Strategy and Politics

Colin S. Gray

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781134697991
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

This book examines the subject of strategy and its relationship with politics.

Despite the fact that strategy is always the product of political process, the relationship between the two concepts and their ancillary activities has scarcely been touched by scholars. This book corrects that serious deficiency, and explains the high relevance of political factors for matters of general defence. Each chapter aims to show how and why strategy and politics interact and how this interaction has had significant consequences historically. Neither strategy nor politics can make sense if considered alone. Strategy requires direction that can only be provided by political process, while politics cannot be implemented without strategy.

In summary, this volume will explain:

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• what strategy is (and is not)

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• why strategy is essential

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• what strategy does and how it does it

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• how strategy is made and executed

Written by a leading scholar and former practitioner, this book will be essential reading for all students of military strategy, strategic studies, security studies and war and conflict studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Introduction: the argument
• 1. Politics, power, and security
• 2. Peace and war: politics at home and abroad
• 3. War and warfare
• 4. Theory for practice
• 5. Making strategy
• 6. History and geography
• 7. Culture and circumstance
• 8. Civil–military relations
• 9. Politics and defence planning
• 10. Morality and its ethics in politics and strategy
• 11. Strategic future
• Key terms
• Bibliography
• Index