E-Books →Strategy in Politics Descriptionting Victory in a Democracy

In Strategy in Politics, F. Christopher Arterton seeks to clarify the meaning of strategy through four perspectives: the dynamics of strategic planning, the conduct of warfare, the theories of persuasive political communications, and the logic of interpersonal competition. Drawing on classic texts of statesmanship and warfare by Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, and Clausewitz, and complementing those with contemporary understandings of strategic planning, communications, game theory, and military tactics, Arterton delineates a defensible method of pursuing victory in politics. Recognizing that unbridled pursuit of power can be corrupting, Arterton advocates certain guardrails that political managers should live by in their strategic maneuvers and their employment of power. In turn, Arterton shows those engaged with the institutions of democratic politics how to be adroit in their strategic thinking, so that they may enter this battlefield better prepared for the conflict of ideas. Strategy in Politics will help readers to understand the dilemmas inherent in democratic politics, between power and purpose, between strategy and leadership, and between empowerment and manipulation.