Irregular Enemies and the Essence of Strategy: Can the American Way of War Adapt?

by Colin S. Gray and Strategic Studies Institute

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Book cover for Irregular Enemies and the Essence of Strategy: Can the American Way of War Adapt?

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At present and probably for some years to come, America's enemies are of an irregular character. These irregular enemies necessarily wage war in modes that are largely unconventional. In this monograph, Dr. Colin S. Gray considers irregular warfare in the light of the general theory of strategy and finds that that theory is fully adequate to explain the phenomenon. Rather less adequate, Dr. Gray suggests, is the traditional American way of war. The monograph offers a detailed comparison between the character of irregular warfare, insurgency in particular, and the principal enduring features of "the American way." It concludes that there is a serious mismatch between that "way" and the kind of behavior that is most effective in countering irregular foes. Dr. Gray poses the question, Can the American way of war adapt to a strategic threat context dominated by irregular enemies? He suggests that the answer is "perhaps, but only with difficulty."
  • ISBN10 131230748X
  • ISBN13 9781312307483
  • Publish Date 25 June 2014
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Lulu.com
  • Format Paperback
  • Pages 72
  • Language English