Compelling Other Governments to Capitulate: An End-State to the Use of Military Force

Abstract

There is not a clearly defined framework within the national security dialogue of the United States, which sufficiently details compelling another government to capitulate as an end-state to the use of military force. When deciding to use military force the U.S. should consider all options. One option is to force a belligerent government to capitulate. Governmental capitulation is defined as the situation in a country at the national level, where the ruling authorities have relinquished power and do not control the country. The military is destroyed or rendered incapable of conducting medium or large- scale operations. The populace is subjected to martial law by an occupying force. My research revealed how the roots of strategy, diplomacy, peace, and security intertwine to reveal models or frameworks that best detail what courses of action can be taken when nations are faced with threats to national security. Part of this research included historical examples where governmental capitulation was achieved and produced long-term peace and stability. It includes examples where governmental capitulation was not achieved and peace and stability were not secured. This thesis outlines a model for planning and analyzing the conditions for governmental capitulation to be used as part of the national security dialogue prior to commitment of U.S. Armed Forces.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 06, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416142

Entities

People

  • Dennis M. Zink

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Public Policy
  • Second World War
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design