Download or read book Rolling the Iron Dice written by Scot Macdonald and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2000-07-30 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does history provide lessons for foreign policy makers today? Macdonald combines cognitive psychology theories about analogical reasoning, international relations theories about military intervention, and original archival research to analyze the role of historical information in foreign policy decision making. He looks at the role of historical analogies in Anglo-American decision making during foreign policy crises involving the possible use of force in regional contingencies during a crucial period in the 1950s when the West faced an emerging Soviet threat. This study analyzes the influence of situational and individual variables in a comparison of more than ten leaders from two nations facing four different crises. Rolling the Iron Dice describes the often significant effect of historical analogies on perceptions of the adversary and of allies, time constraints, policy options and risks, as well as the justification of policy in four crises: the 1950 Korean invasion; the 1951-53 Iranian oil nationalization incident; the 1956 Suez crisis; and the 1958 crisis in Lebanon and Jordan. Contrary to both the slippery slope and the escalation models of military intervention, Macdonald argues that leaders decide extremely early in a crisis, often on the basis of an historical analogy, but also based on perceptions of the rationality of an adversary, whether to use military force. Their decision does not change unless the adversary capitulates to every demand.
Download or read book Rolling the Iron Dice written by Scot Macdonald and published by . This book was released on with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Toughest Decision written by Kenneth Scot Macdonald and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Iron Dice of Battle written by Timothy B. Smith and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2023-11-29 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Killed in action at the bloody Battle of Shiloh, Confederate general Albert Sidney Johnston stands as the highest-ranking American military officer to die in combat. His unexpected demise had cascading negative consequences for the South’s war effort, as his absence created a void in adequate leadership in the years that followed. In The Iron Dice of Battle, noted Civil War historian Timothy B. Smith reexamines Johnston’s life and death, offering remarkable insights into this often-contradictory figure. As a commander, Johnston frequently faced larger and better-armed Union forces, dramatically shaping his battlefield decisions and convincing him that victory could only be attained by taking strategic risks while fighting. The final wager came while leading his army at Shiloh in April 1862. During a desperate gambit to turn the tide of battle, Johnston charged to the front of the Confederate line to direct his troops and fell mortally wounded after sustaining enemy fire. The first work to survey the general’s career in detail in nearly sixty years, The Iron Dice of Battle builds on recent scholarship to provide a new and incisive assessment of Johnston’s life, his Confederate command, and the effect his death had on the course of the Civil War in the West.
Download or read book Rolling the Iron Dice written by Andrew Metrick and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are four characteristics of any potential Sino-American conflict that increase the likelihood of protraction: 1. The Quest for Decisive Conventional Victory. 2. The Sanctuary of Mutual Exhaustion. 3. The Peril of the Strategic Nuclear Cliff. 4. The Gulf Between Culmination and Termination. These characteristics are the reasons why conflict protraction appears to be increasingly likely in a future Sino-American conflict involving the adversaries’ core interests. This study offers both recommendations and follow-on questions.
Download or read book Rolling the Iron Dice written by Scot Macdonald and published by Praeger. This book was released on 2000-07-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation Analyzes of the influence of historical analogies on Anglo-American decision making during four regional crises of the 1950s that involved the possible use of force: Korea, Iran, Suez, and Lebanon/Jordan.
Download or read book On Limited Nuclear War in the 21st Century written by Jeffrey A Larsen and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-02 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These essays by nuclear policy experts provide “a speculative but serious and well-informed journey through a variety of scenarios and contingencies” (Foreign Affairs). Recent decades have seen a slow but steady increase in nuclear armed states, and in the seemingly less constrained policy goals of some of the newer “rogue” states in the international system. The authors of On Limited Nuclear War in the 21st Century argue that a time may come when one of these states makes the conscious decision that using a nuclear weapon against the United States, its allies, or forward deployed forces in the context of a crisis or a regional conventional conflict may be in its interests. They assert that we are unprepared for these types of limited nuclear wars and that it is urgent we rethink the theory, policy, and implementation of force related to our approaches to this type of engagement. Together they critique Cold War doctrine on limited nuclear war and consider a number of the key concepts that should govern our approach to limited nuclear conflict in the future. These include identifying the factors likely to lead to limited nuclear war; examining the geopolitics of future conflict scenarios that might lead to small-scale nuclear use; and assessing strategies for crisis management and escalation control. Finally, they consider a range of strategies and operational concepts for countering, controlling, or containing limited nuclear war. “A series of trenchant essays that deconstruct a critical national security challenge that most of us wish did not exist. Assembling a star-studded cast of scholars, analysts, and policy practitioners, Larsen and Kartchner have produced some of the most important new thinking on an old topic.” —H-Diplo
Download or read book The Kaiser s Army written by Eric Dorn Brose and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2004-10-14 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume covers a fascinating period in the history of the German army, a time in which machine guns, airplanes, and weapons of mass destruction were first developed and used. Eric Brose traces the industrial development of machinery and its application to infantry, cavalry, and artillery tactics. He examines the modernity versus anti-modernity debate that raged after the Franco-Prussian war, arguing that the residue of years of resistance to technological change seriously undermined the German army during World War I.
