The Art of Military Coercion: Why the West's Military Superiority Scarcely MattersSince the end of the Cold War, liberal democracies have conducted military interventions on numerous occasions, and with mixed results. Why is it that these results have so often been poor? The main argument of this study is that to be succesful, force must be used decisively. This requires the right balance between means and ends, based on an understanding of the dynamics of coercion. But even if this is the case, asymmetrical reactions from a weak opponent could easily offset Western military might. This is why, this book argues, the West's military superiority scarcely matters. Rob de Wijk is director of the Clingendael Centre for Strategic Studies in The Netherlands. He is also professor in the field of International Relations at the Royal Netherlands Military Academy, and professor of Strategic Studies at Leiden University. |
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The art of military coercion: why the west's military superiority scarcely ... Rob de Wijk No preview available - 2014 |
The Art of Military Coercion: Why the West's Military Superiority Scarcely ... Rob de Wijk No preview available - 2014 |
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achieve adversary Afghanistan air campaign air power AirLand Battle al-Qaeda American areas argued armed forces attack attrition bombings Chechen chemical coalition coerce coercer coercive diplomacy Cold War collateral damage combat command concept conflict Consequently conventional counterinsurgency countries defense democratic doctrine effective enemy Europe European fight fighters foreign policy ground forces Gulf human rights humanitarian insurgents interoperability Iraq Islamic Kosovo leaders liberal democracies maneuver warfare manual mass destruction military coercion military force military interventions military operations Milosevic missiles modern NATO NATO's nuclear weapons Operation Allied Force Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom opponent option peace political objectives population post-modern President regime requires result risks Russian Saddam Hussein Security Council Serb Somalia Soviet Special Operations Forces stake strategic culture strategy success tactical Taliban target terrorism terrorists threat tion troops U.S. Army unconventional warfare United vital interests wars Warsaw Pact weapons of mass