This chapter considers whether the field of strategic studies has a future, first by tracing its development in universities and think tanks as traditional military patterns of thought and how it has evolved into a broad field of enquiry by the end of the cold war. It then describes the ‘golden age’ of strategic studies that created a market for professionally trained civilian strategists and examines how strategic studies had become more diffuse as the political context of international relations changed. It also explains how the study of strategy posed a particular challenge to the social sciences, and how ethical and practical difficulties created tensions between academics and policymakers. The chapter goes on to discuss elements of realism that are useful in the study of strategy, strategic studies' focus on the role of armed force both in peacetime and in war, and future prospects for strategic studies.
Sean Manning: Armed Force in the Teispid-Achaemenid Empire. Past Approaches, Future Prospects
