Strategic Effectiveness
Why do states often fail to achieve their policy goals in war, even if they meet their operational military objectives? This problem lies at the heart of strategy, and is a common policy challenge facing leaders and planners. This stream of research is the core of my book project. I offer a theoretical framework that explains strategic effectiveness - how states' wartime strategic actions shape war outcomes. I use case studies of India's conflicts in 1965, 1971, 1987-90, and 1999 to show how variable strategic actions led to variable policy outcomes. This research, based on archives, first-hand accounts, and interviews, contributes to our historiographical understanding of modern South Asian military history, and also to our theoretical understanding of the sources and effects of military strategy-making.
