In this extensively researched and copiously documented book, a way forward is proposed to better manage problems and conflicts that often arise in one part of the world but ultimately involve multiple nations. Tribulations arising from unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, narcotics proliferation, and more are making it essential that interdependent governing bodies find a way to work more effectively together. This author—a military veteran, executive management consultant, and university lecturer—proffers that greater efficiency can be achieved through the use of an integrated, holistic, and dynamic theoretical model when undertaking a comprehensive approach to the difficulty at hand.

Dion accepts the definition of the comprehensive approach as “commonly understood principles and collaborative processes that enhance the likelihood of favorable and enduring outcomes.” While he supports the approach, he believes it can achieve success more often by involving six key management dimensions; the situational context, the sociocultural, the organizational structure, the strategic policies, the systemic processes, and perhaps most importantly, the synergy dynamics.

Written within the structure of a doctoral thesis, the author’s premises, support, and proposals are scrupulously annotated. While this can occasionally lead to a feeling of repetitiveness, it definitely brings added strength to his arguments. Theory is often buttressed by practicality in Dion’s narrative via detailed discussions of Canada’s multi-year engagement in Afghanistan. His use of illustrative diagrams and charts serve as compelling aids to comprehension and understanding. Of particular note are the Reality versus Rhetoric Gap Analysis and his Synergy Theoretical Model. For anyone interested in the planet’s ever-increasing interdependency and the need to work more systematically across boundaries and borders, Dion’s tome definitely makes for interesting insight and analysis.

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