07223 - Strategic Studies

Learning outcomes

The objective of this course is to equip students with fundamental knowledge about war and the use of force in both conventional and non-conventional contexts. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with key strategic perspectives and will be able to utilize the appropriate conceptual tools. They will also demonstrate the ability to analyze the dynamics of organized violence conducted by both state and non-state actors in their interactions with one another.

Course contents

This course offers an in-depth introduction to the field of Strategic Studies. Starting from the classical understanding of war and strategy, the course explores the evolving nature, conduct, and theory of armed conflict from both historical and contemporary perspectives. We begin by examining the conceptual boundaries of Strategic Studies in comparison to Security Studies. We then explore the moral and philosophical dimensions of war, with a particular focus on the distinction between killing and murder, and the diverse uses of force in international politics. The heart of the course investigates core strategic concepts such as tactics, strategy, and grand strategy, through classical and contemporary texts. A central focus is placed on the transformation of armed conflict in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 eras. We analyze current trends in global violence, the return of interstate war, and the dynamics of contemporary armed conflict through empirical and theoretical lenses. A substantial part of the course is devoted to nuclear strategy and proliferation, covering both the evolution of nuclear thinking—from deterrence to arms control—and the enduring relevance of the Waltz-Sagan debate. This is followed by two sessions on terrorism, where we critically assess divergent strategic logics of terrorism, including state-sponsored violence and insurgent tactics. The course also explores guerrilla warfare, insurgency, and counterinsurgency (COIN), combining historical analysis with contemporary critiques. Finally, the strategic, ethical, and political implications of the use of drone and AI in war will be considered.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Introduzione

   “Kalver report: Report on the University’s Role in Political and Social Action”, Report of a faculty committee, under the chairmanship of Harry Kalven, Jr., Committee appointed by President George W. Beadle. Report published in the Record, Vol. I, No. 1, November 11, 1967; https://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/KalvenRprt_0.pdf

   
   Einaudi, Luigi. Per la libertà di scienza e di coscienza, «Corriere della Sera», 7 dicembre 1910. https://www.luigieinaudi.it/doc/per-la-liberta-di-scienza-e-di-coscienza/

2. Studi strategici vs security studies

   Strachan, H. (2019) “Strategy in theory: strategy in practice”, Journal of Strategic Studies, 42, pp. 171-190.

   Buzan, B. and L. Hansen, “Defining International Security Studies”, in The Evolution of International Security Studies, Cap. 1 (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009).

3. Che cos’è la guerra? I

   Tolstoj, Lev, Chadži-Murat, qualsiasi edizione (intero libro).

4. Che cos’è la guerra? II

   Clausewitz, “Che cosa è la guerra?” (Capitolo 1, Libro 1), Della guerra (Torino: Einaudi), pp. 17-42.

   Clausewitz, “Guerra assoluta e guerra reale” (Capitolo 2, Libro 8), Della guerra, pp. 206-209.

   Clausewitz, “L’influenza dello scopo politico sull’obiettivo militare” e “La guerra è uno strumento della politica” (Capitolo 6, Libro 8), Della guerra, pp. 228-238

5. Strategia, tattica e grande strategia

   Clausewitz, “Classificazione dell’arte della guerra” (Capitolo 1, Libro 2), Della guerra, pp. 79-81.

   Clausewitz, “La strategia in generale” (Libro 3), Della guerra, pp. 117-118.

   Freedman, Lawrence, ‘Grand Strategy: The History of a Concept’, in Thierry Balzacq, and Ronald R. Krebs (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Grand Strategy (2021; online edn, Oxford Academic, 8 Sept. 2021).

6. Clausewitz and Sun Tzu strateghi

   Clausewitz, “La frizione in guerra?” (Capitolo 7, Libro 1), Della guerra, pp. 71-74.

   Clausewitz, “Il carattere della battaglia odierna” (Capitolo 2, Libro 4), Della guerra, pp. 137-153.

   Sun Tzu, “Le valutazioni strategiche”, L’arte della guerra, a cura di Thomas Cleary (Roma: Ubaldini), pp. 41-65.

7. Sugli usi della forza

   Craig, Gordon A. (1986) “Delbrück: The Military Historian,” in Peter Paret (a cura di), [https://www.worldcat.org/title/makers-of-modern-strategy-military-thought-from-machiavelli-to-hitler/oclc/304481] (Princeton: Princeton University Press), pp. 326-353.

