ABSTRACT
Strategy is the central political art. No matter how conceptually good a strategy may be, if diplomats are not up to implementing it and policy-makers do not grasp it, then it is in trouble. This is an especially acute problem when different government agencies and departments do not always follow the agreed line - and is even more of a problem when it comes to pluralistic alliances in which there may be no agreed consensus, and often conflicting interests and agendas. So, in crafting a response to the changing strategic environment in which the West finds itself, the principal interest must be grasping the main tenets of strategic thinking. This chapter presents some tenets that NATO would do well to consider if it ever decides to come up with a new strategic concept, to replace its latest from 2010. Every strategy involves storytelling, and is only as compelling as the story is believable.
