Asymmetric conflicts : war initiation by weaker powers / T.V. Paul.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paul, T. V.

Series:

Cambridge studies in international relations ; 33.

Cambridge studies in international relations ; 33

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

War (International law).

Great powers.

States, Small.

International relations.

Physical Description:

xi, 248 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Summary:

This book examines a question generally neglected in the study of international relations: why does a militarily and economically less powerful state initiate war against a relatively strong state? T.V. Paul analyzes this phenomenon by focusing on the strategic and political considerations, domestic and international, which influence a weaker state to launch war against a more powerful adversary. The key argument of deterrence theory is that the military superiority of the status quo power, coupled with a credible retaliatory threat, will prevent attack by challengers. The author challenges this position by examining six twentieth-century asymmetric wars: the Japanese offensive against Russia in 1904; the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; the Chinese intervention in Korea in 1950; the Pakistani offensive in Kashmir in 1965; the Egyptian offensive in the Sinai in 1973; and the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. The book's findings have wide implications for the study of war, power, deterrence, coercive diplomacy, strategy, arms races and alliances.

Contents:

Part I The Theoretical Framework

1 Introduction: war initiation in international relations theory 3

2 Explaining war initiation by weaker powers in asymmetric conflicts 15

Part II The Case Studies

3 The Japanese offensive against Russia, 1904 41

4 The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941 64

5 The Chinese intervention in Korea, 1950 86

6 The Pakistani offensive in Kashmir, 1965 107

7 The Egyptian offensive in the Sinai, 1973 126

8 The Argentine invasion of the Falklands/Malvinas, 1982 146.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 224-241) and index.

ISBN:

0521451175

0521466210

OCLC:

28062947