WHAT IS STRATEGIC THINKING ? HOW CAN WE CULTIVATE IT ?
” The general himself ought to be such as one as can at the same time see both forward and backward ” – Plutarch
I’ve been discussing Dr. Barnett’s book extensively for the reason I think it will be influential – it’s a relatively rare example of in-depth American strategic thinking, a culminating result of many years of briefing and seminar work for Dr. Barnett. Most of the time, whether we are discussing business trends or foreign affairs or education reform we are really discussing tactics, movements to seize an advantage in the near term. Americans are very, very good at tactical thinking – partly I suspect as a result of our liberty centered culture. There are simply relatively fewer obstacles in our lives compared to other societies impeding us from our goals that would require long-term planning to overcome. We’re freer to concentrate on seizing the moment than say an Indian untouchable or a Saudi woman.
Unfortunately, starting with the War on Terror, our preference for tactical maneuver is not going to resolve a conflict with an amorphous, Islamist foe that is imbued with what Reinhold Neibhur once termed ” the demonic fury of fascism”. We need a strategic approach to the war and the related troubles of ” the Gap” that Dr. Barnett outlines in PNM.
I’d like to start with a good article on what constitutes strategic thinking in a cognitive sense. If you don’t have time to read it in full then I suggest you skip down to the diagrams which gives a gist of the author’s point. My definition of strategic thinking would be “ the ability to determine potential goals by understanding how to alter the interconnections of constituent parts within a systemic whole “. Edward De Bono is a good source of information for techniques to change one’s mental perspective and look at problems creatively from new points of view
I also have a suggested reading list of books, besides Dr. Barnett’s, that exemplify, discuss or engage in strategic thinking. Sometimes examples are better than an explanation:
The Art of War (i)
The Art of War (ii)