While American national security policy has grown more
interventionist since the Cold War, Washington has also hoped to
shape the world on the cheap. Misled by the stunning success
against Iraq in 1991, administrations of both parties have pursued
ambitious aims with limited force, committing the country's
military frequently yet often hesitantly, with inconsistent
justification. These ventures have produced strategic confusion,
unplanned entanglements, and indecisive results. This collection of
essays by Richard K. Betts, a leading international politics
scholar, investigates the use of American force since the end of
the Cold War, suggesting guidelines for making it more selective
and successful.
Betts brings his extensive knowledge of twentieth century
American diplomatic and military history to bear on the full range
of theory and practice in national security, surveying the Cold War
roots of recent initiatives and arguing that U.S. policy has always
been more unilateral than liberal theorists claim. He exposes
mistakes made by humanitarian interventions and peace operations;
reviews the issues raised by terrorism and the use of modern
nuclear, biological, and cyber weapons; evaluates the case for
preventive war, which almost always proves wrong; weighs the
lessons learned from campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam;
assesses the rise of China and the resurgence of Russia; quells
concerns about civil-military relations; exposes anomalies within
recent defense budgets; and confronts the practical barriers to
effective strategy. Betts ultimately argues for greater caution and
restraint, while encouraging more decisive action when force is
required, and he recommends a more dispassionate assessment of
national security interests, even in the face of global instability
and unfamiliar threats.
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