Grand Strategy Beyond the West

Bibliographic Data

ID23623978
AuthorsK M Fierke (0000-0001-6817-5171, International Relations, University of Saint Andrews, corresponding author)
Year2021
Pages89-103
Publication date2021-09-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueOxford Handbook of Grand Strategy (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198840299.013.5
OpenAlexW3198926737
ISBN9780198840299
LanguageEN
References cited11

This chapter examines two of the most famous grand strategies with origins in Asia, identified with Sun Tzu and Gandhi. On the surface they would appear to be unfit for comparison. While Sun Tzu belongs to a tradition of military strategy, and is now part of the classical canon, Gandhi is identified with the nonviolent strategy of nonstate actors. The intention in examining the two together is to explore a family resemblance in their respective conceptions of grand strategy, even while recognizing that they are very distinct. After setting out some broad contrasts regarding cosmology, ontology, and epistemology, the chapter zooms in on the relevance of these points more specifically for understanding Sun Tzu or Gandhi. It concludes with some reflections on why the contrasts are important in a globalizing world. Both cases highlight the importance, if possible, of achieving objectives without recourse to military force, which, it argues, arises from a relational cosmology, where harmony and diversity coexist, and in which truth is not uniform but multiperspectival.

History · International Relations and Foreign Policy

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