Strategy : ǂa ǂhistory

**Selected as a** **__Financial Times__** **Best Book of 2013**In __Strategy: A History__, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy. Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013 In Strategy: A History , Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy. "In Strategy: a history, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment - subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends - provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy." Cover 1 Contents 8 Preface 10 PART I: Origins 18 1 Origins 1: Evolution 20 2 Origins 2: The Bible 27 3 Origins 3: The Greeks 39 4 Sun Tzu and Machiavelli 59 5 Satan’s Strategy 71 PART II: Strategies of Force 84 6 The New Science of Strategy 86 7 Clausewitz 99 8 The False Science 113 9 Annihilation or Exhaustion 125 10 Brain and Brawn 140 11 The Indirect Approach 151 12 Nuclear Games 162 13 The Rationality of Irrationality 173 14 Guerrilla Warfare 195 15 Observation and Orientation 210 16 The Revolution in Military Affairs 231 17 The Myth of the Master Strategist 254 PART III: Strategy from Below 262 18 Marx and a Strategy for the Working Class 264 19 Herzen and Bakunin 282 20 Revisionists and Vanguards 298 21 Bureaucrats, Democrats, and Elites 317 22 Formulas, Myths, and Propaganda 338 23 The Power of Nonviolence 361 24 Existential Strategy 383 25 Black Power and White Anger 408 26 Frames, Paradigms, Discourses, and Narratives 431 27 Race, Religion, and Elections 450 PART IV: Strategy from Above 474 28 The Rise of the Management Class 476 29 The Business of Business 491 30 Management Strategy 508 31 Business as War 522 32 The Rise of Economics 530 33 Red Queens and Blue Oceans 542 34 The Sociological Challenge 559 35 Deliberate or Emergent 571 PART V: Theories of Strategy 590 36 The Limits of Rational Choice 592 37 Beyond Rational Choice 606 38 Stories and Scripts 624 Acknowledgments 648 Notes 650 Index 736 A 736 B 737 C 740 D 742 E 743 F 744 G 746 H 748 I 749 J 750 K 751 L 751 M 753 N 755 O 757 P 758 Q 759 R 760 S 761 T 765 U 766 V 767 W 767 X 768 Y 768 Z 768 9780199325153 One of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics synthesizes the vast history of strategy's evolution in this consistently engaging and surprising account of how it came to pervade every aspect of life. Origins -- Strategies Of Force -- Strategy From Below -- Strategy From Above -- Theories Of Strategy. Lawrence Freedman. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 633-717) And Index.