The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World

The Henry L. Stimson Lectures Series

by Anne-Marie Slaughter

From a renowned foreign-policy expert, a new paradigm for strategy in the twenty-first century

In 1961, Thomas Schelling’s The Strategy of Conflict used game theory to radically reenvision the U.S.-Soviet relationship and establish the basis of international relations for the rest of the Cold War. Now, Anne-Marie Slaughter—one of Foreign Policy’ s Top 100 Global Thinkers from 2009 to 2012, and the first woman to serve as director of the State Department Office of Policy Planning—applies network theory to develop a new set of strategies for the post-Cold War world. While chessboard-style competitive relationships still exist—U.S.-Iranian relations, for example—many other situations demand that we look not at individual entities but at their links to one another. We must learn to understand, shape, and build on those connections.
 
Concise and accessible, based on real-world situations, on a lucid understanding of network science, and on a clear taxonomy of strategies, this will be a go-to resource for anyone looking for a new way to think about strategy in politics or business.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, International Relations, Political Science, Business, Sociology, Science

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2017

About the author

Anne-Marie Slaughter is currently the President and CEO of New America, a think tank and civic enterprise with offices in Washington and New York. She is also the Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. From 2009–2011 she served as director of Policy Planning for the United States Department of State, the first woman to hold that position.

Dr. Slaughter has written or edited several books, including Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World (2017), Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family (2015), The Idea That Is America: Keeping Faith with Our Values in a Dangerous World (2007) and A New World Order (2004). Dr. Slaughter is a Contributing Editor to the Financial Times and writes a bi-monthly column for Project Syndicate .

She is married to Professor Andrew Moravcsik; they live in Princeton with their two sons. You can follow her on Twitter: @SlaughterAM.

Reviews

[Nelson Rosario · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent high level read of emerging issues facing international relations. The static chessboard view of the world no longer applies to a great many situations facing today's nation state. Dr. Slaughter does a masterful job of weaving together disparate disciplines to paint a picture of what statecraft in our networked world should look like.

A couple of concepts I greatly appreciated were her emphasis on homo sociologicus, as opposed to homo economicus, to help policy makers shape their decision making by remembering humans innate need for connection. The other was her ambitious statement that in the future "a network map" would replace the traditional memo. Unfortunately she doesn't really expand too much on what she means by network map in this context, but there are a variety of ways you can conceptualize a network map that would be important to a policy proposal.

All in all I definitely recommend the book. High level take on the future of international relations, but a very enjoyable read.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reasonable introduction to networks and how they are used in foreign policy. I appreciated the definitions most, with examples of how the different kinds of networks have come into play in various places, such as how the US Army used network analysis to battle Iraq and to work with the Afghanis. While these topics have obvious appeal to the business world, this book was really written more toward foreign policy, and by a foreign policy expert, and those kinds of examples are what you find here.

[Rebecca Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful mix of politics and logic thinking! Superbly structured, a huge amount of examples, many many different sources and references to other persons, well explained, as short as it can be, a really good introductory read!

It shows you a hint to how your mindset might look from the outside and where we can shift it to - from the hierarchical chess board, to a more connected world. From closed to open. From controlling to gardening. From vertical to horizontal. From power on to power with. From central structures to decentral hub networks. From authority to trust. From static structures to dynamic organisms. From security to resilience.

Surely gave me much to think about, I'd like to know about the maths behind though. Isn't it fascinating that we can describe political strategies through maths? Always knew that maths will solve the worlds problems...

