The Fabian strategy: How to trade space for time

Andrew Carr; Benjamin Walsh

doi:10.1080/01495933.2021.2017749

The Fabian strategy: How to trade space for time

Andrew Carr^*, Benjamin Walsh

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Fabian strategy is one of the most famous military strategies. Yet beyond notions of withdrawal and trading “space for time”, there is little clarity in the literature about how it operates. In this article, we develop a framework to explain the strategy based wearing down an adversary over time and then seeking a battlefield decision. We also examine contingent factors in shaping success or failure. In the final section, we explore what the Fabian strategy, famous for its use of time, tells us about acting strategically in the temporal domain.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	78-96
Number of pages	19
Journal	Comparative Strategy
Volume	41
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/01495933.2021.2017749
Publication status	Published - 2022

Access to Document

10.1080/01495933.2021.2017749

Cite this

@article{6f1ec5fcc1894917a8c698219b72deaf,

title = "The Fabian strategy: How to trade space for time",

abstract = "The Fabian strategy is one of the most famous military strategies. Yet beyond notions of withdrawal and trading “space for time”, there is little clarity in the literature about how it operates. In this article, we develop a framework to explain the strategy based wearing down an adversary over time and then seeking a battlefield decision. We also examine contingent factors in shaping success or failure. In the final section, we explore what the Fabian strategy, famous for its use of time, tells us about acting strategically in the temporal domain.",

keywords = "Fabian, defense, offense, space, strategy, time",

author = "Andrew Carr and Benjamin Walsh",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1080/01495933.2021.2017749",

language = "English",

volume = "41",

pages = "78--96",

journal = "Comparative Strategy",

issn = "0149-5933",

publisher = "Routledge",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Fabian strategy

T2 - How to trade space for time

AU - Carr, Andrew

AU - Walsh, Benjamin

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - The Fabian strategy is one of the most famous military strategies. Yet beyond notions of withdrawal and trading “space for time”, there is little clarity in the literature about how it operates. In this article, we develop a framework to explain the strategy based wearing down an adversary over time and then seeking a battlefield decision. We also examine contingent factors in shaping success or failure. In the final section, we explore what the Fabian strategy, famous for its use of time, tells us about acting strategically in the temporal domain.

AB - The Fabian strategy is one of the most famous military strategies. Yet beyond notions of withdrawal and trading “space for time”, there is little clarity in the literature about how it operates. In this article, we develop a framework to explain the strategy based wearing down an adversary over time and then seeking a battlefield decision. We also examine contingent factors in shaping success or failure. In the final section, we explore what the Fabian strategy, famous for its use of time, tells us about acting strategically in the temporal domain.

KW - Fabian

KW - defense

KW - offense

KW - space

KW - strategy

KW - time

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124124607&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/01495933.2021.2017749

DO - 10.1080/01495933.2021.2017749

M3 - Article

SN - 0149-5933

VL - 41

SP - 78

EP - 96

JO - Comparative Strategy

JF - Comparative Strategy

IS - 1

ER -

The Fabian strategy: How to trade space for time

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this