Strategic Thinking: An Introduction and Farewell (Iiss Studies in International Security)

Windsor, Philip

ISBN 10: 1588260240 / ISBN 13: 9781588260246

Published by Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Strategic Thinking: An Introduction and ...

Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers

Publication Date: 2002

Binding: paperback

Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis:

Here, Philip Windsor explores the emergence, meaning, and significance of the Cold War mentality. Tracing the evolution of strategic thinking from its origins in medieval Europe to the demise of the Cold War, he considers the peculiar character and autonomy that strategy acquired in the nuclear age. Windsor is concerned with changes in our understanding of war and strategy - changes, he argues, that resulted less from technological innovation per se than from the combined effects of technological, social, and political transformations. This process culminated in the nuclear age, when strategic thinking became ""self-referring and self-legitimating"" and strategic considerations emerged as ""the decisive force in the conduct of the politics of states and blocs"". The book addresses many of the themes that preoccupied Windsor throughout his academic career and on which his reflections threw such penetrating light: Soviet strategic thought, arms control, the role of alliances, the guerilla phenomenon, and the rationality and ethics of nuclear deterrence. The final chapter explores the implications of the end of the Cold War for the future of strategic studies.

About the Author:

Philip Windsor (1935-2000) retired from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1997. During his more than 30 years at LSE, he established a reputation as one of the most perceptive and thought-provoking thinkers in the field of international relations. Mats Berdal is director of research at the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Spyros Economides is lecturer in international relations at LSE.