Grand Strategy Research Articles

The security and deterrence policy of the Baltic states in 2014-2024

ObjectivesThe full-scale annexation of Crimea and Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the political elites of the Baltic states to devote even more attention to security problems and to update the defence plans of the Baltic region. The aim of the work is to analyze the development of the security and deterrence strategies of the Baltic states in the years 2014-2024 in the face of potential Russian threats on the border of the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The starting point for the discussion is the hypothesis that the sense of threat from the Russian Federation contributes to the intensification of trilateral military cooperation between Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The theoretical basis for the empirical analysis is the adaptive strategy model (so-called grand strategy ) developed by Colin Dueck .Methodscase studyResultsAfter the annexation of Crimea and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states were encouraged to tighten strategic trilateral cooperation and develop the potential of their armed forces to increase the ability to defend their own territory, while striving to strengthen collective defence and deterrence within NATO.ConclusionsThe Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in active investment in defense in the Baltic states. In Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, there is currently strong political will to continuously develop military potential, combined with increased public interest in state security issues.

Australian SASR in Borneo: The strategic contribution of the Australian SAS Regiment (SASR) during the Konfrontasi (1965-1966)

The Konfrontasi (Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation) signaled the first combat deployment of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). Between 1965 and 1966, two SASR squadrons were deployed and involved in secretive Claret Operations. The SASR’s operations were concentrated in the jungles of Borneo, along the porous and mountainous borders of Sarawak and Indonesia’s Kalimantan. The SASR had conducted reconnaissance missions collecting intelligence and track-and-ambush missions inside Indonesia’s territory. The SASR was also involved in ‘hearts and minds’ campaigns, building trust and partnerships with local aborigines in remote jungle areas to serve as friendly informers. This article assesses the tactical and strategic impact of SASR’s operations on the campaign’s overarching grand strategy. The SASR’s strategic value in the Konfrontasi albeit limited at the tactical level, yielded handsome strategic utility with lasting political benefits for Australia and Malaysia. This article provides a balanced evaluation of SASR’s performance and lessons for contemporary special forces operations.

The Views of Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio on Japan’s Foreign Policy Within the Context of the Search for a New Grand Strategy

At present, security environment in East Asia is becoming increasingly fraught, characterised by the growing strategic rivalry between the US and China. Meanwhile, Japan is faced with the challenge of formulating such a foreign policy approach that would both ensure its national security and avoid further escalating the US-China conflict. In these circumstances, it is of interest to examine the views of Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio (2009–2010) on Japan’s foreign policy and its role in the international community. This article analyses Hatoyama’s attitudes and rhetoric within the context of Japanese political elites’ longstanding search for alternatives to the Yoshida Doctrine, which underpinned Japan’s grand strategy throughout the Cold War. While the Prime Minister’s attempts to modify Japanese diplomatic approach have often been considered incoherent or “naïve”, the author argues that, drawing partially from the concepts pertaining to Japan’s role on the international stage that were introduced in the 1990s, Hatoyama consistently advocated the formulation of a new strategy. While admitting that some of Hatoyama’s proposals were not well-thought-out and went beyond the political mainstream, the author posits that he pursued the same goal as previous Japanese leaders, namely achieving balance in Japan’s relations with the US and China. The parameters of Hatoyama’s strategy were different from both the Yoshida Doctrine and the emerging course towards a more robust security policy, which was fully implemented under the second administration of Abe Shinzo (2012–2020). This strategy was based on Japan’s proactive role in upholding global stability through non-military means, reducing its dependence on the US, deepening integration in East Asia, and achieving friendly ties with China. The objectives of this article are to analyse Hatoyama’s political philosophy, identify the similarities and differences between it and other key contemporary foreign policy initiatives, as well as examine the Prime Minister’s approach towards foreign-policy making. The sources include Hatoyama’s speeches and writings as well as a range of academic literature devoted to analysing his foreign policy with an emphasis on the works of Japanese scholars.

China’s grand strategy within 21st-century megatrends

The main aim of this study is to identify possible components of China’s grand strategy and check how they can influence global megatrends. Based on a literature review, four grand strategy components are identified: 1) building up military power, 2) consolidating power at the peripheries and pushing for more control over disputed territories, 3) expanding economic influence through the Belt and Road Initiative, and 4) establishing new standards in digital technologies and promoting cyber sovereignty. These strategic tools can directly affect the following megatrends that are commonly mentioned in the literature: shift of economic power, emerging markets, new economic order; digitalisation; globalisation; deglobalization, trade reduction; diversity of governance, trust in the political system; and scarce resources. Using data taken from Google Trends it is shown that in the 2004-2023 period the trends of Chinese grand strategy terms correlate most with terms that represent the following three megatrends: digitalisation, globalisation, and scarce resources.

