Introduction by A.A.Kokoshin
Moscow, Europe Publishing House, 2006, pp 240
The old essay by General De Gaulle has rather unexpectedly acquired a new relevance in the present circumstances. This text, written at the time when the author was not yet even a colonel, dealt with a subject that would become one of main themes for the future president of France: a relationship between a military professional and politician, or else, a relationship between a specific strategy and a political one. This text is about a quality that is most rare in a politician and a military man - the courage of taking a decision and the responsibility that comes with it. However, apart from its contents, the essay is likely to surprise Russian readers, who, ever since Peter the Great and Suvorov, have not been spoilt by eloquence on the part of military commanders, with the historical and literary erudition of the author, and his exceptionally refined style.
