What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to explore the link between tactical success of Special Operations Forces and their strategic outcomes in realpolitik contexts.

May 8, 2026Open Access

Tactical Victory, Strategic Failure? Special Operations Forces as an Instrument of Realpolitik

Key Points

The study aims to explore the link between tactical success of Special Operations Forces and their strategic outcomes in realpolitik contexts.
Multiple case study design comparing U.S. SOF in Somalia with Russian SOF in Chechnya.
Controlled replications in the Sahel and Ukraine to validate findings.
Repeated tactical victories do not ensure strategic advantages.
Outcomes are affected by political constraints, institutional structures, and decision-making logics.

Abstract

The article analyzes the relationship between the tactical effectiveness of Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their capacity to generate durable strategic outcomes when employed as instruments of realpolitik. Using a multiple case study design, it compares the intervention of U.S. SOF in Somalia (1992-1993) with the use of Russian SOF in Chechnya (1994-1999), validated through controlled contemporary replications in the Sahel and Ukraine. The analysis suggests that repeated tactical success does not automatically translate into strategic advantage, as this conversion is mediated by political constraints, institutional structures, and decision-making logics.

Tactical Victory, Strategic Failure? Special Operations Forces as an Instrument of Realpolitik

Key Points

Abstract

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