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OverviewThis book suggests a general framework for the analysis of formative factors in military thought and offers an account of the Israel Defense Force's state of intellectualism and modernity. This account is followed by an attempt to trace the factors that have shaped Israeli military thought. The explanations are a mixture of realist and non-realist factors, which can be found at both the systemic and the state level of analysis. At the systemic level, realist evaluations focus on factors such as the dominance of the technological dimension and the pervasiveness of asymmetrical, low-intensity conflict; whereas at the state level one can find realist explanations, cultural factors, and societal influences. Moral and legal constraints also factor into both the systemic and state levels. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Avi KoberPublisher: Brill Imprint: Brill Volume: 107 Dimensions: Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 23.50cm Weight: 0.465kg ISBN: 9789004306530ISBN 10: 9004306536 Pages: 190 Publication Date: 20 November 2015 Audience: College/higher education , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock  We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsContents Preface ix The Research Question and Main Arguments xi Methodology xiii Sources xvi Structure xvi Acknowledgements xvii List of Tables xviii xx 1 Military Thought and the Formative Factors Afffecting It 1 The Intellectual and Modern Focus of Military Thought 1 Intellectual Focus 1 Modern Focus 4 Realist vs. Cultural Formative Factors 5 Is There Such Thing as a Universal Strategic Culture orMilitary Culture? 7 Formative Factors: The Systemic Level 9 Technology as a Dominant Dimension 9 The Broadening of War 11 The Narrowing of War 17 The Complexity of War 22 The Pervasiveness and Importance of LICs 23 Zeitgeist 25 War in a Given Period 25 Intellectual Climate 28 Morality, Law, and War 30 The Unit (State) Level 31 The State's Specifijic Strategic Conditions 31 Organizational Factors 32 Lesson Learning Processes 34 The Level of the Individual 35 Thinkers' Operational Code: Fatalists, Military Intellectuals, Intellectual Soldiers, And Practical Soldiers 36 Spiritual Fathers 38 Personal Experience 39 Conclusion 40 2 Israeli Intellectual and Modern Focus 43 Intellectual Weakness 43 Symptoms of Poor Intellectualism in the Military 43 A Number of Positive Symptoms 57 The Detrimental Efffect of the IDF's Lack of Intellectualism 69 The Cost of Poor Intellectualism 69 The Danger Entailed in Emulated Doctrines 72 Damage Inflicted by Phony Intellectualism 73 Modern Focus 75 Types of Conflict 75 Levels-of-War 76 Dimensions of Strategy 79 Post-heroic Mindset and Moral and Legal Considerations Becoming an Integral Part of Israeli Military Thinking 82 Conclusion 84 3 Systemic Formative Factors 86 The Pervasiveness of LICs 86 Technological Developments 92 The Ascendancy of Firepower 92 The Notion of Small But Smart Military 99 Victory from the Air 100 Network-centric Warfare 103 Command and Control over Plasma Screens 104 Cyberspace and Cyber Warfare 105 Legal and Moral Constraints Created by International Law and Norms 107 Jus ad Bellum: Preventive War as Opposed to Preemptive Attack 107 Jus in Bello 109 Conclusion 111 4 Unit (State)-Level Factors 114 Geostrategic Factors and the Cult of the Offfensive 114 Cultural Factors 115 Bitzuism (A Performance-oriented Approach) and Experience-based Intuition 115 Extolling Resourcefulness and Improvisation 118 The Post-1967 Hubris and Intellectual Feebleness 122 Slow Adaptation to a LIC Mindset 123 Lack of Institutional Intellectualism 126 Politization and Militarization Processes 127 Societal Factors 128 An Occupational - Rather than Institutional - Military 128 New Elites and Their Impact of the Idf's Military Thought 129 The Near-lost Competition with the Civilian Sector 130 Explanations for Israeli Post-heroic Mindset's First Rule 132 Commitment to Jewish and Western Democratic Moral and Legal Standards 132 Purity of Arms 133 Justifying the Use of Force 134 The Judicialization of Israeli Military Thinking 136 Conclusion 137 5 Conclusion 138 General Formative Factors 138 The Israeli Case 142 The State of Israeli Military Thought: Intellectual and Modern Focus 142 Formative Factors 143 What Can Be Done to Improve the Level of Intellectualism of Israeli Military Thinking? 145 Appendix 149 Bibliography 162 Index 184ReviewsAuthor InformationAvi Kober, Ph.D, Hebrew University (1992) is Professor of Security Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He has published numerous books and articles on security matters and Israeli military doctrine, including Israel's Wars of Attrition (Routledge, 2009). Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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