When there is a horizon, there is need for strategy
By Rosa Cabús
04/02/2022
It is commonplace to argue, as I have previously myself, that every country – in this case, Catalonia – requires a strategy. Strategy is a big-sounding word. In many cases, the word is useful as a counterargument when criticizing what political leaders either do or do not do. Although the term has become diluted due to overuse, there is no better word that encapsulates the essence of how we think about our actions in advance, the specific objectives which we have in mind, and the potential approaches we can adopt in order to get there.[1] All of this is achieved by managing associated risk. In other words, as the military historian Lawrence Freedman argues, strategy is about maintaining a balance between ends, ways, and means.[2] In addition to maintaining this equilibrium, all the elements in the strategy should be realistic. In order to determine the goals, it is necessary to research both the available pathways and the required means. As the American strategist Bernard Brodie said: “strategy is a field where truth is sought in the pursuit of viable solutions.”[3]
It seems that, ultimately, strategy is conceived in order to win wars, although it may be that this is only part of the story. The Prussian military officer and philosopher, Carl von Clausewitz defines war as an “act of force to compel our enemy to do our will.”[4] However, he also argued that it is more than defeating one’s enemy on the battlefield; it is also the elimination of the enemy’s morale. This implies that strategy is not simply a plan to get from point A to point B.[5] Rather, strategy is crucial because there are others – not necessarily always opponents – who might get in one’s way and hinder one’s path. Thus, despite having a specific end goal, a strategy requires flexibility so that it can be adapted according to different states of affairs.[6] While the logic of one’s strategy is usually visible and articulated in the framework of war, for the obvious reasons of having a clearly-defined enemy, strategy does not only apply to wartime. The historian Edward Mead Earle argued that strategy was “an inherent element of statecraft at all times.”[7] While a sound strategy does not guarantee success, it does strongly increase the chances of success. As such, strategy is both an art and a science.
Why then, with regards to Catalonia, is it vital that it has a strategy? As noted above, strategy is a balance between ends, ways, and means. Catalonia needs a strategy for three key reasons. First, the end goal-achieving full sovereignty – is a complex objective. This aim does not only face an opponent which has different interests but a state that has a carefully crafted strategy where all its tools are directed at preventing this from happening at all costs. Spain applies Richelieu’s foreign policy principle to Catalonia, namely that anything can be justified by raison d’état. Beyond the complexity of this objective is the Clausewitzian element of friction, that is, all the minor incidents that one cannot foresee which mean that one’s political objectives are not met.[8] Friction goes further than the intentions of one’s enemies. Regarding the domain of the battlefield, Clausewitz uses the example of weather or the terrain as factors that one might not anticipate. However, in today’s globalized world, any interaction between actors could result in friction for Catalonia.
Secondly, having a strategy is useful, if necessary, for evaluating and redressing the “ways”. Until now, Catalonia’s political elite has been pursuing a path of democratic transition. In other words, the idea of the “Catalan process” is to vote themselves away from the Spanish regime. Since Spain has clearly curtailed this option, Catalan politicians are now pivoting towards the European track in order to raise awareness about their situation. However, Europe has other priorities than interfering in internal Spanish affairs. Soon, it will be clear whether or not this route has been successful. Should it fail, the fact that Catalonia would have a strategy means that it will be possible to reevaluate its ways and to pursue a different and hopefully more effective pathway. To do this, Tami Biddle notes the “FAS test”[9], meaning feasibility, acceptability, and suitability74. American military and civilian students understand this phrase as being applicable to any kind of strategy. However, it is not possible to rectify the route if one does not know where it is.
Thirdly, having a strategy is useful beyond the internal organization. Catalonia, like any other actor, needs to look for alliances, that is, states which could provide potential support. As argued elsewhere, Catalonia is in the Carolingian tradition, whereby France and other European countries would be its natural allies. Nonetheless, if this particular “way” does not work out, given that Spain is a member of the EU, Catalonia should continue to seek alliances. Whilst some of its allies might have similar values while others might differ substantially. In any case, political alliances are dynamic and are not set in stone. Catalonia should put great powers on the spot and make them take a stand on Catalonia’s proposal. Until this happens, Catalonia’s case will continue to be filed away under ‘minor internal issue’ within Europe. In addition, it should be borne in mind that its opponent also has alliances. Another path to victory, as Sun Tzu puts it, is: “to target their strategies, then their alliances (or allies) (…)”.[10] These three reasons why Catalonia needs a strategy should reflect the fact that the current debate is not whether the fort will be painted when it is conquered, but rather how Catalonia will take it. A strategy is the most efficient way of achieving one’s end goal.
In addition, as regards the evident need for a strategy, crafting one will enable the setting of future strategic security policy patterns. Colin Gray indicated that what characterizes strategic development is partly related to national styles along with the “deep roots within a particular stream of historical experience.”[11] Strategic culture has its roots in a multiplicity of elements: physical aspects such as geography, climate, natural resources, and generational change; political components, such as history and systems; and finally, cultural and social factors including myths, symbols, and foundational texts. Hitherto, Catalonia has had a culture of resistance pointing towards survival. Whilst this culture is strong, it is not yet a strategy. Until 1714, Catalonia had its own strategic culture which was obstructed militarily by Spain. It is therefore now time to take the bull by its horns and properly design a Catalan strategy.
In conclusion, this article initially defined the term ‘strategy’, discerning how this differs from having a plan. Secondly, it explored three main reasons why having a strategy is vital, namely: to achieve a complex objective when there is an enemy that surely has a strategy to prevent you from reaching your desired goal; to evaluate the process and to seek redress when needed; and finally, to inform potential alliances. Ultimately, this article has argued that crafting a strategy has impacted future security policy. Catalan political elites should take the issue seriously and craft a strategy whilst simultaneously following Sun Tzu’s principle to “know the enemy, know yourself, and you will meet no danger in a hundred battles.”[12]
References
[1] Lawrence Freedman, Strategy: A History (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2013), x.
[2] Ibid., xi.
[3] Bernard Brodie, War and Politics (New York, NY: Macmillan, 1973), 452–53.
[4] Carl von Clausewitz, On War, ed. and trans. Michael Howard and Peter Paret (New Jersey, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976), 75.
[5] Freedman, Strategy: A History, xi.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Edward Mead Earle, Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to Hitler (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1943), viii.
[8] Clausewitz, On War, 119.
[9] Tami Davis Biddle, “Strategy and Grand Strategy: What Students and Practitioners Need to Know,” United States Army War College, Advancing Strategic Thought Series, December 2015, 14
[10] Sun Tzu, The Art of War, trans. Michael Nylan (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), 53.
[11] Colin S. Gray, “National Style in Strategy. The American Example,” International Security 6, no. 2 (Fall 1981): 35–37.
[12]Tzu, The Art of War, 76.
Rosa Cabús holds a BA in War Studies and Philosophy from King’s College London (KCL). She has a master’s degree in Political Philosophy from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). She is interested in security issues -especially focused in the MENA region- as well as Practical Ethics.