[Andre Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hacia un sistema internacional interconectado
The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World es un libro de la politóloga Anne-Marie Slaughter que explica a fondo la relevancia e implicaciones de la teoría de las redes globales para el estudio de las relaciones internacionales en el siglo XXI. Anne-Marie Slaugther es la presidenta del think tank especializado en políticas públicas norteamericanas New America y profesora emérita de la Escuela de Asuntos Públicos e Internacionales de Princeton. Tradicionalmente, los encargados de la política exterior han partido de la premisa realista de que las relaciones entre los Estados se basan en el interés propio y la competencia constante. La obra de Slaughter es un texto mayormente crítico y prescriptivo que da la vuelta a esta cosmovisión y propone comprender la diplomacia en términos de niveles y redes globales.
El libro de Slaughter está dividido en tres partes que introducen eficazmente la teoría de redes, así como su evolución e introducción en las relaciones internacionales. Esta primera parte, titulada “Of Great Powers and Globalization”, demuestra que tanto el modelo del tablero de ajedrez, como el modelo de redes, han formado parte del debate teórico en torno a la naturaleza y comportamiento de los Estados desde hace años. De acuerdo a la visión tradicional del modelo del tablero de ajedrez, la política mundial se concibe únicamente como una competencia entre Estados independientes. Sin embargo, la autora argumenta que obras como las de Robert Keohane y Joseph Nye ya han introducido desde hace 40 años conceptos semejantes a los propuestos dentro de la teoría de redes. A pesar de estos avances, Slaughter critica el estancamiento actual de los teóricos con respecto al reconocimiento de las redes globales como variables para el estudio de la política exterior. Es precisamente en esta parte introductoria en donde se aprecia el enfoque innovador de Anne-Marie ya que, ante la falta de instrumentos analíticos en la investigación de las relaciones internacionales, recurre a distintas ciencias como las matemáticas, la biología y la sociología, para la construcción de la teoría de redes.
De acuerdo a la autora, las distintas perspectivas y herramientas de dichas ciencias ayudan a articular una ontología radicalmente distinta a la visión del sistema tradicional, en donde se reconoce ya no un mundo de estados sino de individuos. Lo anterior es de gran importancia ya que, como se menciona en el último capítulo de esta primera parte del libro, titulado “Seeing in Stereo”, Slaugther denota que la política exterior carece de las herramientas necesarias para adecuar las estrategias internacionales a un escenario mundial cada vez más interconectado entre grupos e individuos. Como bien se menciona, mientras que los líderes mundiales saben cómo relacionarse entre Estados, desconocen a la vez cómo relacionarse con los diversos actores que los componen. Sin embargo, el título del capítulo también alude a la importancia de no abandonar la cosmovisión tradicional. En realidad, los estrategas deben de tener un dominio sobre ambas perspectivas o “ver en stereo” para conducir las relaciones internacionales.
Esta problemática es abordada a lo largo de la segunda parte del libro, titulada “Strategies of Connection”. De acuerdo a la politóloga, para poder desarrollar las herramientas necesarias, es menester identificar los grandes problemas que enfrentan las relaciones internacionales. Estas cuestiones las agrupa en tres categorías distintas: problemas de resiliencia, problemas de ejecución y problemas de escala. Las redes de resiliencia, como herramientas para el desarrollo de políticas exteriores, son particularmente relevantes para los estrategas debido a que sus problemáticas se encuentran en áreas como las redes de defensa, de respuesta o de estabilización. Slaughter conceptualiza la resiliencia como la capacidad de un sistema para cambiar y recuperarse de los disturbios que se le puedan presentar. Es por ello que promueve el argumento de que las redes de resiliencia son necesarias para la estabilidad y balance del sistema internacional.
Por otro, de acuerdo a la autora, las redes de ejecución ayudan a que las tareas en distintas ciencias se puedan realizar de manera precisa y en menor tiempo. Con base al relato de Slaughter, es evidente la necesidad de impulsar este tipo de interconexión. No sólo se distribuye información a través de esta clase de redes, sino que además se interconectan distintos solucionadores de problemas sin importar su área de experiencia. Es precisamente gracias a esta habilidad que las redes de ejecución son una de las herramientas más poderosas con las que puede contar un Estado. Finalmente, las redes de escala están estrechamente relacionadas con las de ejecución. Como bien se infiere de su nombre, estas consisten de una agrupación de ideas y conceptos, así como de autores, para determinar las estrategias a tomar. Lo que se observa de estos conceptos es que todos se basan en la interconexión o red entre personas e instituciones.
La última parte del libro de Slaugther, titulado “Power, Leadership and Grand Strategy” comienza con una evaluación realista acerca de la relación existente entre la teoría de redes y uno de los conceptos más tradicionales de la política exterior: el poder. Por un lado, la autora reconoce que todo estudio acerca de los modelos de redes e interconexiones debe integrar las conceptualizaciones convencionales del poder. Después de todo, organismos como las fuerzas armadas o las alianzas internacionales aún promueven la concepción del poder como la capacidad de uno para imponer su voluntad sobre los demás. Sin embargo, es igualmente innegable que la ontología del poder se encuentra ante una transformación importante gracias a la apertura del sistema internacional. En este sentido, Anne-Marie Slaugther lleva a cabo la gran labor de introducir el concepto de “nuevo poder”, definido como la capacidad de muchos para hacer lo que nadie puede hacer solo. Esta nueva perspectiva es de gran relevancia ya que, más allá de la concepción del Estado como actor unitario de las relaciones internacionales, permite que las personas, organizaciones civiles e instituciones, se distribuyan el poder.
The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World es un libro esencial para los internacionalistas y futuros formuladores de política exterior. Es indudable que Slaughter aporta una mirada fresca y relevante para las relaciones internacionales del siglo XXI. Como se menciona a lo largo del libro, si bien es cierto que la visión tradicional aún ejerce una influencia considerable sobre la política exterior, también es cierto que esta misma se encuentra en un proceso de fragmentación. El papel de nuevos actores no-estatales, así como su comunicación global, demuestran que el mundo de las redes mantiene un ritmo progresivo y que, eventualmente, harán obsoletas las visiones tradicionales. La política exterior no puede limitarse a estudiarse en términos de poder militar y económico. Por el contrario, la adaptabilidad, resiliencia y tiempo de respuesta serán los nuevos indicadores del éxito o fracaso de los Estados.
Palabras: 1130

