Reconciling strategic studies ... with itself: a common framework for choosing among strategies

Three distinct, and seemingly irreconcilable, schools of thought are identified within the strategic studies literature. One which searches for "universal principles of war," a second, "context-dependent," approach that seeks to embed each instance of warfare within its concurren...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Defense & security analysis 2012-12, Vol.28 (4), p.275-287
Main Author: Blanken, Leo J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Clausewitz
Decision making models
Game Theory
Jomini
Luttwak
Military strategy
Military studies
Planners
principles of war
strategic studies
uncertainty
War
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Summary:Three distinct, and seemingly irreconcilable, schools of thought are identified within the strategic studies literature. One which searches for "universal principles of war," a second, "context-dependent," approach that seeks to embed each instance of warfare within its concurrent social, political, technological milieu and, finally a "paradoxical logic" school, which equates strategy with the generation of uncertainty. The author offers some intuitive concepts from non-cooperative game theory to develop a "dominate-mix" approach to strategy choice. In doing so, he helps to reconcile these disparate approaches and provides a simple framework to assist researchers in framing military decisions as well as to assist planners in choosing among strategies.
ISSN:1475-1798
1475-1801
DOI:10.1080/14751798.2012.730723