Welcome back to Mil History Talk, where history meets the headlines. Today, we’re stepping into the twenty-first century to unpack one of the most influential—and misunderstood—concepts in modern strategy: Unrestricted Warfare. In 1999, two Chinese PLA colonels, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, argued that the wars of the future wouldn’t just be fought with bombs and bullets—but with banks, data, and ideas. Their theory predicted a world where information is ammunition, and influence is a weapon. From cyberattacks to artificial islands, their vision is shaping China’s grand strategy today. In this episode, Hope and Brian explore how Qiao and Wang’s ideas evolved into a global playbook for power—melding Sun Tzu’s subtlety, Mao’s total warfare, and Mahan’s sea power into a modern doctrine of dominance without open war.For a deep dive into this subject see the paper we wrote at our substack site:

https://dimarcol.substack.com/p/the-legacy-of-unrestricted-warfare?r=yqzwr