Senior Faculty Fellow Frank Gavin reviews “What Good is Grand Strategy” for H-Diplo/ISSF

In the book, Brands shows how foreign policy could be improved by engaging in a more thoughtful application of historical knowledge. He defines grands strategy as “the theory, or logic, that guides leaders seeking security in a complex and insecure world.” Throughout the book, Brands explores the shape American grand strategy has taken during four post-war presidential administrations: Truman, Nixon, Reagan and George W. Bush.

According to Gavin, Brands’ argument highlights the interdisciplinary nature of grand strategy studies, as well as the importance, contradictions, and complexities of the concept. The term grand strategy itself is a polarizing concept, says Gavin: praised in academic grand strategy classes, but criticized by those who consider it an old fashioned concept or those who associate it with scholars who favor the use of U.S. military power. Still others believe that grand strategy often prescribes more than describes, and some believe it to be a concept that “fails to capture the complex but often ad hoc nature of national security policy process.” Ultimately, Gavin finds Brands’ nuanced take on grand strategy to be impressive, creating an “important book” and “one that should find a wide readership within diplomatic history and security studies.”

Hal Brands collaborated with the Strauss Center’s Nuclear Studies Research Initiative 2013 workshop and is currently Assistant Professor of Public Policy and History at Duke University. The International Security Studies Forum (ISSF) commissions reviews and roundtables on new and noteworthy publications—including some of Dr. Gavin’s work—and is produced by the Diplomatic and International History (H-Diplo), a prominent online journal focusing on issues of diplomatic history and international affairs.

Click here to read the full review.