Formulation of Risk Management Strategy for Sharia Mortgage Products during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the development of the world economy, including the banking and financial services industry. One of the financing products at Bank BTN Syariah is the Home Ownership Financing-Mortgage (Sharia KPR), where the more financing funds are channeled, of course, the greater the potential for risk. The purpose of this study was to formulate a risk management strategy for Sharia KPR products that Bank BTN Syariah KC Bekasi can use during the Covid-19 pandemic. To analyze and develop the bank strategy, we use the Grand Strategy Matrix method by blending internal and external factors, where the analysis and strategy selection process is divided into three stages: Input stage, matching stage, and Decision stage. The results of the study showed that several internal and external factors occur in Bank BTN Sharia KC Bekasi that affect the development of Sharia KPR products; Bank BTN applies risk management based on the 5C principle to minimize the occurrence of risks that may occur. Managerial implications of this research are credit risk management, management, increased risk monitoring, effective communication, product innovation, conducting education and training, and Sharia compliance.

Changes in U.S. Grand Strategy in the Indo-Pacific and China's Countermeasures

Cheng Enfu and Li Jing survey the current economic, diplomatic, and security status quo between China and the United States, with an eye toward future policy decisions that could help strengthen China's position as a bulwark against the imperial hegemon.

Peanut Agribusiness Development Strategy (Arachis hypogaea) in Pracimantoro Sub-District

Pracimantoro District is the largest peanut producing area in Wonogiri Regency with an average planting area of 381 Ha, productivity of 13.79 Kw/Ha, and production of 525.90 Tons. Farmers are expected to develop peanut agribusiness in the area. This study aims to formulate alternative strategies and determine the priorities of peanut agribusiness development strategies in Pracimantoro District. The basic method used is the descriptive method. Key informants are determined using convenience sampling techniques. Data collection techniques are carried out using observation, interview, recording, and triangulation of sources. The data analysis methods used include EFE and IFE Matrix, Grand Strategy Matrix, SWOT Matrix, and QSPM. The results showed that the peanut agribusiness development strategy was in quadrant I of Strength-Opportunity (S-O). The priority strategy that can be applied to the development of peanut agribusiness in Pracimantoro District is to develop production through improving the quality of peanuts.

Strategi Pengembangan Usaha Soto Ayam Asli Lamongan (Studi Kasus : Soto Ayam Lamongan Cak Kulin di Kecamatan Kaliwates Kabupaten Jember)

Soto Ayam Lamongan is a typical food from the city of Lamongan, East Java which has now spread to various regions in Indonesia, one of which is in the city of Jember. The determination of the research area was carried out purposively. The sampling method is purposive sampling using 6 respondents (1 business owner, 3 consumers who have culinary knowledge, and 2 similar but advanced or developing entrepreneurs). The analytical tools used are SWOT analysis and Grand Strategy. Based on the results of research from Cak Kulin Lamongan's Original Kampung Chicken Soto business, it is necessary to have a development strategy (S-O) and from the grand strategy diagram it shows that the Lamongan Original Kampung Chicken Soto business is at point (0.311 : 0.407 ) in quadrant I which shows a profitable position by continuing to carry out an aggressive development strategy, can increase businesses that use strategy (S-O) as a strength to take existing opportunities.

Articulating a Philippine grand strategy: Policy continuities on the South China Sea

AbstractDoes the Philippines have a grand strategy? The question is biased in favor of a negative answer. Odds are stacked against detecting a grand strategy in non‐great‐power states. Operationalizing grand strategy as a consistent pattern of behavior reduces bias, but odds are also stacked against observing policy continuities in the Philippines. Increasing the level of analysis, emphasizing outcomes over intentions, and enlarging the time scale can help. Applying these analytical techniques, I argue that a Philippine grand strategy is evident in continuities in the country's foreign and security policies on the South China Sea from 1995 to 2022 under the successive administrations of Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo, Aquino III, and Duterte. The grand strategy has five component policies: (1) bilateral diplomacy with China, (2) multilateral diplomacy through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), (3) grounding in the law of the sea, (4) maintaining the alliance with the US, and (5) modernizing the military.

Marketing Strategy Analysis in Coffee Shop House of Essentials with SWOT Analysis

Changes in people’s lifestyles in the current era of globalization can be marked by changing ways to style.. Therefore, a business must formulate a marketing strategy in accordance with existing conditions. House Of Essentials coffee shop with an industrialist and modern building concept that is comfortable for relaxing, doing assignments, and working . The aims of this research is to formulate a marketing strategy for House of Essentials using SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis is a strategy-making toolthat systematically evaluates and identifies numerous elements in order to develop a company-based strategy. based on a logic that maximizes strengths and opportunities, while minimizing weaknessesand threats in a high-stakes market. Based on the IFAS and EFAS matrix, total internal factor weighting score (strengths and weaknesses) in the IFAS matrix was 3.2857 and the external factor weighting total score (opportunities and threats) in the EFAS matrix was 2.8005. The results show that cafe House Of Essentials is in quadrant I of the matrix grand strategy, which mean cafe can adopt an aggressive strategy.

