These essays by nuclear policy experts provide “a speculative but serious and well-informed journey through a variety of scenarios and contingencies” (Foreign Affairs). Recent decades have seen a slow but steady increase in nuclear armed states, and in the seemingly less constrained policy goals of some of the newer “rogue” states in the international system. The authors of On Limited Nuclear War in the 21st Century argue that a time may come when one of these states makes the conscious decision that using a nuclear weapon against the United States, its allies, or forward deployed forces in the context of a crisis or a regional conventional conflict may be in its interests. They assert that we are unprepared for these types of limited nuclear wars and that it is urgent we rethink the theory, policy, and implementation of force related to our approaches to this type of engagement. Together they critique Cold War doctrine on limited nuclear war and consider a number of the key concepts that should govern our approach to limited nuclear conflict in the future. These include identifying the factors likely to lead to limited nuclear war; examining the geopolitics of future conflict scenarios that might lead to small-scale nuclear use; and assessing strategies for crisis management and escalation control. Finally, they consider a range of strategies and operational concepts for countering, controlling, or containing limited nuclear war. “A series of trenchant essays that deconstruct a critical national security challenge that most of us wish did not exist. Assembling a star-studded cast of scholars, analysts, and policy practitioners, Larsen and Kartchner have produced some of the most important new thinking on an old topic.” —H-Diplo

"Cold War competition and tensions caused numerous armed conflicts after World War II, but the threat of atomic and nuclear weapons shaped the conduct of those wars and ensured they remained limited. Because the existence of nuclear weapons created the possibility of a small crisis escalating into a vast nuclear exchange, the superpowers sought to deter their use."--Preface

The strategy of limited war has transformed the American approach to the use of force and played a key role in U.S. foreign policy since World War II. As the mainstay of containment it was designed to deter and fight wars effectively at a tolerable cost and risk in the nuclear age by providing the United States with a flexible and controlled response to a variety of military threats. The strategy met a severe challenge in the Vietnam war; it has nevertheless continued to prevail as a doctrine, if not necessarily with its former utility, by adapting to the changing domestic and international environment after Vietnam. Robert E. Osgood critically examines the success, ambiguities, and flaws of the strategy in its expanding application to postwar military policy. He interprets its impact on the Vietnam war and vice versa, extends his analysis to the new challenges posed by changes in technology and the military balance that affect U.S. security, and concludes with a searching inquiry into the problems of limited war where its utility as an instrument of foreign policy is now most in doubt: the Third World.

How can you achieve victory in war if you don't have a clear idea of your political aims and a vision of what victory means? In this provocative challenge to US political aims and strategy, Donald Stoker argues that America endures endless wars because its leaders no longer know how to think about war, particularly wars fought for limited aims, taking the nation to war without understanding what they want or valuing victory and thus the ending of the war. He reveals how flawed ideas on so-called 'limited war' and war in general evolved against the backdrop of American conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These ideas, he shows, undermined America's ability to understand, wage, and win its wars, and to secure peace. Now fully updated to incorporate the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, Why America Loses Wars dismantles seventy years of misguided thinking and lays the foundations for a new approach to the wars of tomorrow.

""Limited War: An Essay On The Development Of The Theory And An Annotated Bibliography"" is a comprehensive work by Morton H. Halperin that explores the concept of limited war in international relations. The book is divided into two parts - the first part provides an in-depth analysis of the development of the theory of limited war, while the second part presents an annotated bibliography of key works on the subject.The first part of the book delves into the historical and political context that led to the development of the theory of limited war. Halperin examines the various factors that contributed to the emergence of this concept, including the changing nature of warfare, the role of nuclear weapons, and the influence of international law and norms. He also explores the different approaches to limited war that have been proposed by scholars and policymakers over the years, and assesses their strengths and weaknesses.The second part of the book is a comprehensive annotated bibliography of key works on limited war. Halperin provides summaries and critical evaluations of each work, highlighting their main arguments and contributions to the field. The bibliography covers a wide range of topics, including the causes and consequences of limited war, the role of diplomacy and negotiation, and the ethical and legal implications of using force in international relations.Overall, ""Limited War: An Essay On The Development Of The Theory And An Annotated Bibliography"" is a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and students interested in the theory and practice of limited war. Halperin's insightful analysis and comprehensive bibliography provide a thorough understanding of this important concept in international relations.From Occasional Papers In International Affairs, No. 3, May, 1962.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.