I limiti di una Grande Strategia. Considerazioni militari e ambizioni politiche allo scoppio della seconda guerra punica

This paper analyses the numerous paradoxes connected with the strat-egy adopted by Rome at the eve of the Second Punic War. While scholars have usually recognized the audacity of Rome’s ‘Grand Strategy’ – that anticipated two major campaigns in Spain and Africa – they have missed to provide suitable an-swers for its failure, and especially to grasp its connection with the revolt that broke out in Cisalpine Gaul before the consuls could depart for their provinces. A new solution is henceforth proposed, according to which the consuls’ war plans were mainly dictated by political reasons (and especially by the need to satis-fy their soldiers’ economic expectations), and were consequently uncongenial to meet unexpected strategical changes.