Grand Strategy

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of grand strategy, understood as a great design or idea that orders, coordinates, and guides what a state does in interactions with the other actors, whether states or non-states in the international system. This course surveys the various types of grand strategy available to rising, status quo, and declining great powers. First, it expounds on the internal logic and main tenets of each grand strategy; and then it provides a historical illustration of the grand strategy in action. As such, the course will examine instances of dramatic increase and decrease in relative power; coping with new challenges; and maintenance of international order. In this respect, the course will cover a large spectrum of great power grand strategic behavior over the last four centuries, including the most significant strategists and most influential states.