Plan de cours

COURSE OUTLINE
FOUNDATIONS OF STRATEGIC THINKING
Teacher: Etienne De Durand
Academic year 2016/2017: Paris School of International Affairs – Fall Semester
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Etienne de Durand a intégré le ministère de la Défense en 2015 comme Délégué pour la politique et la
prospective de défense au sein de la DGRIS (Direction générale des relations internationales et de la
stratégie – Direction stratégie de défense, prospective et contre-prolifération).
Spécialiste des questions stratégiques et militaires, il a été chercheur puis directeur du centre des études de
sécurité (2006-2015) de l’Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri). Etienne de Durand enseigne à
l’IEP de Paris et a enseigné à l’université Lyon III, ainsi qu’à Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan et à l’Ecole de Guerre.
En 2009, il a fait partie de l’équipe d’experts civils qui a contribué au rapport du général McChrystal sur
l’Afghanistan et a également participé aux travaux de la Commission du Livre Blanc de 2013.
COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1 – The Nature of War – September 2, 2016
General Presentation
Violence and War
The Anthropology of War
The Causes of War
Required reading:

G. Blainey, The Causes of War, chap. 8
Foundations of strategic theory
Session 2 –The Clausewitzian Theory – September 9, 2016
War and Policy/Politics
Total War and Limited War
Strategy as the Use, or Threat of Use, of Force
COURSE OUTLINE
Required readings:

C. von Clausewitz, On War, Book I, chap. 1, 2 & 8; Book III, chap. 1; Book VIII, chap. 1-3; the “1827
Notes”

P. Paret, “Clausewitz”, Makers of Modern Strategy
Extra readings:

C. von Clausewitz, On War, the whole of Books I, III, and VIII
Session 3 – War and Strategy – September 16, 2016
What Strategy Is and Is Not: the Core Concept and Its Derivatives
Direct and Indirect Strategies
The Principles of War
The Levels of Strategy: from Grand Strategy to Tactics
Required readings:

Beaufre, Introduction to Strategy, intro and chap. 1

B. Liddell Hart, Strategy, chap. 19sq

E. Luttwak, The Logic of War and Peace, intro and chap. 1-3

W. Murray et al, “Introduction: On strategy”, The Making of Strategy
Extra readings:

C. von Clausewitz, On War, Books VI, chap. 1-5 and 26; Book VII, chap. 1-5 and 22
Session 4 – Strategic Culture – September 23, 2016
National Styles, Military and Strategic Cultures: History and Geography vs. Theory
Western and Eastern Ways of War
Strategic Culture as a Heuristic Tool
Required readings:

C.S. Gray, « Strategy in the Nuclear Age… », pp. 589-598

Iain Johnston, « Thinking About Strategic Culture », International Security

Sun Ze, The Art of War
Extra readings:

B. Colson, « Culture stratégique », in Dictionnaire de stratégie

T. Mahnken, US Strategic Culture, SAIC
COURSE OUTLINE
Strategy and Strategies: From Theory to Operations
Séance n° 5 – Strategy in Land Warfare: from Tactics to Operational Art – September 30, 2016
3,000 Years of Warfare at a Glance
Firepower in the Modern Era
Maneuver and Attrition in the 20th Century
Required readings:

C. Ardant du Picq, Battle Studies, Part I, chap. 3, Part II, chap. 1

Beaufre, Introduction to Strategy, chap. 2

B. Liddell Hart, Stratégie, in Chaliand, Anthologie mondiale de la stratégie, pp. 1174-76

C. Bellamy, Evolution of Modern Land Warfare, chap. 1-3
Extra readings:

C. Ardant du Picq, Battle Studies, whole book

E. Luttwak, The Logic of War and Peace, Part III
Séance n° 6 – Air and Naval Strategies – October 7, 2016
Maritime vs. Continental Powers
Overview of Naval Strategists and their Theories
The Origins of Air Power
Air Power Redux?
Required readings:

