Through a glass darkly : looking at conflict prevention, management, and termination / Stephen J. Cimbala.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cimbala, Stephen J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Military policy--Case studies.

Military policy.

Military history, Modern--20th century.

Military history, Modern.

International relations--Case studies.

International relations.

Cold War.

World politics--1989-.

World politics.

United States--Military policy.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (219 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Cimbala shows why the prevention, management, and concluding of war all require an understanding of the subjective aspects of decision making as well as the hardware and tactics of military operations. A review of past cases of U.S. security policy decision making and a preview of some future problems are combined to distill important lessons about coping with conflict in the post-Cold War world. These lessons include the awareness that some conflicts are unnecessarily provoked or prolonged on account of the gap between the perspectives and experiences of civilian policy makers and the views of the armed forces leadership. Another important lesson is that, in resolving or managing conflicts, perceptions, and expectations of leaders filter out alternatives that might have led to preferred solutions had they been attempted in good time. Of particular interest to policy makers, military professionals, and researchers involved with contemporary military issues.

Contents:

Cover

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Past Cases

Present/Future Cases

SEQUENCE OF TOPICS

LOOKING AHEAD

NOTES

Part I Past Cases

Chapter 1 Bargaining at the Brink: Otherness and the Cuban Missile Crisis

INTRODUCTION

PERSPECTIVE TAKING BEFORE AND AFTER CUBA

DETERRENCE AND THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

OTHER INTERPRETATIONS

CONCLUSION

Chapter 2 Wilderness of Mirrors: The 1983 "War Scare" and U.S.-Soviet Relations

OPERATION RYAN

THE INF DECISION

STAR WARS

KAL 007

THE SEPTEMBER SATELLITE WARNING INCIDENT

ABLE ARCHER

EAST GERMAN INTELLIGENCE

THE SOVIET NUCLEAR DETERRENT

ANALYSIS

OTHER WAR SCARES?

Chapter 3 Operation Desert Storm: A Truncated Triumph

MISPERCEPTIONS AND MISTAKEN ASSUMPTIONS

Was Saddam Hussein Irrational or Crazy Like a Fox?

U.S. Deterrence before Desert Storm

Compellence: Upping the Ante

THE BEST-LAID PLANS: ASSUMPTIONS

THE AIR CAMPAIGN: OBJECTIVES AND ASSESSMENT

VIDEO WAR

Part II Present and Future Cases

Chapter 4 Information Warfare and Nuclear Weapons: Back to the Future?

INFORMATION WARFARE: WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT MATTERS

INFORMATION WARFARE AND NUCLEAR CRISIS MANAGEMENT

PREEMPTION AND INFORMATION WARFARE

ACCIDENTAL/INADVERTENT WARFARE AND INFORMATION CONFLICT

Chapter 5 Armageddon by Osmosis: Must Nuclear Weapons Spread?

NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND DETERRENCE IN THE COLD WAR

A NEW THREAT ENVIRONMENT

PROLIFERATION AND RATIONAL DECISION MAKING

Chapter 6 Small Wars and Peace Wars: Disarming the Devil

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

ORGANIZING THE U.S. MILITARY FOR NONWAR OPERATIONS

THE STREETS WITHOUT JOY.

Chechnya I: Russia Enters the Quagmire

Chechnya II: Russia Reenters the Quagmire

ALLIES IN SMALL WARS AND PEACE WARS

Command and Control

NATO: Out of Area and into OOTW

CASUALTIES AND POPULAR EXPECTATIONS

Conclusion

THE FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY REVISITED

WHAT PAST CASES TELL US

ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS ABOUT DECISION-MAKING PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

RESOLVING FUTURE CONFLICTS

GRACE NOTES

For Further Reading

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [193]-194) and index.

ISBN:

9798216025849

9780313001031

0313001030

OCLC:

614641589