Strategy And Peace

Strategic theories help leaders in the pursuit of their Countries’ aims, through the use of power, be it force or money, a tool so difficult to handle that — to quote a common say — one does not need an enemy to be defeated, he can do it alone! Regardless of what many writers say, the Western Countries are not at war. Their aim is to protect and, if possible, improve the quality of life of their people, by spreading peace, stability, and legality, to the benefit of all populations involved, and to withstand provocations with cool head and warm heart.This approach too requires support from strategic theory, to keep the coherence between aims and means: history tells, in fact, that those who lit the flames of war without limits ended badly bruised, when not burned by that fire.Strategy and Peace draws lessons from the past attempts, made during the XIX Century, to achieve similar aims, in order to suggest the ways to attain them, in our times.Ferdinando Sanfelice di Monteforte joined the Italian Navy in 1962. He participated to the Vietnamese boat people relief expedition in 1979, and witnessed the Cold War, as well as NATO crisis response operations since 1993, from NATO Staff positions. He led operation Active Endeavour, from 2002 to 2005. Now he serves as the Italian Military Representative to NATO and EU Military Committees, with the rank of Vice Admiral (Ammiraglio di Squadra). He is associated member to the French Académie de Marine, for his essays on history and strategy.