Masters of War is the first comprehensive study based on a detailed textual analysis of the classical works on war by Clauswitz, Sun Tzu, Mao Tse-tung, and, to a lesser extent, Jomini and Machiavelli.

Chapter 1 Strategy: Past Theories, Modern Practice; Chapter 2 Comparing Sun Tzu and Clausewitz; Chapter 3 The Definition of War: A Question of the Level of Analysis; Chapter 4 Clausewitz and Mao Tse-tung on Theory and Practice in War; Chapter 5 'Attacking the Enemy's Plans' and the Concept of 'The Center of Gravity': Eastern Psychology and Western Mechanics; Chapter 6 The Primacy of Politics and the Military Commander; Chapter 7 The Rational Calculus of War: Correlating Ends and Means; Chapter 8 Clausewitz on the Role of 'Moral Forces' in War; Chapter 9 The Supreme Act of Judgment: Understanding the 'Nature of War' and the 'Trinitarian Analysis'; Chapter 10 The First Element of the Remarkable Trinity: The People in Arms; Chapter 11 The Ideal and the Real: Victory Without Bloodshed and the Search for the Decisive Battle; Chapter 12 Speed, Numerical Superiority, and Victory; Chapter 13 on Clausewitz's use of the ideal-type method.; Chapter 14 Clausewitz on War Termination; Chapter 15 Deception, Surprise, and Intelligence; Chapter 16 On Military Leadership; Chapter 17 Boldness and Calculation; Chapter 18 Corbett, Clausewitz, and Sun Tzu; Chapter 19 Conclusions: Towards a Unified Theory of War;