Some Guides to Bridging the Gap

Abstract

Editor's Note: The Forum this issue reports on a seminar held at the Mershon Center, Ohio State University, November 19, 1993. The seminarfocused on the recently published book by Alexander L. George entitled Bridging the Gap: Theory and Practice Foreign Policy (Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace, 1993; 170 pp.; $14.95, paper). After an introduction by Alexander George, representatives from the academic and policy communities commented on the book and responded to questions from the audience. Those participating, addition to George, were General John C. Galvin (Retired), former Commander of NATO Forces Europe and now at the U.S. Military Academy; Edward A. Kolodziej, Professor of Political Science, University of Illinois; and Joseph Kruzel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy. Bridging the Gap has as its theme encouraging better communication and closer collaboration between academic scholars who study foreign policy and practitioners who conduct it (p. xvii). George argues that scholarly knowledge has an indirect impact on policy making. It serves as an input to policy analysis and facilitates diagnosis of the policy problem as well as understanding contextualfactors that influence the nature of the problem. He is concerned about three types of knowledge his book: conceptualizations of strategies, generic knowledge, and actor-specific behavioral models. Conceptual models of strategies provide frameworks 'for understanding the nature and general requirements for designing an effective strategy (p. 137). Generic knowledge builds on past experience and systematic examinations of history identifying when particular strategies will be more or less effective. Actor-specific knowledge refers to the development of an accurate image of the opponent the current situation. George is interested how these three types of knowledge contribute to statecraft or the development and management of relationships with other states in ways that will protect and enhance one's own security and welfare (p. xxiv). In whatfollows, we present abridged versions of the comments and responses to questions made during the seminar.