[N Rizkalla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book attempts to present a geopolitical roadmap in a World ruled by interconnected networks rather than the traditional nation-states.

Writers come with different varieties. There are GREAT writers who shape the world with breakthrough ideas, concepts, and theories. They can influence and persuade, so that their ideas make a real difference on how people think, feel or act. Then there is GOOD writers who modestly try to explain the world and help the readers to better understand the depth and breadth of issues. Finally, there are the ARROGANT writers! Those, try to convince you that they are shaping the world while their ideas is very much shaped by what is already happening. Anne-Marie Slaughter falls into this group!

From a theory point of view, the book is a good introduction of the network application into the geopolitical sphere. However, when the author attempts to connect the theory to the real world examples it becomes painfully shallow and disconnected from reality.

Her proposed 'Grand Strategy' is laughable. I believe the real enemies of the West, eg. China and Political Islam, would love the free transfer of power that this author is proposing.

When you learn that Ms. Slaughter was a director of policy planning at Hilary Clinton's State Department, and assuming the likes of her in this political institution and others in Obama's administration, it becomes very clear why they have made all the mess, failure and chaos in the World affairs.

[John Badger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Has taken a great concept which I’m fascinated about, network science, merged it with political science (in the title, not in reality), and completely butchered it. A shallow collection of good ideas that are misrepresented in some cases, and clearly misunderstood by the author. Anyone who has seen someone in the humanities who has never taken a tertiary math course trying to talk about math or physics, ramble on about chaos theory, quantum physics, neural networks and artificial intelligence, as if they understand any of it. The treatment of eigenvector distance in a social network was particularly lousy, because people in the humanities only worship big words, so the author makes it out to be a mystical elusive concept at parts, before proudly simplifying it for her readers… well done.

Not only that, the font is large, and my main gripe is every 3 pages could be condensed into a single sentence without all the waffle of unsubstantiated opinionated crap, name dropping, and random quote insertion for an air of sophistication. So yes the book is printed and drawn out to seem like it treats a topic well, but could be summarised in 10-20 pages much better.

Sadly I have nothing better to recommend, as my journey into network science is just beginning, but Wikipedia would do a better job, and even a dry maths textbook would be better than this. Skim read it at best

[mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author was often speaking to the interconnectedness of social networks and political nation states, but my brain kept drifting to bibliometrics and impact factors. Maybe they are all good models in network theory.

I used audible.com, and it was a bit like listening to a book read by Siri. Ugh.

[Patrick F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slaughter is a boss. Literally. And figuratively.

[Izzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anne Marie Slaughter lectured for a living for a chunk of her life; this boo reads like a lecture. The lecture could have used better and more frequent ilustrations. It explains in more theoretic terms some of the foolishnesses of the recent American President’s withdrawal from the climate and Iran accords which his predecessor entered the US into.
This book I think is proposed as a lecture on how it is best to lead organizations, be they countries, armies, or movements.
Her arguments make some sense; but they do not account for a Sisi in Egypt who followed the Arab Spring, or a throwback like Putin, who leads his country as one of the predecessor European fascists might have led (and did lead) their states into war. The stupidest anecdote in the book is her laudatory description of the daily 2hr conference call that she states McCrystal had in Iraq for 7000 of his underlings; just imagine how much personnel time spent on a conference call that could have been condensed for the purposes of most participants to a post conference email or two!
The examples she gives of Arab Spring is somewhat dated by the repression in Syria or Egypt which followed it. Since the book is five years old, perhaps it is best read as a professor’s discussion of the way people were thinking before they had to deal with the consequences of a Putinian aggressive war a Sisian repression or that of the current Ayatollahs and Revolutionary Guards in Iran or the authoritarians in the Middle Kingdom, or even of Netanyahu’s recent not particularly networked takeover again of Israeli governmental leadership.

[Simon Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book on grand strategy and its application to less-grand challenges in a world dominated by networks.

The central thesis of this book is that the world of hierarchies and direct state-to-state diplomacy – the chessboard – is giving way to a much more nuanced world in which state and non-state actors interact and co-operate in far ore complex ways – the web. The network effects change everything, from the nature of power and how it's used to the nature of leadership and how one can actually get things done.

It's interesting to see the concepts of network science being applied to social and political science in a way that doesn't trivialise them. The applications range from analysis of interaction patterns to trying to engineer particular interactions such as improving information sharing.

There's an obvious comparison to The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks, with which Slaughter contrasts her work, she being a "Wilsonian" humanist versus Joshua Ramo's "Kissingerian" realist. Slaughter's view is that there is a need for more understanding of how small-scale interactions can happen – contrasting with Ramo's desire for aggressive "gatekeeping" of a US-led networked order. I can't help thinking that her view is more realistic and democratic.

[Nick Stasnopolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 out of 5
Most people who know me understand that one of the many subjects I refuse to shut up about is Foreign Policy. Dr. Slaughter is an articulate advocate for an approach to policy that is positive and idealistic. Something I support.

I was excited to read this book and was not disappointed. The best part of her approach is that she thoroughly describes a variety of governmental and organizational structures and gives excellent practical examples. The point she makes that is most important is one most of us already understand; with the internet and packet based technology how we organize ourselves and communicate is rapidly changing. Slaughter provides great ideas for new policy methods going forward. She is most definitely in the Wilsonian thought structure.

There is also a significant compilation of the current literature that is invaluable.

The one piece of constructive criticism I have is that the book is not aimed at general audience. Even her basic explanation of the different policy structures assumes a level of knowledge that many people do not possess. There is an oft used adage applied to football coaches (appropriated from Albert Einstein) that great coaches/teachers take the complicated make it simple. My only regret here is that Slaughter did not put in more effort to make this work accessible to a wider audience.

Especially after the results of the 2016 election her work seems even more prescient.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of well researched insights about how networks and networked technologies effect the world. I read this book right after Ramo's The Seventh Sense, and the two made a nice complement to each other. They respectfully reference and challenge one another. Slaughter has much better depth of research. I had the sense that she reviewed all of the other relevant literature on the topic and made sure to cite and reference ideas to their original writers. Ramo, however, wrote better. In all, both books cover the same topic but present different evidence for their views. Since "evidence" takes the form of interesting stories and statistics, I didn't lose anything by reading both. Also, Ramo has a right-of-center political bias to his writing and Slaughter has a left-of-center bias, so reading both gives some parallax.

All in all Slaughter has better research and Ramo better writing. I liked reading both books but they read like consultant bestsellers.

I also started Ferguson's The Tower and The Square, which references both these books and claims to improve on them. But I found it blustering and incoherent and didn't bother to finish. I would recommend these books instead.

[Tin Wee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the book was interesting - that diplomacy between states in today's day and age should be seen at two levels - at formal levels there is some jockeying for power: seeing things as a zero sum game; while at informal levels forming links and finding common ground. The book provides an academic frame to what kind of context and informal links would work best in bringing about change. There's some wisdom which can be applied in outside of diplomacy - in business, or even everyday dealings.

What I didn't like about the book was it bias to a liberal democratic order and open governments. It smacks of a tired principle which rests on the existence of a rational human being - one which can makes the best decision assuming perfect information. Such a human being has no basis in fact. For a book which encourages 'both ... and' solutions instead of 'either ... or' solutions, this adherence to a tired worldview is disappointing.

Beware - It's quite heavy reading as it is written in an academic style.

[Tom Axworthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne- Marie Slaughter is one of the foremost scholars of international relations today and her book The Chessboard and the Web shows why.She combines great knowledge of the dominant realist balance of power paradigm of her discipline while arguing that networks and connections are a new force that every foreign policy planner has to take seriously. For this new perspective she draws heavily on business, psychology, technology studies and many other fields but weaves them into a whole and applies their insights into a call for a new Grand Strategy of Open Societies and Open Governments. The book was written before the trainwreck of the Trump administration and readers today may find her hopeful references to the Iran Nuclear Treaty and other examples of international cooperation dated but hope endures that the world might return to the Open Society goals she argues for so persuasively.

[Douglas Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne-Marie Slaughter delivers a compelling framework through which to view, analyze, and develop global politics and policy. She seeks to have a similar impact as Thomas Schelling's 1961 game theory on world politics and the Cold War. While I am not sure she reached that mark...nor do I think we can accurately assess it for decades to come...it is a very important read for leaders within the Foreign Policy and National Security sphere. She deftly weaves cyberspace, history, case studies, social media, politics, and policy to build a framework of our current and future landscape. This is no surprise coming from one of Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2009 and the first woman to serve as director of the State Department Office of Policy Planning. This is the foreign policy and global politics version of Brafman & Beckstrom's The Starfish and the Spider.

[Changho Sohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes a pervasive stab at international relations. Very coherent in logic, it builds up the argument with much dexterity and intellectual skill. This is no small deal because Slaughter faces the world of simple realism, where power dominates and self-interest rules supreme. Slaughter has to argue against such a straight-forward explanation of international relations and its gru, Brzezinsky. The recommendation is to read slowly and to chew on it. The bark will seep with juice, but only if you chew on it with care and attention. The vision that rises from the endeavor will differ depending on the readers' take on the worldview. Just be open that the world can be viewed as a web, with as much vengeance and menace as realism purports. Slaughter brings out a web and demonstrates that there is a spider lurking. Well, that's my vision.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Very thoughtful about network theory, human nature, and even game theory. Provides thoughtful insights into the inner workings and thought processes underlying the Obama administration, although that’s not what it’s specifically about. Also, seems to be a good reference work and starting point for studying network theory, dynamics, and its application from everyday life to international diplomacy. She helps by also defining basic concepts of hard power, soft power, and introducing the concept although not explicitly stated “old power” and “new power”.

I found it very enjoyable and dashed through it quickly, but it might warrant a reread. I’ll certainly use it as a reference for future study, reading, and exploration.

[Raymond Goss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I debated about giving this 3 or 4 stars. The topic is very relevant today (Nov. 2023) with the wars going on in Israel and Hamas as well as the US providing a grant and weapons to Taiwan. Dr. Slaughter makes a point that the world is and needs to be more networked as a web rather than nation states playing chess with each other. The Web provides security and redundancy and supports our connections of people and ties between countries/alliances. The book doesn't go too deep into the game theory topics but advocates for information sharing.
I think the book would be a good read for a book club/discussion group, but not that interesting to read by oneself.

[Streator Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting theory about the way foreign policy is changing with the digital age. Basically, it boils down to the idea that in today's world, how you link with others will ultimately determine where you stand in the world you live and interact in. This is the web part. However, the traditional view (the Chess board part) is has a role so that right now, you need to use a combination of the two if you want to be a player right now. However, I am going to have to reread it MUCH more closely to get anything out of it for my permanent memory.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid primer on international relations in the post-cold war era and biography of Dr. Slaughter. A quick read in very accessible language, but not a ton of insights or original thinking. Dr. Slaughter pushes back against the 'chess game' analogies of game theory that dominated the cold war and dominate much international relations thinking. Instead she pushes for a layered, network-centric approach. The theory has a great deal of promise but not as much scientific rigor.

Recommend for casual interest in international relations.

[Laura Carpenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I absolutely loved Anne-Marie Slaughter's other book, Unfinished Business. This book did not meet my expectations. After finishing the book, I still feel unable to concisely share its thesis or takeaways with others.

Maybe this is just a book for foreign policy buffs - a category to which I don't belong. That said, the book itself felt dull, vague and didn't prescribe many actionable steps to lead in a networked world.

[Matt Heavner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, really good look at the organizational/geopolitical shift from leading (running, directing, governing) to serving (facilitating, connecting, working with). A few small aspects felt a bit dated (this was pre-Brexit). And some of the thinking and ideas feel like almost common sense (we've made some progress?) - but many insights were still fresh models for thinking. Overall, this was thought provoking and interesting about changes in the world and society.

[Jimbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of bias in this book. But still the ideas are worth reading. The two main concepts of the chessboard vs the web are certainly interesting when looking at the future of international affairs and global policies.

[Tayler Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly well-written and well-researched, this book seems situated in a very particular time and place. Reading it even two years after it was published, I could feel the technological dating of it. It was insightful for redefining the current state of international relations.

[Yunis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slaughter offers strong argument for the importance of the web (connectness).

[Sofia Lozano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great view of power politics.

[Sarah Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful

Insightful study of international relations through the prism of network theory arguing for a pluralist approach to ideologies of organisation and governance

[Chris Aldrich]

Suggested to me by the author's excerpt of the book in a Foreign Affairs article I read on 2016-12-15:
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articl...

[Bart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sort of something-for-everyone aggregation of better books is pre-Covid frivolous (Castells handled her subject better 22 years before, and the author knows it)

[Dan Zisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read - nothing overly original in thought or delivery. The author researched and referenced highly regarded experts in the field, but never really asserted any real position, rather acknowledgment and regurgitation of other’s concepts. A great read to compile support for building teams and networks in today’s geo-political and ever connected world.