Strategic thinking : An introduction and farewell

This book is intended to introduce those who wish to understand the development of strategic thought during the period of the Cold War to some of its principal features - whether its readers are students of international relations or interested members of the public who have no specialized knowledge of the subject. It seeks as far as possible to avoid the technicalities of deterrence theory, the arcane of arms, control, and the details of political wrangling between East and West. Instead, it tries to examine, and in part account for, the evolution of an extraordinary set of forms of thought, which many people, including of an extraordinary set of forms of thought, which many people, including me, took for granted for a very long time. Perhaps the moment has come for one to be able to sit back, reexamine them, and question their influence and the validity of their assumptions. This is what I have tried to do. I have been encouraged in this attempt by many friends and colleagues, three of whom in particular I would like to thank. Leon Magassarian was exceptionally helpful in reminding me of what I had said when holding forth on previous occasions, and in tracking down allusions that I could no longer remember. Spyros Economides gave of his time and energy, even when every busy, in many friendly discussions and in helping me to ascertain sources. My bigger debt is to Kim Gale. The old saying "without whose help this book could never have been written" is literally true in this case. Not only did she type the entire manuscript, but she also kept me going when I was inclined to flag. In the worlds of Robert Graves, she "sweated out the whole damned term, bowed stiffly and went free".