Coercion for Hire: A Theory of Indirect Coercion

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the use of indirect coercion as an element of Political Warfare and as a policy option for the United States. This thesis synthesizes the concepts of indirect strategy and coercion to provide a cost-effective policy option for U.S. decision makers. In order to establish the strategic utility of indirect coercion, this thesis examines the conditions that are necessary for successful coercion of an adversary using limited military and economic resources. This thesis examines four historical cases of indirect coercion. The cases examined are Indonesia, Italy, and Chile during the early Cold War era, and Hezbollah as an ongoing case to explore the varying outcomes, from success to complete failure. The analysis of the case studies examines surrogate targeting, the covert/overt balance, surrogate vs. sponsor centricity, and the role of positive inducements.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA607616

Entities

People

  • Matthew D. Dewey
  • Paul J. Moriarty

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Relations
  • Health Services
  • International Relations
  • Labor Unions
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Science
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.