Multilateral Maritime Exercises, Grand Strategy, and Strategic Change: The American Case and Beyond

Multilateral Maritime Exercises, Grand Strategy, and Strategic Change: The American Case and Beyond

Quo Vadis, Historical International Relations? Geopolitical Marxism and the Promise of Radical Historicism

John Maclean’s 1988 call “Marxism and IR: A Strange Case of Mutual Neglect” has generated a rich bounty of Marxist studies and paradigms in International Relations (IR). This cross-pollination merged in the 1990s with the “historical turn” and shaped the sub-fields of International Historical Sociology and International Political Economy. But has it left its mark on how IR is practised today? We argue that while Marxism has spoken significantly to the discipline, mainstream IR, even Historical IR, has been largely impervious to Marxist arguments, drawing the standard charge of economism and structuralism. Rectifying these critiques, we suggest that conventional historical studies of “the international” remain methodologically and substantively impoverished. We exemplify this by showing how leading Historical IR studies of “systems change” fail to explain the inside/outside and public/private differentiations constitutive of the modern international order and to integrate the “levels of analysis” they presuppose. We further argue that this rejection has been facilitated by influential Marxist IR paradigms, which ultimately privilege structuralism over historicism: While Neo-Gramscians initially mobilised “historicism” to dissolve claims about the “sameness” of international relations across time and space, the approach became identified with the reified master-category of “hegemony”. Uneven and Combined Development, in turn, has gravitated towards matching Neo-realism’s claim to theoretical universality by insisting on transhistorical model-building and nomological “grand theory”. Both approaches remain over-sociologised and fail to address international politics. Drawing on radically historicist Political Marxism, this article shows how its substantive socio-political premises explain the historical formation of the contemporary international order and re-unite the “levels of analysis” theoretically to provide a framework for non-reductionist and non-economistic accounts of historical international relations. This requires an answer to the agentic challenge of Neo-Classical Realism by reincorporating grand strategy, diplomacy, and international politics into a reformulated perspective of Geopolitical Marxism to track the full historicity of the making of international orders.

Guarding Against China’s Predatory Acquisition of Foreign Technologies: A Quad Perspective

The study examines the response of the Quad countries (Australia, India, Japan and the United States) to People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s predatory acquisition of foreign technologies. This article looks at PRC’s science and technology (S&T) policy and its relation to the grand strategy of attaining global superpower status. The meteoric rise of the PRC in the last four decades has amazed many. Innovation and technological advancement and their alignment with government policies are important factors in this rise. The study notes that PRC’s S&T policy involves, among others, acquiring foreign technologies through illicit means that include stealing through espionage and sophisticated cyberattacks and forcing overseas companies operating in China to share intellectual property rights with local partners. Alarmed by PRC’s predatory strategy, the Quad countries have taken steps to regulate, and in some cases prohibit, the PRC’s targeted foreign investments and coercive and opportunistic takeovers. The article argues that the Quad countries need to coordinate their efforts to effectively counter PRC’s illicit acquisition of their technologies.

Singapore's Grand Strategy by Ang Cheng Guan (review)

Singapore's Grand Strategy by Ang Cheng Guan (review)

America’s “China-First” grand strategy and the transatlantic bargain: revisiting the security–economics nexus

AbstractSince Washington announced its “rebalance to Asia” in 2011, debates about America’s Europe strategy have centered on whether America’s European allies could defend themselves without the USA. This debate has overlooked a crucial point: Washington’s security commitment to Europe is not only about military power but also hinges on European acquiescence to Washington’s politico-economic leadership position. US policymakers today increasingly view China as the main challenge to the latter. Accordingly, this article’s driving hypothesis is that the more significance the USA assigns to its European allies in the context of its China agenda, the more it will, for better or worse, seek to maintain (some degree of) European security dependence on the USA. Case studies of the Europe strategies of the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, respectively, serve as a vehicle to probe the plausibility of this argument.

Assertive China After the Rise of Xi Jinping

In terms of China's internationalisation and economic policy, the Chinese economic miracle, which supports visions of China as a global hegemon, would correspond to a coherent long-term grand strategy. First, we analyse the key drivers along China's partial liberalisation processes. Second, the focus will shift to recent political developments in the West, as a late reaction to a more assertive China and its 'wolf diplomacy', taking into account the weakness of the free world in the face of the China threat, given the apparent strengths identified in the examination of China's strategy. Finally, a brief section will be devoted to general conclusions integrating the results of the two perspectives.