   Brigadier A.S.H.Irwin OBE, "LIDDELL HART AND THE INDIRECT APPROACH TO STRATEGY", in The Science of War: Back to First Principles, edited by Brian Holden-Reid, Taylor & Francis, 1993, pp. 61-78.

8. I conflitti armati nel mondo contemporaneo

   Davies, S., Pettersson, T., Sollenberg, M., & Öberg, M. (2025). Organized violence 1989–2024, and the challenges of identifying civilian victims. Journal of Peace Research, 62(4), 1223-1240.

9. Le cause della guerra I

   Tolstoj, Lev, Guerra e pace, Libro III, Parte prima, capitolo I, pp. 707-711.

   Azar Gat , “The Changing Character of War”, in Hew Strachan and Sibylle Scheipers (eds) The Changing Character of War; available at https://academic.oup.com/book/6028?searchresult=1

10. Le cause della guerra II

    Geoffrey, Blaney, The Causes of War, New York, The Free Press, cap. 8.

    Fearon, J. D. (1995). “Rationalist Explanations for War”. International Organization, 49(3), 379–414.

11. Mid-term

    Nessuna lettura

12. Strategia nucleare

    Freedman, Lawrence. “The First Two Generations of Nuclear Strategists.” In Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, edited by Peter Paret. Princeton University Press, 1986, 735–778.

13. La proliferazione nucleare

    Sagan, Scott D. – Waltz, Kenneth N., 2003. The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed. Edition 2. USA: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, Chapters 1-2.

14. Terrorismo I

    The United States is a Leading Terrorist State: An Interview with Noam Chomsky. https://monthlyreview.org/2001/11/01/the-united-states-is-a-leading-terrorist-state/.

    D'Alema: "Definire i talebani terroristi è una stupidaggine", HuffPost, 11 settembre 2021; https://www.huffingtonpost.it/entry/dalema-definire-i-talebani-terroristi-e-una-stupidaggine_it_613c5fdde4b00ff836ecffa6.

    Andrew H. Kydd, Barbara F. Walter; The Strategies of Terrorism. International Security2006; 31 (1): 49–80.

15. Terrorismo II

    La battaglia di Algeri, diretto da Gillo Pontecorvo, sceneggiatura di Franco Solinas, 1966.

16. Insurrezioni e guerriglia

    Mack, A. "Why Big Nations Lose Small Wars", World Politics, 27, 2, 1975, pp. 175-200.

    Taber, Robert, War of the Flea, Ch. 1-2.

17. Counter-insurgency e COIN

    Galula, David, Counterinsuregency Warfare: Theory and Practice, Westport, Praeger, Ch. 4, 5, 6, 7.

    Lorenzo Zambernardi, "Counterinsurgency’s Impossible Trilemma", Washington Quarterly, 33, 3, pp. 21-34.

18. Droni e AI in guerra

    Lauren A. Kahn, Michael C. Horowitz, and Joshua A. Schwartz,”What Drones Can—and Cannot—Do on the Battlefield: The Pentagon Should Learn From Israel and Ukraine”, Foreign Affairs, July 4, 2025.

    G. Chamayou, Drone Theory, London, Penguin, ch. Ch. 18, 19, 20, 21 (pp. 158-184).

19. Gli studi strategici e i loro limiti

    Clausewitz, “La teoria della guerra” (Capitolo 2, Libro 2), Della guerra,

    Clausewitz, “Arte della guerra o scienza della guerra” (Capitolo 3, Libro 2), Della guerra,

    Gray, Colin S. “Why strategy is difficult”, Joint Force Quarterly, Summer, 1989, pp. 6-12; https://www.comw.org/qdr/fulltext/99jfqgray.pdf.

20. Esame finale

Teaching methods

The course is structured around lectures, critical readings, in-class discussions, and two exams (mid-term and final). Students are expected to develop a nuanced understanding of the strategic dimensions of conflict and a critical perspective on the ways power is exercised through organized violence.

Assessment methods

Attending students: two written exams (3 questions in each exam) during the course

Non-attending students: written (from 5 to 10 questions depending on the nature of the questions) and oral exams

Non-attending students must study also the following book:

Zambernardi, Lorenzo, Life, Death, and the Western Way of War, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2022,

 

Teaching tools

Power point, video

Office hours

See the website of Lorenzo Zambernardi