E. Cohen, “The U.S. Mystique of Air Power”, Foreign Affairs

Julian Corbett, The Green Pamphlet, excerpts

T. Mahan, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, excerpts

R. Pape, Bombing To Win, chap. 2, and “The Limits of Precision-Guided Air Power”, Security
Studies
Extra readings:

H. Coutau-Bégarie, Traité de stratégie, « la stratégie maritime théorique »

G. Douhet, Command of the Air, excerpt

B. Lambeth, NATO Air War in Kosovo

John Warden, The Air Campaign
COURSE OUTLINE
Séance n° 7 – RMA and Military Transformation – October 14, 2016
From Military Revolutions to the Revolution in Military Affairs
Information War: Debunking the Myth
Military Transformation: Promises, Achievements, and Limits
Required readings:

S. Biddle, “Allies, Air Power, and Modern Warfare”, International Security

B. Posen, “Command of the Commons”, International Security

E. Cohen, “A Revolution in Warfare”, Foreign Affairs

E. de Durand, « Révolution dans les affaires militaires », Hérodote
Unconventional Warfare and Its Strategies
Session 8 – Nuclear Conundrum and Doctrinal Cycles – November 4, 2016
The Nuclear Revolution
Vulnerability and Credibility
Warfighting vs. Arms Control
The French Case: Deterrence and Non-Use
Required readings:

Beaufre, Introduction to Strategy, chap. 3

B. Brodie, The Absolute Weapon, excerpt

M. Quinlan, “Deterrence”

T. Schelling, “Manipulation of Risk” and “Commitment”, Arms and Influence

Wohlstetter, The Delicate Balance of Terror
Extra readings:

Robert Jervis, The Illogic of American Nuclear Strategy, chap. 1, 3, 5-6

C.S. Gray, K. Payne, “Victory Is Possible”

L. Poirier, Des stratégies nucléaires, excerpt: « Dissuasion et puissance moyenne »

Glenn Snyder, Deterrence and Defense, excerpt of intro
Session 9 – Deterrence Today and Tomorrow – November 18, 2016
Proliferation, Counter-Proliferation and Missile Defense
Implications for Deterrence
COURSE OUTLINE
Required readings:

D. Gormley, “The Path to Deep Nuclear Reductions”, Proliferation Paper

M. Quinlan, “How Robust is India-Pakistan Deterrence?”, and “India-Pakistan Deterrence Revisited”,
Survival

S. Sagan, “The Perils of Proliferation”, International Security
Extra readings:

V. Utgoff, “Missile Defense and American Ambitions”

K. Waltz et S. Sagan, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons, chap. 3

K. Waltz, “The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More May Better,” Adelphi Papers
Session 10 – Irregular Warfare – November 25, 2016
Small Wars and Guerillas
Revolutionary Warfare: Origins and Variations
Counterinsurgency Now and Then
Required readings:

Beaufre, Introduction to Strategy, chap. 4

G. Chaliand, « Introduction », Stratégies de la guérilla

Mack, “Why Big Nations Lose Small Wars”, World Politics
Extra readings:

S. Ferdi, « Les débuts de la guerre d’Algérie »

V.N. Giap, « Guerre du peuple et art militaire » in Chaliand, Stratégies de la guérilla

Mao, « De la guerre prolongée », in G. Chaliand, Mao, stratège révolutionnaire, pp. 181-188
Session 11 – Asymmetric War – December 2, 2016
Irregular, Asymmetric, or Hybrid Wars?
Terrorism as Tactic and as Strategy
Required readings:

S. Atran, “The Moral Logic and Growth of Suicide Terrorism”, Washington Quart

C. Gray, Irregular Enemies and the Essence of Strategy, SSI

M. Mazarr, “The Folly of Asymmetric War”, Washington Quarterly

S. Metz, Learning from Iraq

H. Münkler, « Les guerres nouvelles »
COURSE OUTLINE

R. Pape, “The Srategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism”

R. Smith, The Utility of Force, chap. 7
Extra readings:

B. Jenkins et W. Laqueur, in R. Art, The Use of Force, pp. 77-84, 450-457

Q. Liang, Unrestricted Warfare

M. Manwaring, Shadows of Things Past

J. Record, “External Assistance”, Parameters

M. Van Creveld, The Transformations of War, excerpt (in French)
Session 12 – Is Strategy Still Possible? – December 9, 2016
War, Military Power and International Influence
From Procurement to Crisis Management: the Business of Defense
War and Politics in Contemporary Democracies: the Impracticality of Grand Strategy
Required reading:

Hew Strachan, “The Lost Meaning of Strategy”, Survival