Because military force is the high card in geopolitical rivalry, a strategist needs to understand the use and limits of military power. Richard K. Betts, in this collection of essays, explores the challenges of using military force. It advocates balancing principles and pragmatism, which means steering a course between a policy of non-intervention and one of intervening in every crisis. Most useful is its discussion of the practical realities of constructing and executing a coherent strategy in the U.S. government, including wishful thinking, competing bureaucratic cultures, obstructionist institutions, failures to anticipate countermoves by adversaries, and inconsistency of political will. This volume is a great guidebook for thinking about the dilemmas inherent in the use of force.
Guiding Questions
- What considerations should the United States take into account when deciding on the use of force on the international stage?
- What factors should the U.S. take into consideration before initiating an intervention?