Stretching and Exploiting Thresholds for High-Order War: How Russia, China, and Iran are Eroding American Influence Using Time-Tested Measures Short of War

Abstract

This report describes how Russia, China, and Iran have used measures short of war to exploit and stretch U.S. strategic thresholds for high-order conventional or nuclear conflict in eastern Europe, east Asia, and the Middle East. Measures short of war include every action and tool at a nation-states disposal that might further the states interests without crossing the threshold into high-order and often-unmanageable interstate war. These range from simple negotiation to assassination to the use of military special operations forces. If applied in the right combinations, measures short of war can be used to achieve strategic objectives or to create room for further maneuvers against other, competing nation-states. Cunning and aggressive application of these measures can allow a nation-stateincluding the United Statesto reshape, or stretch, the negotiated, stated, or tacit thresholds for aggressive national behavior.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1013671

Entities

People

  • Ben Connable
  • Dan Madden
  • Jason H. Campbell

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Foreign Relations
  • Hybrid Warfare
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Recreation
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies