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OverviewIn this sobering book, Barry R. Posen demonstrates how the interplay between conventional military operations and nuclear forces could, in conflicts among states armed with both conventional and nuclear weaponry, inadvertently produce pressures for nuclear escalation. Knowledge of these hidden pressures, he believes, may help some future decision maker avoid catastrophe.Building a formidable argument that moves with cumulative force, he details the way in which escalation could occur not by mindless accident, or by deliberate preference for nuclear escalation, but rather as a natural accompaniment of land, naval, or air warfare at the conventional level. Posen bases his analysis on an empirical study of the east-west military competition in Europe during the 1980s, using a conceptual framework drawn from international relations theory, organization theory, and strategic theory.The lessons of his book, however, go well beyond the east-west competition. Since his observations are relevant to all military competitions between states armed with both conventional and nuclear weaponry, his book speaks to some of the problems that attend the proliferation of nuclear weapons in longstanding regional conflicts. Optimism that small and medium nuclear powers can easily achieve ""stable"" nuclear balances is, he believes, unwarranted. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Barry R. PosenPublisher: Cornell University Press Imprint: Cornell University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.70cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.907kg ISBN: 9780801425639ISBN 10: 0801425638 Pages: 296 Publication Date: 02 January 1992 Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Undergraduate , General Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Manufactured on demand  We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier. Table of Contents"1. Introduction: A Model of Inadvertent Escalation 2. Air War and Inadvertent Nuclear Escalation 3. The Balance of Ground Forces on the Central Front 4. Escalation and NATO's Northern Flank 5. ""Offensive"" and ""Defensive"" Sea Control: A Comparative Assessment 6. ConclusionAppendix 1. The Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) Model Appendix 2. Central Region Close Air Support Aircraft and Atack Helicopters (1988) Appendix 3. The Attrition-FEBA Expansion Model: Symphony Version Appendix 4. A Barrier Defense ModelSelected Bibliography Index"ReviewsInadvertent Escalation makes a truly unique, original contribution to security issues and should make defense planners grapple with conventional and nuclear linkages in future conflicts. Posen's answer gives wisdom to innocent defense planners as they venture forth into a post-Cold War world. Military Review Author InformationBarry R. Posen is Ford International Professor of Political Science at MIT and Director of the MIT Security Studies Program. He is the author of The Sources of Military Doctrine, also from Cornell. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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