Download or read book More Than a Doctrine written by Randall Fowler and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given on January 5, 1957, the Eisenhower Doctrine Address forever changed America’s relationship with the Middle East. In the aftermath of the Suez Crisis, President Dwight D. Eisenhower boldly declared that the United States would henceforth serve as the region’s “protector of freedom” against Communist aggression. Eighteen months later the president invoked the Eisenhower Doctrine, landing troops in Lebanon and setting an enduring precedent for U.S. intervention in the Middle East. How did Eisenhower justify this intervention to an American public wary of foreign entanglements? Why did he boldly issue the doctrine that bears his name? And, most important, how has Eisenhower’s rhetoric continued to influence American policy and perception of the Middle East? Randall Fowler answers these questions and more in More Than a Doctrine. With the expansion of America’s global influence and the executive branch’s power, presidential rhetoric has become an increasingly important tool in U.S. foreign policy—nowhere more so than in the Middle East. By examining Eisenhower’s rhetoric, More Than a Doctrine explores how the argumentative origins of the Eisenhower Doctrine Address continue to impact us today.
Download or read book The Politics of the First World War written by Scott Wolford and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-02-21 with total page 469 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great War is an immense, confusing and overwhelming historical conflict - the ideal case study for teaching game theory and international relations. Using thirteen historical puzzles, from the outbreak of the war and the stability of attrition, to unrestricted submarine warfare and American entry into the war, this book provides students with a rigorous yet accessible training in game theory. Each chapter shows, through guided exercises, how game theoretical models can explain otherwise challenging strategic puzzles, shedding light on the role of individual leaders in world politics, cooperation between coalitions partners, the effectiveness of international law, the termination of conflict, and the challenges of making peace. Its analytical history of World War I also surveys cutting edge political science research on international relations and the causes of war. Written by a leading game theorist known for his expertise of the war, this textbook includes useful student features such as chapter key terms, contemporary maps, a timeline of events, a list of key characters and additional end-of-chapter game-theoretic exercises.
Download or read book The Boiling Moat written by Matt Pottinger and published by Hoover Press. This book was released on 2024-07-01 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chinese leader Xi Jinping has openly expressed his intention to annex Taiwan to mainland China, even threatening the use of force. An invasion or blockade of Taiwan by Chinese forces would be catastrophic, with severe consequences for democracies worldwide. In The Boiling Moat, Matt Pottinger and a team of scholars and distinguished military and political leaders urgently outline practical steps for deterrence. The authors stress that preventing a war is more affordable than waging one and emphasize the importance of learning from recent failures in deterrence, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The book argues that a robust military strategy is essential for countering Beijing's aggression. Pottinger and his team map out a workable military strategy for Taiwan, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Europe to pursue collectively, urging quick adoption to avert a devastating war. The significance of Taiwan to the world economy, semiconductor supply, and Indo-Pacific security is underscored. The authors stress that preventing China's coercive annexation of Taiwan requires democracies to demonstrate not just the means but also the will to effectively resist, conveying the message that a military attempt by Xi would likely lead to disastrous consequences, both for China and for the international community.
