Hidden in Plain Sight: Signs of Great Power War

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the origins of World War I and todays US-China relationship within a worldview consisting of four factors that increase the risk of great power war. Prior to World War I, four signposts were prevalent a hegemonic challenger, a power imbalance, a series of repeated crises, and entangling alliances. These signposts made great power war more likely during the 1914 July Crisis. Nuclear weapons, a different international order, and geography are clear differences in this historical analogy. However, the four basic factors are evident in today's Asian-Pacific region. A worldview that ignores the increased risk of great power conflict will leave leaders with strategic blind spots and, ultimately, failure. Great power conflict has not gone away.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1030482

Entities

People

  • Patrick J. Kennedy

Organizations

  • Air University

Tags

Communities of Interest

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

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • International Security
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Second World War
  • Treaties
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies