Book Review | The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War

Key Takeaways

• War now extends into business, law, information, and culture.
• Hybrid tactics trace back to Renaissance city‑state conflicts.
• States favor low‑intensity competition to avoid costly conventional wars.
• Democracies can weaponize the same tools they use to expose threats.

Pulse Analysis

The rise of "weaponised" civilian domains reflects a historical pattern that predates the digital age. Galeotti’s survey of Renaissance Italian city‑states demonstrates that mercenary armies, financial pressure, and propaganda have long been used to achieve strategic aims without open warfare. By linking these early examples to modern practices—such as sanctions, cyber‑enabled disinformation, and the outsourcing of coercive tasks to criminal networks—the book underscores that the current hype around hybrid warfare masks a deeper continuity in statecraft.

For contemporary policymakers, the implications are two‑fold. First, the expanding toolbox of non‑kinetic instruments demands integrated strategies that blend diplomatic, economic, and intelligence capabilities. Second, liberal democracies must confront the paradox that the same platforms enabling authoritarian disinformation also empower open‑source investigations and civic resilience, as illustrated by Bellingcat’s work on the MH17 incident. Recognising this duality helps avoid alarmist overreactions while ensuring that legal and regulatory frameworks keep pace with evolving threats.

Looking ahead, Galeotti’s concept of "permanent low‑intensity conflict" suggests that future security environments will be defined by continuous, ambiguous contests rather than clear‑cut wars. This reality pushes military forces toward "soldiering‑plus" roles—combining combat readiness with humanitarian and cyber missions—while encouraging states to develop ethical guidelines for employing civilian levers. For business leaders and strategists, the book offers a roadmap to assess geopolitical risk across supply chains, finance, and public perception, reinforcing the need for adaptable, cross‑sectoral resilience in an increasingly weaponised world.