The United States was thrust so suddenly into the war on terrorism that
it was forced to deal with both immediate operational issues and broad
strategic questions simultaneously. Even while the American military is
consolidating battlefield success in Afghanistan, strategic thinkers and
leaders are developing a long-term strategy. In this process, nothing is
more important than defining victory. In this monograph, Dr. Colin Gray,
one of the world's leading strategic thinkers, explores the concept of
victory in the war in terrorism, but he does so by placing it within the
larger currents of change that are sweeping the global security
environment. He contends that the time-tested idea of decisive victory
is still an important one, but must be designed very carefully in this
dangerous new world. To do so correctly can provide the foundation for
an effective strategy. To fail to do so could be the first step toward
strategic defeat.