Shifrinson Writes on Grand Strategy for The War Room
Joshua Shifrinson, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, co-authored a short essay with John Schuessler, Associate Professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, for the US Army War College blog, War Room (March 26,2020) on “What Good is Grand Strategy?”
In the series ‘whiteboard,’ comments from various scholars are published on a key prompt. Writing on the importance of a grand strategy, Schuessler and Shifrinson argue that “one might dismiss the importance of grand strategy by simply equating it with planning. Yet, in fact, grand strategy is really much… grander.”
An excerpt:
“No grand strategy can anticipate everything. As a general guide to action, there may be situations that emerge where a prior approach does not suggest a clear sense of priorities. Still, leaders need to do more than simply learn as they go along and wait for events to facilitate an emergent strategy; otherwise, drift, forfeited opportunities, and incoherence are likely to result. Ultimately, grand strategy matters because it helps states and leaders chart a course through the fraught waters of international politics. Leaders can certainly sidestep strategic thinking and learn on the job—but they should not be surprised when their states perform less well than could otherwise be the case. At a time when international politics is more important than ever, scholars and practitioners alike need to recognize grand strategy’s virtues.”
Read the full piece here.
Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson is an Assistant Professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, where his teaching and research interests focus on the intersection of international security and diplomatic history, particularly the rise and fall of great powers and the origins of grand strategy. He is author of Rising Titans, Falling Giants: How Great Powers Exploit Power Shifts (Cornell University Press, 2018) and his work has appeared with International Security, the Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, and other venues. Read more here.