Rejecting Self-Deterrence in the Post-Cold War Environment: Assuming a Leadership Role to Influence the Future.

Abstract

The United States has become self-deterred in its international actions since the end of the Cold War. Without a clear 'vital' threat, the United States has become reticent to use, or threaten to use, military forces to support its national priorities. Without an active United States leadership role, and with no other country willing to assume the role, the effectiveness of collective or coalition security arrangements has diminished. In the long term, continued United States self-deterrence will encourage the proliferation of arms and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The United States needs to assume an aggressive long term national security strategy to guide the course of international development. Analyzing deterrence theory and identifying reasons why deterrence fails provide insight as to how the United States can best influence the regional threats caused by ethnic tensions or the ambitions of rogue state leaders. Active engagement now will help prevent the proliferation of WMD.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 12, 1996
Accession Number
ADA307518

Entities

People

  • Christopher J. Drennen

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bosnia Herzegovina
  • Classification
  • Cold War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Deterrence
  • Environment
  • Governments
  • Market Economy
  • Military Operations
  • Military Strategy
  • Motivation
  • National Security
  • Security
  • United States
  • Vulnerability
  • War Colleges
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies