The Dragons and the Snakes

The first work to put forward a unified theory of how state and non-state threats now overlap and intersect.

In 1993, a newly appointed CIA director warned that Western powers might have "slain a large dragon" with the fall of the USSR, but now faced a "bewildering variety of poisonous snakes." Since then, the dragons (state enemies such as Russia and China) and snakes (terrorist and guerrilla organisations) have watched the US struggle in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have mastered new methods in response—hybrid and urban warfare, political manipulation, and harnessing digital technology.

Leading soldier-scholar David Kilcullen reveals what the West's opponents have learned from twenty-first-century conflict, and explains how their cutting-edge tactics and adaptability pose a serious threat to America and its allies, disabling the West's military advantage. State and non-state threats have increasingly come to resemble each other, he argues, with states adopting non-state techniques and non-state actors now able to access levels of precision and lethal weapon systems once only available to governments.

The Dragons and the Snakes is a compelling, counterintuitive look at the new, vastly complex global arena. Kilcullen reshapes our understanding of the West's foes, and shows how it can respond.

'David Kilcullen has produced another thoughtful, important book. At a time when some believe that the return of competition with great powers (i.e. dragons) might serve as an emotional cathartic to help forget the long war against jihadist terrorist organisations (i.e. snakes), the author exposes and transcends that false choice. His ideas about how to fight for peace in a dangerous world should be read and discussed not only by diplomats, defence officials, and military officers, but also by citizens concerned about securing a better future for their children.'
—H.R. McMaster, retired US Army Lt-General, and author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds

'Disturbingly brilliant. David Kilcullen, ever the thoughtful observer of wars and the people who wage them, captures the changes in warfare that already confound—and threaten to overwhelm us. He correctly shows that we are mentally and physically unprepared for the new nature of conflict, and will likely pay dearly for it.'
—Stanley McChrystal, retired US Army General, and partner at McChrystal Group

'Once again David Kilcullen succeeds in demonstrating how our adversaries are adapting faster than we are to the experiences of the recent past. Timely advice for defence strategists on how to apply those lessons, and to plan for the next conflict, not the last.'
—Professor Sir David Omand, former UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator