Strategy and History

Strategy and History comprises a selection of Professor Gray's key contributions to strategic debate over the past thirty years.

These essays have been selected both because they had significant messages for contemporary controversies, and because they have some continuing relevance for today and the future. Each essay in this book is really about strategy in the modern world, and reflects the many dimensions of this complex subject.

This book covers a wide range of subjects and historical events, but there are key issues covered throughout:

• being strategic
• the consequences of actions
• a respect for Clausewitz’s theory of war
• historical dependency
• the importance of geography
• being critical of enthusiasm for technology over human factors
• the primacy of politics.

This important publication provides an invaluable insight into the development of strategic studies over the past 30 years from one of the world's leading theorists and practitioners of the subject. The book will be of great interest to all students and analysts of strategy and international studies.

“'Makes significant contributions to both the history and the theory of RMA ... this provocative integration of historical record and theoretical framework extends Professor Gray's record of distinguished contributions to the field of security studies.'- Comparative Strategy 'It is a capital idea to have all these essays published together for they contain much wisdom. Admittedly, this reviewer is an admirer of Dr. Gray's work, but the importance of the ideas he addresses in this series of essays collected over 30 years should give much food for thought even to less impressed readers.' Dr Stephen Blank, Parameters”

'Makes significant contributions to both the history and the theory of RMA ... this provocative integration of historical record and theoretical framework extends Professor Gray's record of distinguished contributions to the field of security studies.'- Comparative Strategy

'It is a capital idea to have all these essays published together for they contain much wisdom. Admittedly, this reviewer is an admirer of Dr. Gray’s work, but the importance of the ideas he addresses in this series of essays collected over 30 years should give much food for thought even to less impressed readers.' Dr Stephen Blank, Parameters

Colin Gray is Professor of International Politics and Strategic Studies at the University of Reading, UK. He is the author of 19 books, more than 300 articles, and several dozen reports for government. His work is often cited in the fields of arms control, maritime strategy, nuclear strategy, and strategic culture. Recent works include Strategy for Chaos: RMA Theory and the Evidence of History (2002); The Sheriff: America's Defense of the New World Order (2004). He is General Series Co-Editor of the Strategy and History Series for Routledge.

Strategy and History comprises a selection of Professor Gray'skey contributions to strategic debate over the past thirty years. These essays have been selected both because they had significant messages for contemporary controversies, and because they have some continuing relevance for today and the future.Eachessay in thisbook is really about strategy in the modern world, and reflects the many dimensions of this complex subject. This bookcovers a wide range of subjects and historicalevents, but there are key issues coveredthroughout: being strategic the consequences of actions a respect for Clausewitz's theory of war historical dependency the importance of geography being critical of enthusiasm for technology over human factors the primacy of politics. This important publication provides an invaluable insight into the development of strategic studies over the past 30 years from one of the world's leading theorists and practitioners of the subject. The book will be of great interest to all students and analysts of strategy and international studies.

This book comprises a selection of Prof. Gray's more important contributions to strategic debate over the past thirty years. The essays have been selected both because they had significant messages for contemporary controversies, and because they have some continuing relevance for today and the future. Each essay in the book is really about strategy in the modern world, and reflects the many dimensions of that complex subject. The book, by its nature, covers a wide range of subjects and historical events, but there are certain enduring issues covered throughout the book. These common, underlying themes can be summarized as follows: - Being strategic - concerned with the consequences of actions; - A respect for Clausewitz's theory of war; - History-dependent; - The importance of geography; - Being critical of enthusiasm for technology over human factors

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