Understanding China’s Grand Strategy Through the Belt and Road Initiative

China’s transition from a country striving for self-reliance in the 1950s to the world’s dominant power in 2020 is remarkable. The economic and foreign policies it followed during various phases of development helped the country to achieve the targets and goals that it set up for itself. The ambitious Belt and Road Initiative by President Xi Jinping to rebuild old Silk routes and to build new connectivity projects containing road, rail and sea transport corridors include in China’s Grand Strategy. That is to achieve self-sufficiency of up to 70% in advanced technology sectors by 2025 and to reach a preeminent position in the world by 2049. This includes protecting security interests as well as the flow of energy resources required for a steady progress. The article provides an overview of China’s progress and plans from Mao’s regime to Xi Jinping’s presidentship. In the process, it explains China’s changed priorities, interests and how foreign policy also changed according to the changing economic policies.

ASEAN Centered Regional Architecture in Managing Sustainable Investment Under the RCEP

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that consist of 15 Asian member countries established in 2021 which to achieve a trade liberalization in the region. The Asian countries have been recognized as the motor of global regionalism and have heightened the Asian region become the center of global economy. This article aims to examine the provisions of RCEP on trade in investment whether it supports sustainability of investment in the region. The region will become a seamlessly market as the region is a market with free flow of goods, services, and investment. While the result of the Pact has not identified yet, this agreement constitutes as a significant effort of ASEAN as one entity, taking the lead of the implementation RCEP, in this current legal regime to gain leverage over its dialogue trade partners. In light of this, the current article’s objective is to observe and evaluate the overall role of ten ASEAN Member States (AMS) which work together to collectively in advancing their part in RCEP by comparing RCEP with International Partnership Economic Framework (IPEF). This study is multidisciplinary research using collected research materials include data and information that have been analyzed from legal and economic perspectives using qualitative descriptive method and found that RCEP investment provisions are utilized to support, realize and attain the ASEAN’ grand strategy to achieve and maintains sustainability of investment in this new Asian regionalism.

“Asiatic Black Man”: W. E. B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes in Soviet Asia--Part I—The Shifting “Double-consciousness” of Du Bois

Abstract This essay seeks to revisit the curious case of the “Asiatic Black Man” by demonstrating how this identity, inherent in the collective unconsciousness and shared by Muhammad Ali, W. E. B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, and Paul Robeson, could be consolidated as an “imagined community” through the microhistory of African Americans experiencing Soviet Asia. The essay proposes Afro-American Eurasianism as a transcontinental approach to converge the transnational, transatlantic, and transpacific perspectives in the Eurasian landmass, wherein the consilience of the Soviet overarching ambition of becoming the only world power as well as various themes that connected the micro-narrative of African Americans with the big history1 of Asia rendered Eurasianism as a shared political ideology, to be exploited by each side as a grand strategy in ending global racial politics. By positioning the twin cases of Du Bois and Hughes, this paper aims to show how the Soviet Union’s divergent endeavors of the “world revolution”—with Hungary and China as their primary targets for exporting revolutions in order to control the Eurasian “heartland”—and “socialism in one country”—with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan as the in-the-making products of the Soviet nation-building experiments so as to convey the raceless image of Potemkin villages through Central Asia’s window to the world—could draw them away from their initial embrace of Black nationalism and shape their radical thoughts toward the Soviet cause. Moreover, this study posits that Soviet Asia functioned as a psychogeographical and geopolitical conduit that facilitated the elaboration of the Afro-American “Asiatic Black Man” fantasy and imagination of the communistic utopia as an alternative international order, while it unexpectedly resulted in a new “double-consciousness,” compelling Du Bois and Hughes to oscillate between Moscow and Beijing/Tashkent. (YZ)

Coffee Business Development Strategy (Case Study at PT XYZ)

The coffee business especially in the coffee shop sector to be superior to the competition is something that must be carried out in a sustainable manner by PT XYZ. Realizing this goal, PT XYZ must formulate its business development strategy. This study aims to determine internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats) which are used as the basis for formulating coffee shop business development strategies. The basic research method is descriptive with data collection techniques through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), observation, documentation. Information was obtained through key informants who were determined purposively with the consideration of knowing the coffee shop business, namely directors, managers, supervisors, baristas, consumers, competitors, suppliers and coffee experts. Data analysis uses internal factor evaluation matrix, external factor evaluation, Grand Strategy matrix, SWOT matrix, and participatory prospective analysis. The results of the study show that the position of the grand strategy of PT XYZ is in quadrant I, which means that the strategy concentrates on market and product sustainability, product diversification, and aggressiveness. The main strategy prioritized based on the driving strategy is to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of departmental performance and improve the quality of human resources.