Grand Strategy in Global History: Harnessing Diplomacy, Economics, and Military Force to Advance National Interests (Praeger Security International) Hardcover – May 31, 2017

by Robert T. Davis II (Author)

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Grand strategy in world history comprises the advancement of national policy goals through the coordinated, long-term application of diplomacy, economics, information management, and military power of a state. This standout comparative study opens with an overview of the development of the concept of grand strategy, followed by chapters categorized by key time the Ancient World, the Age of Gunpowder, the Industrial Age, and the Modern Age. Written by expert contributors in their subject area, the chapters broadly examine national/cultural approaches to grand strategy, looking at the conduct of grand strategy over several decades.

The two-volume set addresses and answers questions such Are grand strategies best articulated by individuals or institutions? Are certain forms of institutionalization more effective than others at propagating grand strategy? Can grand strategies be transgenerational? Are certain types of polities more effective than others at developing and maintaining effective grand strategies? Have states tended to favor or excel at certain of the elements of national power over others? What is the optimum balance between diplomacy, economics, information management, and military power? Readers will come away with an appreciation for how any effective assessment of grand strategy requires much more than an appraisal of military power, and that a state's management of its financial and economic resources, its national morale, and its public diplomacy are key factors as well.