Download or read book Propaganda and Information Warfare in the Twenty First Century written by Scot Macdonald and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-12-05 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to analyze how the technology to alter images and rapidly distribute them can be used for propaganda and to support deception operations. In the past, propagandists and those seeking to conduct deception operations used crude methods to alter images of real people, events and objects, which could usually be detected relatively easily. Today, however, computers allow propagandists to create any imaginable image, still or moving, with appropriate accompanying audio. Furthermore, it is becoming extremely difficult to detect that an image has been manipulated, and the Internet, television and global media make it possible to disseminate altered images around the world almost instantaneously. Given that the United States is the sole superpower, few, if any, adversaries will attempt to fight the US military conventionally on the battlefield. Therefore, adversaries will use propaganda and deception, especially altered images, in an attempt to level the battlefield or to win a war against the United States without even having to fight militarily. Propaganda and Information Warfare in the 21st Century will be of great interest to students of information war, propaganda, public diplomacy and security studies in general.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Political Theory written by Mark Bevir and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2010-03-18 with total page 1585 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we arrange our collective affairs? Why do we live together in the ways we do? How ought we to live together? All humans think about the world they live in, its history and future, and the ideals by which they want to live in relation to others. How we think today decisively influences the world of tomorrow. This encyclopedia attempts to bring greater clarity and understanding to political debate. Drawing together a team of international scholars, the Encyclopedia of Political Theory examines the ideas of the major political theorists from before Plato to our own times; the main schools of political thought; the concepts and issues that have captured the imagination and attention of political theorists; and some of the main institutions and practices inspired by political thought. With more than 450 entries, these three volumes provide a quick, one-stop source to key topics in the field. Key Features Examines the global landscape of all the key theories and the theorists behind them Includes specific lists of entries that deal with constitutional thought and democratic thought Refers to distinctive norms and features of various governments, legal systems, and societies Devotes large parts to the history of ideas about government, ethics, and society Provides a chronology of political theory to help readers see how a given theorist, school, or issue fits into the bigger historical picture Key Themes Ancient Thought Applied Ethics Biographies Comparative Theory Constitutional Thought Critical Theory Democratic Thought Early Modern Thought International Theory Justice Liberal Theory Medieval Thought Modern Theory Power and Authority Religious Thought Self and Community This work is designed to serve as a reference source for anyone interested in the roots of contemporary political theory. It will be a welcome addition to any academic or public library.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Peaceful Change in International Relations written by T. V. Paul and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 836 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Abstract: With the rapid rise of China and the relative decline of the United States, the topic of power transition conflicts is back in popular and scholarly attention. The discipline of International Relations offers much on why violent power transition conflicts occur, yet very few substantive treatments exist on why and how peaceful changes happen in world politics. This Handbook is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject of peaceful change in International Relations. It contains some 41 chapters, all written by scholars from different theoretical and conceptual backgrounds examining the multi-faceted dimensions of this subject. In the first part, key conceptual and definitional clarifications are offered and in the second part, papers address the historical origins of peaceful change as an International Relations subject matter during the Inter-War, Cold War, and Post-Cold War eras. In the third part, each of the IR theoretical traditions and paradigms in particular Realism, liberalism, constructivism and critical perspectives and their distinct views on peaceful change are analyzed. In the fourth part papers tackle the key material, ideational and social sources of change. In the fifth part, the papers explore selected great and middle powers and their foreign policy contributions to peaceful change, realizing that many of these states have violent past or tend not to pursue peaceful policies consistently. In part six, the contributors evaluate the peaceful change that occurred in the world's key regions. In the final part, the editors address prospective research agenda and trajectories on this important subject matter. Keywords: Peaceful Change; War; Security; International Relations Theory; Sources of Change; Systemic Theory; Realism; Liberalism; Constructivism; Critical Theories"--
Download or read book An Introduction to Comparative Sociology written by Jon Oplinger and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-03-23 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Not your typical sociology primer, this straightforward yet challenging text begins with a discussion of foundational theories, central concepts and areas of study. Drawing on anthropology, archaeology and history to illustrate key points, the book offers a thorough examination of the field, covering such often neglected topics as the mass production of deviance (Stalin's lethal purges, for example) and the sociology of war. This multifaceted approach provides a broad overview of the discipline through a clear-eyed investigation of human society at its best and worst.
Download or read book Energy Security and Global Politics written by Daniel Moran and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-07-17 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyses the strategic dimensions of energy security, particularly where energy resources have become the object of military competition. The volume explores the risks that may arise from conditions of increasing economic competition and resource scarcity, and the problems that may follow if major producers or consumers of energy lose confidence in the equity and efficiency of the market, and resort instead to the use of force to secure access to energy. It surveys the strategic outlook of both producer and consumer states, with emphasis on nations or regions (Central Asia, Russia, China, Venezuela, the Persian Gulf) where unstable or rapidly evolving political conditions may undermine the currently prevailing market consensus. It also examines the role of the United States as the chief guarantor of the global economy, and the challenge this poses for its exercise of military power. The book contests that while the global energy market may be largely self-regulating, it is not self-defending. A failure to consider how it can be most effectively defended from emerging and potential challenges merely heightens the risk that those challenges may someday become real.
Download or read book The Formative Influences Theories and Campaigns of the Archduke Carl of Austria written by Lee W. Eysturlid and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2000-08-30 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archduke Carl of Austria lived during a time fractured by the collision of revolution and reaction, and he drew upon the French Revolution as the source for most of his experiences as a field commander and theoretician. He firmly believed that there were certain uncontradictable truths that governed warfare. This first English-language study of his theoretical writings offers a new perspective on understanding the mind of this military theorist through study of his intellectual background. The archduke's military career lasted from 1792 to 1809, and his serious work as a military theoretician and historian ranged from the 1790s to the 1830s. Eysturlid explores Archduke Carl's formative military education and experiences by examining the readings that formed the basis of his education and the instructors that exercised an influence over him. Archduke Carl was a definite product of his Enlightenment education and a diehard proponent of limited warfare. Chapters look carefully at Carl's major works on military strategy and tactics and observe in detail his actions and efforts during the 1796 and 1809 campaigns. Two historiographical chapters provide valuable contextual material about this poorly understood historical figure.
