Strategic Studies in Developing Countries

In classical sense, strategy is an effort to get rid of uncertainty, a long term policy planning based on realistic evaluation, solid resources at hand, to achieve desired goals. Lawrence Freedman, in his book “Strategy-A History“ defines strategic approach as “an ability to look up from the short term and the trivial to view the long term and the essential, to address causes rather than symptoms, to see woods rather than trees.“

And the Strategic Research Centers are the governmental or non-governmental institutions to facilitate this effort. Their mission is to take the raw data and turn it into “Processed information“ eligible for application by executives.

In information age, humans can reach so much data, yet, especially diplomats, military and intelligence services get lost in the environment of “information pollution“. Add to this the daily bureaucracy they have to deal with, they are not in the best position to read deeply, reflect and innovate doctrines or policies. Hence decision makers opt for powerful analyst brains and processed information of respectable think tanks.

Strategic Research is a very expensive, luxury activity, requiring millions of dollars, many a time to be spent for no substantial benefit in the short run. They are especially luxurious for developing countries which have not yet reached the level of offensive, pro-active foreign policy. It is a luxury field for them, because politicians and bureaucrats of passive, re-active states, (the intended customers), do not know how to use, or what to do with the processed information.

Many a time, developing states, for pride, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for hosting international brainstorming panels. Creative ideas produced in these panels cannot be canalized into action by these countries. But using the creative ideas of these panels; the militaries, diplomats and intelligence services of powerful states can develop hostile ideas against these very hosting countries by swiftly and effectively turning the outcoming new ideas into action.

The greatest handicap of countries not advanced in strategic studies is the clog in channels, where processed information cannot reach the decision makers and put into action. In developing country bureaucracies and business circles, there is not yet an awakening to turn processed information into application and practice.