Peering Over the Cliff: Guidelines for Statesmen Contemplating War
Abstract
This study attempts to determine if there are adequate existing guidelines for today's statesmen to use when they contemplate war. The author first develops a theoretical foundation for understanding the character of an approaching war. The character of a war includes a nation's motives for war as well as their connection to national interests. After establishing the foundation, the study surveys the existing guidelines, from the Weinberger Doctrine of 1984 to the present. Common themes and major differences are highlighted. The guidelines, as a whole, are evaluated for strengths and weaknesses and then compared to the theoretical foundations previously formed. Certain requirements are culled from the examination and applied to a proposed new set of guidelines. These are designed to add the theoretical foundation missing from today's guidance for statesmen considering war. The new set uses questions designed to help statesmen find an answer, rather than prescribe one to them. Finally, potential criticisms to the guidance are addressed. The following study focuses on the attempts of statesmen to understand the character of the war they contemplate. This necessarily includes information on the decision to intervene militarily or not and the form of that intervention. Most modern scholars focus on the question of intervention. This study, however, is not limited to the intervention decision. It will also review, as key elements of a statesman's decision, what form the war may take and subsequent implications. In that regard, this thesis will treat the decision to intervene as the critical subelement of the overall question concerning the character of a particular war. This assumption is in line with the literature that will be reviewed in the study. There are other assumptions in this study,.One assumption is that understanding the nature of war is critical to a statesman's chances for success.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA407752
Entities
People
- Michael W. Carrell
Organizations
- Air University