.Watson presents five sieges for detailed analysis. The author utilizes the methodology John Keegan developed to define sieges as a form of battle and to explore the categories of combat–those relationships of men versus weapons and the commitment to battle on the part of the contestants–which determined the outcome of battles and wars. Watson’s unique study is a contribution to the study of siege warfare and provides a background for understanding the Gulf War–which, Watson shows, was a siege–as well as contemporary global conflict.

The sieges–Jerusalem, Malta, Sebastopol, Kut-al-Amara, and Singapore–are analyzed in great detail. From his analysis, Watson developes a set of characteristics of sieges that is useful for understanding the siege–a form of battle that has been with us for a long time and that will remain a major element of modern warfare. Students of military history and tactics–buffs and professionals–will find value and entertainment in this provocative study.