Strategike

Strategike, or strategikē in its original Greek, is a term that denotes the art or science of planning and directing overall military, political, and organizational action—what in English is usually called strategy. The word derives from strategos, "the general," plus the suffix -ikē, forming a concept that later broadens to refer to the systematic study of strategic planning. In Latin and modern languages, it influenced terms such as strategia and strategy.

Historically, strategike has roots in ancient Greek thought on warfare and governance. In classical Greece, strategoi were elected generals, and strategikē referred to the body of practical and theoretical knowledge used to coordinate large-scale campaigns. The concept persisted through Hellenistic and Roman periods and was refined in Byzantine military thought, most famously in the Strategikon attributed to Emperor Maurice, a treatise outlining command, formations, and doctrinal principles of warfare.

Today, strategike appears in discussions of strategic studies, military science, and organizational theory, often with the English term strategy used interchangeably. In modern contexts, the Greek descriptor survives in academic discourse on strategic thought, including political strategy, business strategy, and game theory. The term also appears in translations and in the study of historical military manuals and their influence on later strategic thinking.

Overall, strategike describes a broad and longstanding project: to understand, formulate, and implement plans that aim to achieve long-term objectives in a context of competition and conflict.