Success and failure in limited war : information and strategy in the Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and Iraq Wars / Spencer D. Bakich.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bakich, Spencer D., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--History, Military--20th century.

United States.

History, Military.

United States--History, Military--21st century.

Korean War, 1950-1953.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

Persian Gulf War, 1991.

Iraq War, 2003-2011.

Genre:

Military history.

Physical Description:

xiii, 329 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, 2014.

Summary:

Common and destructive, limited wars are significant international events that pose a number of challenges to the states involved beyond simple victory or defeat. Chief among these challenges is the risk of escalation-be it in the scale, scope, cost, or duration of the conflict. In this book, Spencer D. Bakich investigates a crucial and heretofore ignored factor in determining the nature and direction of limited war: information institutions. Traditional assessments of wartime strategy focus on the relationship between the military and civilians, but Bakich argues that we must take into account the information flow patterns among top policy makers and all national security organizations. By examining the fate of American military and diplomatic strategy in four limited wars, Bakich demonstrates how not only the availability and quality of information, but also the ways in which information is gathered, managed, analyzed, and used, shape a state's ability to wield power effectively in dynamic and complex international systems. Utilizing a range of primary and secondary source materials, Success and Failure in Limited War makes a timely case for the power of information in war, with crucial implications for international relations theory and statecraft. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Information Institutions and Strategy in War 1

Chapter 2 Explaining Strategic Performance in Limited Warfare 19

Chapter 3 Military and Diplomatic Defeat in the Korean War 57

Chapter 4 The Vietnam War, Little Consolation 97

Chapter 5 Military and Diplomatic Success in the Persian Gulf War 144

Chapter 6 Iraq-Win the Battle, Lose the War 186

Chapter 7 Information Institutions Matter! 234.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [301]-137) and index.

ISBN:

9780226107684

022610768X

9780226107714

022610771X

OCLC:

847763656