Grand Strategies in War and Peace

by Paul Kennedy (Editor)

In this important book, eminent authorities discuss how various nations have sought to integrate their political, economic, and military goals in order to preserve their long-term interests in time of war and peace. Edited and with two chapters written by Paul M. Kennedy, the author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers , the book analyzes classic examples of European garand strategies and offers incisive advice on the proper balance of priorities that should be carried out by the United States today. The book begins with a chapter by Kennedy that shows how the concept of grand strategy has broadened from a preoccupation with battlefield operations to a consideration of such factors as the management of national resources, the vital role of diplomacy, and the willingness of the general populace to support the burdens of war or the cost of large defense forces in peacetime. In succeeding chapters John Hattendorf, Michael Howard, and Eliot Cohen analyze British grand strategies in the War of Spanish Succession and the two world wars. Arther Ferrill, J. H. Elliott, Dennis E. Showalter, Douglas Porch, and Condoleeza Rice then discuss grand strategy in the Roman Empire, imperial Spain, Germany, France, and the Soviet Union. The book concludes with reflections by Kennedy on American grand strategy today and in the future. He argues that America must avoid nuclear war, create armed forces flexible enough to deal with a variety of possible fighting contingencies, preserve its alliance system, and institute serious measures to reverse the economic and social trends that have weakened its preeminent position in the world. In other words, says Kennedy, America must maintain a reservoir of productive, financial, technological, and educational strength to be in a good position to meet the unpredictable and turbulent world of the early twenty-first century.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Military History, Politics, International Relations, International Affairs, War

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Paul Michael Kennedy is a British historian specialising in the history of international relations, economic power and grand strategy. He has published prominent books on the history of British foreign policy and Great Power struggles.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice collection of essays however it is dated because the last two essays about the cold war and its end, don't capture what has happened in the late 90's and 2000's. The essay on Philip II is indispensable and the introductory essay really lays out a working definition of grand strategy.

[Michael Toleno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Portions of this book were required reading for Strategy & Policy course for JPME I (Joint Professional Military Education, phase I), a war college–level course of instruction that most officers complete by the O-5 level (lieutenant colonel or Navy commander rank). Years after I completed JPME I (in 2009 through the U.S. Naval War College), I went back and read the entire books from which portions had been selected for JPME.

A collection of fascinating essays about great powers and their grand strategies dating back centuries, explaining the relevance of their rise and fall, their successes and failures, to understanding grand strategy today. Four stars only because it's an anthology and because I read it seven years ago, reducing my ability to remember if it was truly worthy of five stars.