The Great War's Great Message - How Alliance and Coalition Management of 1914 Europe Should Inform Our Partnership Approach Today

Abstract

How do coalitions and alliances impact strategic decision-making during times of conflict? This paper takes a look at how coalition and alliance dynamics can or might impact the decision-making process of belligerents or potential belligerents in time of conflict, specifically looking at how these dynamics contributed to the beginning of World War One in 1914. Analyzed through the lens of Clausewitz and Sun Tzu's frameworks for war and, in particular, alliance contributions and political objective considerations in war, this essay posits that engagement in alliance and coalitions can both simplify and complicate strategic decision-making; requiring the States and their strategists to engage in careful consideration and analysis not only of their own objectives but of potential objectives for their strategic partners.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 10, 2023
Accession Number
AD1208702

Entities

People

  • Joshua M Asaro

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alliances
  • Dynamics
  • Foreign Relations
  • International Relations
  • Physics

Readers

  • Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies