U.S. Army War College >> Strategic Studies Institute >> Publications >> Details

Strategy and Grand Strategy: What Students and Practitioners Need to Know

Authored by Dr. Tami Davis Biddle.

Brief Synopsis

View the Executive Summary

In this monograph, Dr. Tami Davis Biddle examines why it is so difficult to devise, implement, and sustain sound strategies and grand strategies. Her analysis begins with an examination of the meaning of the term “strategy” and a history of the ways that political actors have sought to employ strategies and grand strategies to achieve their desired political aims. She examines the reasons why the logic undergirding strategy is often lacking and why challenges of implementation (including bureaucratic politics, unforeseen events, civil-military tensions, and domestic pressures) complicate and undermine desired outcomes. This clear-headed critique, built on a broad base of literature (historical and modern; academic and policy-oriented), will serve as a valuable guide to students and policymakers alike as they seek to navigate their way through the unavoidable challenges—and inevitable twists and turns—inherent in the development and implementation of strategy.

You may also be interested in the following titles:

• 
  What Next for Russia’s Front-Line States?

• 
  Implications of Service Cyberspace Component Commands for Army Cyberspace Operations

• 
  Contemporary Chemical Weapons Use in Syria and Iraq by the Assad Regime and the Islamic State

• 
  Examining the Roles of Army Reserve Component Forces in Military Cyberspace Operations

• 
  Scenario Planning and Strategy in the Pentagon

• 
  The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 1: Invasion – Insurgency – Civil War, 2003-2006

• 
  The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 2: Surge and Withdrawal, 2007-2011

• 
  Maneuvering the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry in the Middle East: How the United States Can Preserve and Pro...

Survey: Strategy and Grand Strategy: What Students and Practitioners Need to Know

1. How would you rate the writing and overall quality? (5 best - 1 Worst)

12345

N/A

2. Is the content relevant for influencing present and future debates?

YesNoNo Opinion

Your Comments (No URLs Allowed):

If you'd like a reply to your comments, provide your email:
(optional)

View other pubs in the following categories:

Military Change and Transformation
Military Strategy and Policy
War and Society