WAR, PEACE AND VICTORY: STRATEGY AND STATECRAFT FOR THE NEXT CENTURY

by Colin S. Gray

Overview

From Simon & Schuster, War, Peace, and Victory is Colin S. Gray's exploration of strategy and statecraft for the next century.

In War, Peace, and Victory Colin S. Gray shows how geography, technology, history and national culture shape government policy, and explains how nations pursue their strategic interests in times of peace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780671740290
Publisher:	Touchstone
Publication date:	06/15/1991
Series:	Touchstone Book
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Colin S. Gray was a writer on geopolitics and professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at the University of Reading, where he was the director of the Centre for Strategic Studies. In addition, he was a Senior Associate to the National Institute for Public Policy.

Editorial Reviews

Gray's impressively broad study defines what strategy is, how it has been applied and misapplied throughout history, and explains its role in the apparent Western victory in the Cold War. Five interrelated themes dominate the book: the unity of strategic phenomena, the influence of geography, the value of historical experience, the influence of national culture and the consequences of technological change in relation to strategy and statecraft. With frequent reference to Karl von Clausewitz, Alfred Mahan and other writers on strategy, Gray offers historical examples of strategy in action. He notes, for instance, that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was an operational masterpiece but a strategic catastrophe, and that basic strategic doctrine was all but ignored by the U.S. throughout the Vietnam War. Calling for a holistic appreciation of strategy, he argues persuasively that strategic planning in the U.S. needs to be more inclusive. An authoritative addition to the thin shelf of books on this important subject, by the president of the National Institute for Public Policy and author of Nuclear Strategy and National Style. (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This is an excellent work on diplomacy. Well-known as a knowledgeable though controversially conservative specialist on strategic thought, Gray here offers his prescriptions for appropriate foreign policy behavior. The book is well written and free of undue academic jargon. Although his focus is on U.S. security problems, Gray explores an impressive variety of strategic issues. Based on a wide range of historical examples, this book is not likely to become outdated in the next few years, as many comparable texts will. A useful acquisition for any international affairs collection.--Richard Weitz, Harvard

Library Journal