Strategy and Ethnic Conflict: A Method, Theory, and Case Study [Hardcover]

Laure Paquette (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 027597636X | ISBN-13: 978-0275976361 | Publication Date: February 28, 2002

Ethnic conflict now presents the thorniest problems for military and civilian strategists of all stripes. This book presents a new general theory of strategy, encompassing studies of the relationship between values, interest, and strategy as these relate to ethnic conflicts. It focuses on the relationship between values and strategy, building a theory on the hypothesis that national values influence national strategy. Paquette's research reveals that national values influence national strategy through three mechanisms: cognition, appreciation, and evaluation. Each mechanism, and indeed the whole value-focused approach to strategic thinking, is described using a network of interrelated statements.

Paquette develops a methodology specific to the issues of international security and ethnic considerations. She tests this theory extensively for internal consistency before applying it to a single historical case: French decision-making on national strategy between 1955 and 1970; however, because of its generality, this same theory could easily be applied to other cases. As with any theory, it is possible to vary successively or simultaneously assumptions or conditions and to derive new predictions. This process of deriving variations has the potential to help in the training of strategists, both military and civilian.

Editorial Reviews

Review

?InStrategy and Ethnic Conflict, Laure Paquette offers some very interesting ideas for consideration. In particular, The incorporation of national values into a theory of strategy is intriguing, and her hypotheses on the relationship between types of national values and strategic choices could be very valuable.?-Comprative Strategy

About the Author

LAURE PAQUETTE is Associate Professor of Political Science at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (February 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 027597636X
• ISBN-13: 978-0275976361
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,573,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

About Laure Paquette

Laure Paquette, Ph.D., is an expert in strategy from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She helps people get what they want, especially when they have no power and no money. Prof. Paquette has lectured and conducted research in 23 countries. She has published books on strategy, tactics, NATO and Pacific Rim security issues, strategic activism, election campaign strategy, strategic change in health care systems, bio-terrorism, and counterinsurgency. She has also written plays and is working on a novel. She speaks English and French. She can be reached at [e-mail], and maintains a web page and writing, reading, and research blogs.

Helping People Get What They Want, Especially Underdogs

Underdogs don't think like those with power of any kind - military, political or economic. Dr. Laure Paquette has developed a revolutionary new way of structuring, explaining, analyzing and teaching strategy, focusing on what the underdog needs to succeed over the strong, and how the underdog thinks when dealing with the powerful. The system can be used in a wide range of applications and environments and is geared to participants from all walks of life, and with different learning styles.

Dr. Paquette's hands-on approach to strategy can be used by individuals, small groups or large organizations, using checklists and forms, as well as hands-on exercises. It can easily be adapted to a wide range of applications and environments. Sessions can be as short as 90 minutes, or can span over several days - whatever you need, whatever your available schedule.

Some of the tools evolved from Dr.Paquette's research are a set of exercises, using simple board games, to quickly spot people in any group who have an easier time thinking strategically. The exercises focus on teaching participants to:
* develop "think ahead" and "multiple what-if" skills;
* develop the ability to predict outcomes in increasing numbers of different scenarios;
* practice the steps of strategy development and analysis using case studies; and
* distill broad approaches into a single core concept, and use it in achieving goals.

During the exercises, the approach is to start with simple tasks, then making the tasks more and more complicated and difficult until rational thought alone isn't enough to deal with the situation.

The aim of the process is to teach or draw out the ability to predict outcomes in an increasing number of scenarios, and the ability to better think ahead - the attributes of natural strategists, able to understand underdog strategy, and put themselves in that position.