Quote Originally Posted by Bob's World View Post
At a conference at Duke last year on Grand Strategy I enjoyed hearing the thoughts of some of our brightest minds on this topic. Finally I asked Dr. Gaddis of Yale, "Does a Grand Strategy requires some threat to counter, or can it be cast in positive terms to promote something instead"? I could hear the wheels turning all around this room full of PhDs; but no one really had an answer. It was almost like no one had ever considered the possibility of such a thing.
There are actually several countries with such grand strategies. Their grand strategies are consistent and robust, but not extremely obvious because some of their choices appear to be passive.

I think France's grand strategy needs no bogeyman (although they are occasionally in violent conflict with some smallish powers).
Germany's and Japan's grand strategies need no bogeyman either.
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey: same.

Pakistan, USA, North Korea, Syria and Iran depend heavily on their ability to point at an external threat (for domestic stability and in the case of the USA also for maintaining their international networks).