The Chessboard and the Web

From a renowned foreign-policy expert, a new paradigm for strategy in the twenty-first century In 1961, Thomas Schellings The Strategy of Conflict used game theory to radically reenvision the U.S.-Soviet relationship and establish the basis of international relations for the rest of the Cold War. Now, Anne-Marie Slaughterone of Foreign Policys Top 100 Global Thinkers from 2009 to 2012, and the first woman to serve as director of the State Department Office of Policy Planningapplies network theory to develop a new set of strategies for the post-Cold War world. While chessboard-style competitive relationships still existU.S.-Iranian relations, for examplemany other situations demand that we look not at individual entities but at their links to one another. We must learn to understand, shape, and build on those connections. Concise and accessible, based on real-world situations, on a lucid understanding of network science, and on a clear taxonomy of strategies, this will be a go-to resource for anyone looking for a new way to think about strategy in politics or business.