Reassurance Strategy: Incentives for Use and Conditions for Success
Abstract
Reassurance strategy is derived from a critique of deterrence strategy. It is the persuasion of one's opponent that a state has no malignant intentions to be an aggressor, demonstrated by limiting offensive capabilities, to reduce tensions and the possibility of war. The main research questions addressed in this dissertation are as follows: Under what conditions is reassurance most likely to be an appropriate strategy?; and What factors are associated with the success or failure of reassurance strategy? To answer these questions, the case study method of "structured, focused comparison" was used. The three case studies are as follows: a partial success case of South Korea towards North Korea, a failure case of the United States towards North Korea, and a success case of the Soviet Union towards the United States. Based on these case studies, the author concludes that explanations based on any one theory (realism, liberalism, or constructivism), any one level of analysis (individual, state, or alliance), or any one party (sending or receiving state) alone cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for the outcome of reassurance strategy. An eclectic and broad approach incorporating two-party (the sending and receiving states) and three-level (leader, domestic politics, and alliance politics) analysis, along with an understanding of the two states' circumstances and relations is necessary to increase the explanatory power. In sum, reassurance strategy must be viewed in the context of the individual, domestic, and international factors of both sending and receiving states. This dissertation shows that reassurance can succeed, but only when several conditions are met. Of these, leaders' perceptions are the most important, but they alone cannot bring about change in the relations between two states unless other factors in the domestic and international environments are supportive.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA518649
Entities
People
- JungSoo Kim
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School