A credibility gap exists between the threat of nuclear weapons and current conventional capability. While there is little doubt that adversaries take American possession of nuclear weapons seriously for the deterrence of nuclear and major power war, there is room to question U. S. willingness to use them for anything short of an “enemy-at-the-gates” [...]
Nuclear proliferation has been a nightmare scenario since the end of World War II. The thought of nuclear annihilation was a constant focusing mechanism during the Cold War. However, it appeared to be a manageable issue when the only two countries with such weapons were the United States and the Soviet Union. With more and [...]
Wendt presents a powerful argument about social interaction on an international scale (xiii). He purports to describe a mechanism whereby states (and presumably other international actors) operate within an anarchical background to create various types and levels of [...]
Ikenberry is one of a few political scientists who are attempting to find the seeds of international order in the place where it is least looked for; a place where it makes great sense to search. He, along with Blainey,[1] [1] argue that to understand what causes war, it is best to look for the [...]
Reading many authors’ ideas about the theories of international relations frustrates me. I have begun to believe that only a very few great thinkers actually “got it right” and that most of the others are merely pecking at the edges, attempting to grab some of the spotlight. In each major field of study, [...]
The principle issues of the strategic environment which will impact military planning by the year 2025 are (1) decreased forward basing, (2) increased anti-access tactics, (3) increased asymmetric attack, and (4) increased technological development, particularly in information systems. This will drive the American force structure to obtain an ability to assure access to anywhere [...]
