Military Strategy of Middle Powers

"In an increasingly uncertain world, the evolving military strategies of middle powers deserves far more academic scholarship. This insightful, in-depth expert study fills a critical void in our understanding of how these powers seek to respond and shape their new environments. Edstroem and Westberg manage to compare a variety of middle powers with accuracy and deep knowledge. An excellent read for scholars and practitioners alike." Ben Schreer, Professor of Strategic Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney "With the end of the Cold War, security was popularised as a framework for understanding the nature and role of the military in international politics - to the detriment of the realist military strategic agenda. With the publication of Military Strategy for Middle Powers, Hakan Edstroem and Jacob Westberg succeed not only in providing new and innovative realist pathways to think about the military strategic domain; they also draw the attention to a particular group of countries that are competing in a very unique way for security, influence and status in a time of unipolar demise. The authors make use of the ideas of self-preservation, position and power, and status to contextualise, analyse and compare the defence strategies of this group of countries. The typology of balance of power, bandwagoning, isolation and hedging sets the scene for a detailed outline and discussion of the diversity of defence strategies of middle powers. The book is well structured, well argued and well researched. It is compulsory reading for those with an interest in military strategy and an understanding of the critical military role of middle powers in regional, continental and global defence contexts. " A.J. Esterhuyse, Associate Professor of Strategy, Military Academy, Saldanha In an increasingly uncertain world, the evolving military strategies of middle powers deserves far more academic scholarship. This insightful, in-depth expert study fills a critical void in our understanding of how these powers seek to respond and shape their new environments. Edstroem and Westberg manage to compare a variety of middle powers with accuracy and deep knowledge. An excellent read for scholars and practitioners alike. Ben Schreer, Professor of Strategic Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney With the end of the Cold War, security was popularised as a framework for understanding the nature and role of the military in international politics - to the detriment of the realist military strategic agenda. With the publication of Military Strategy for Middle Powers, Hakan Edstroem and Jacob Westberg succeed not only in providing new and innovative realist pathways to think about the military strategic domain; they also draw the attention to a particular group of countries that are competing in a very unique way for security, influence and status in a time of unipolar demise. The authors make use of the ideas of self-preservation, position and power, and status to contextualise, analyse and compare the defence strategies of this group of countries. The typology of balance of power, bandwagoning, isolation and hedging sets the scene for a detailed outline and discussion of the diversity of defence strategies of middle powers. The book is well structured, well argued and well researched. It is compulsory reading for those with an interest in military strategy and an understanding of the critical military role of middle powers in regional, continental and global defence contexts. A.J. Esterhuyse, Associate Professor of Strategy, Military Academy, Saldanha

Hakan Edstroem is Associate Professor in Political Science at the Swedish Defence University, Stockholm. Jacob Westberg is Associate Professor in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University, Sockholm.

1: Uniformity and differences in middle powers' strategy 2: Exploring middle powers' strategic diversity 3: The strategies of middle powers in security communities 4: The strategies of middle powers in security regimes 5: The strategies of middle powers in conflict formations 6: Security, influence, status and the competition among middle powers