionary operations.

About the Guest

John H. Maurer is the Alfred Thayer Mahan Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy, and he previously served as the Chair of the Strategy and Policy Department at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He is the author or editor of books examining the outbreak of World War I, military interventions in the developing world, naval rivalries and arms control between the two world wars, and a study about Winston Churchill’s views on British foreign policy and grand strategy. He also serves as a senior research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, on the Editorial Board of Orbis: A Journal of World Affairs, and as Associate Editor of Diplomacy and Statecraft. In addition, he has served on the Secretary of the Navy’s advisory committee on naval history. In recognition of his service and contribution to professional military education, he has received both the U.S. Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Superior Civilian Service Award.

Views expressed are personal and do not represent the views of GSSR or any other entity.