The Evolution of Modern Grand Strategic Thought

IF 0.3 Q4 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Naval War College Review Pub Date : 2016-05-12 DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198779773.001.0001
Lukas Milevski
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引用次数: 32

Abstract

War, whether or not we like to acknowledge it, has left a transcendent imprint on our lives. Many of our most important and cherished institutions, processes, and inventions have been influenced or modified by war, just as war has been decisively altered by them. Because of the nature of that interaction--of the constant push and pull of those forces--society's interest in armed conflict has forever persisted. Yet, not all elements of the study of war have been treated with the equivalence they deserve. Historically, the study, appreciation, and understanding of strategy and strategic thought have often failed to keep stride with the torrid pace of the evolution of war itself. Indeed, the study of strategy has often been exiled to the lecture halls of military academies, war colleges, and a precious handful of civilian universities. Fortunately, that trend has slowly begun to swing upward, as has the number of scholarly works devoted to those neglected subjects. One such work is The Evolution of Modern Grand Strategic Thought by Lukas Milevski. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While primarily targeted toward advanced, serious-minded strategy scholars, Milevski's book nevertheless remains accessible to any readers interested in grand strategy, tracing the development of grand strategic thought, mostly in the English-speaking world, during the last 200 years. Whereas the first half of the book examines strategic thinking from the Napoleonic Wars until the latter part of World War II, the second half explores the decline of grand strategic thinking during the initial stages of the Cold War before charting its reemergence toward the end of the conflict. A closing chapter assesses the continued interest in strategic thought after the Cold War. In addition to providing its intellectual history, Milevski offers a clear, compelling critique of grand strategic thinking. He argues that grand-strategy theorists, driven by a pressing desire to solve immediate problems, have become so consumed in their present circumstances they have seldom looked to history and theory for guidance. Although this oversight might not initially seem like a cause for concern, Milevski makes the case that such emphasis on solving today's problems has prompted scholars to be predominantly ahistorical in their search for solutions. If Milevski is correct, then truly understanding today's grand strategies does not require us to understand the history and theoretical underpinnings of the past; on the contrary, it requires an appreciation of current geopolitical realities. …
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近代大战略思想的演变
不管我们是否愿意承认,战争已经在我们的生活中留下了不可磨灭的印记。我们许多最重要、最珍贵的制度、程序和发明都受到战争的影响或修改,正如战争决定性地改变了它们一样。由于这种相互作用的性质——这些力量之间不断的推拉——社会对武装冲突的兴趣永远存在。然而,并非战争研究的所有要素都得到了应有的同等对待。从历史上看,对战略和战略思想的研究、欣赏和理解往往跟不上战争本身演变的迅猛步伐。事实上,战略研究经常被流放到军事学院、战争学院和少数珍贵的民用大学的演讲厅里。幸运的是,这一趋势已经开始缓慢上升,就像致力于那些被忽视的学科的学术著作的数量一样。卢卡斯·米列夫斯基的《现代大战略思想的演变》就是其中之一。虽然米列夫斯基的书主要针对的是思想严肃的高级战略学者,但任何对大战略感兴趣的读者都可以读到他的书,书中追溯了近200年来大战略思想的发展,主要是在英语世界。本书的前半部分考察了从拿破仑战争到第二次世界大战后期的战略思想,而后半部分则探讨了冷战初期大战略思想的衰落,然后在冲突结束时重新出现。最后一章评估了冷战后对战略思想的持续兴趣。除了提供思想史之外,米列夫斯基还对大战略思想提出了清晰而引人注目的批判。他认为,大战略理论家在解决眼前问题的迫切愿望的驱使下,已经被当前的环境所吞噬,他们很少从历史和理论中寻求指导。虽然这种疏忽最初似乎并不值得关注,但米列夫斯基认为,这种对解决当今问题的强调,促使学者们在寻求解决方案时,主要是不符合历史的。如果米列夫斯基是正确的,那么真正理解今天的大战略并不需要我们了解过去的历史和理论基础;相反,它需要对当前的地缘政治现实有所认识。…
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Naval War College Review
Naval War College Review INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS-
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